“I want to see her.”
“Come with me.”
As we walk, I ask, “Tell me what happened.”
“It was a cell from the same group that carried out previous attacks. We thought they’d been completely eliminated, but apparently not.” He pauses, reminding me of the insurgencies and assassination attempts early in his rule, events that led to arrests and executions.
We enter the elevator.
“She was visiting the gold market with Adeela. I personally handled every security detail, and that’s the only reason they weren’t killed. My best man was with them. He trusted his instincts when he noticed something off in one of the shops. He barely had time to pull them away before everything exploded.”
Cold sweat runs down my spine. I’ve never been so afraid in my life. I can picture the scene like a horror film.
We stop in front of her room.
“Were they hurt?”
“No.”
He looks uneasy.
“What is it?”
“I know you’re planning a religious ceremony. As sheikh, brother, and friend, I bless you both, but once it’s over, I think you should get on a plane and return to the UK. I intend to punish everyone who dared try to harm my wife and sister, but I won’t take any risks.”
“If she’s truly fine, we can move the ceremony up to the next few days. I’m doing this because I want our marriage to be real in every sense. I know it matters to my Jazmina, but once it’s over, we’re leaving.”
“You’re in love with my sister.” He looks calmer now.
“I think I always was. Since the day I kidnapped her from Vicenzzo’s yacht.”
“I spent months blaming myself for inadvertently contributing to your union. I thought I’d made a mistake, that you’d hurt her. But I recognize true love when I see it, and now my heart is at peace.”
She isn’t sleeping as I expected. She’s lying in bed, pale, staring out the window.
When she sees me, she doesn’t smile, and my heart tightens. It’s not the reception I wanted, but I’m not backing down. I’m too afraid to care about my pride.
“Are you in pain?”
“No,” she says, but her eyes are empty.
My heart sinks as I walk closer and pull her into my arms. “I love you. I thought I was going to lose my mind when your brother told me about the attack.”
“I’m fine.”
“What’s wrong?”
“We need to talk.” She’s crying.
“What happened? You said you’re not in pain—”
“Not physically. I haven’t recovered from the shock yet, but I’m fine under the circumstances. There’s something more serious we need to address.”
I sit on the bed, lacing our fingers together.
She won’t look at me.
“Talk.”