“That’s how she was raised. How we all were, really. But I think the two of us broke the mold.”
“Speak for yourself. I behaved properly when I married my sheikh.”
“You said my mother was one of the things worrying you. What else?”
“The death threats against your brother have increased.”
“What?”
“The radicals are losing their minds over the restoration of women’s rights, and Kaled is more tense than ever about security. Don’t be surprised if he’s on your case when we arrive for the wedding. He worries especially about your trips to the university.”
“Don’t worry. I have a small army behind me. As for university, I decided to put it on hold this semester. To be honest, I chose the course randomly because I dreamed of leaving Rheadur. I do want to study, that much I know, but I don’t think industrial design will ever be my passion.”
“Why the rush? Choose carefully. Just don’t give up.”
“No chance. I won’t stay locked at home waiting for Rodrick to come back from work. I want my own career. I just don’t know which one yet. I have to go. Take care.”
“In a few days we’ll see each other. I can’t wait.”
I end the call and grip the phone tightly. I promised myself I wouldn’t do this, but I’ll try one last time to make peace with my mother. I don’t want to begin this new chapter of my life at odds with her.
“May peace be upon you, Mother,” I say when, after calling nearly ten times, she finally answers.
“Jazmina,” she says simply, and I feel my heart constrict.
My mother has never been my friend. Her comparisons with my sisters always made me unhappy, and since I came to Europe, she has grown even more distant.
“Are you sure you won’t come to the wedding? Kaled could bring you.”
It's not easy to invite her for the third time. There is one trait common to all of former Sheikh Kamran’s children: pride. We do not bow. But her absence from my wedding would mean more than disagreement—it would mean she wants no part in my life from now on.
“You already asked me that, Jazmina, and you received an answer. Why would I change my mind? I do not bless this marriage. When you said you were going to Europe, I knew nothing good would come of it. And now you’re shaming our people, parading around with that boy as if you were a Westerner. Give up this nonsense while there’s still time. You were not born to be a duchess abroad, but rather a princess in your own country.”
“There is no shame in marrying by choice, Mother. Rodrick is the man I want as my husband. Our engagement is not nonsense. I adore him, and if you cannot accept that, I won’t insist anymore. The doors of our home will always be open to you, as long as you treat my future husband with the respect he deserves.”
Paris — France
The next day
“You look so beautiful, Jazmina,” Josephine says.
I look at my reflection in the mirror and like what I see. The dress is simple by Rheadur standards but perfectly suited to my celebration. If not for the veil, it could pass as an evening gown.
It’s white, long, straight-cut, fitted, and sleeveless, though it covers the tops of my shoulders. I asked the designer to raise the neckline—it was too bold for my standards. My father will surely repost the photos in our country’s newspapers, and I don’t want to fuel further conflict between the radicals and my brother.
“I like it too,” I say, sighing.
“Hey. What’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid.”
“Of getting married?”
“No. Of falling in love. We’re going to separate one day. That was the deal.”
“From what you told me, you were the one who brought up separation. Did Rodrick ever say he wanted that too?”
I try to remember. “No. I was the first to say it. When I proposed, the physical attraction mattered, of course, but mostly, I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to be free.”