“What were you doing alone with him?”
“It wasn’t a date, if that’s what you’re insinuating.” Her voice sounds hurt. “I was in the gardens, and he showed up.”
“He was sitting too close. How could you allow that?”
Madeline takes a step back, as if I had struck her. “Are you questioning my fidelity? I am not Hiba.”
Before I can say anything, she runs away.
I should go after her, but instead, I lock myself in my study to think. I hurt Madeline by doubting her loyalty, and I need to mend things between us. My brother is an asshole who likes to get on my nerves, but my wife cannot be held responsible for his sins.
I stand up, determined to find her, but Adil knocks on the door before coming in.
“We need to talk, Kamal. But before anything else, I want you to know that I’m here not as a friend trying to meddle in your personal life but as the advisor to the Sheikh of Sintarah.” His expression is hard, and I know something serious has happened. “I just received a recording from the Intelligence Agency of our Emirate, of a phone call from your fiancée’s room.”
“What? Who gave them permission to listen to Madeline’s personal calls?”
“That wasn’t the intention, Kamal, but when the person she was talking to mentioned one of the keywords, ‘bomb,’ the call was automatically recorded.”
He hands me the phone, already opened to the audio.
“Good morning, Mother. Isn’t it too early to be up?”
“Madeline, I must salute you. You dropped a real bomb on the international press. I knew I taught youwell how life works, but I admit I didn’t expect you to be this clever. You’re finally applying my lessons.”
“Mother—”
“No, Madeline, listen to me. Now I understand. Of course a well-bred girl who studied in excellent schools and frequented the best social circles would never get involved with a man like him for nothing.”
“A man like him? What are you talking about?”
“Well, I have to admit his looks aren’t half bad, if we overlook the fact that his skin is too dark, but nobody’s perfect.”
“I’m pregnant.”
“What?”
“I’m expecting Kamal’s baby.”
“My God, you’re amazing, daughter of mine. An heir—of course! Much better than I had imagined! Now you’ve secured your financial stability forever. I can’t wait to see the faces of those detractors here in Boston who humiliated us the last few months when they find out you’re going to be rich. How long after getting married do you plan on asking for a divorce? I know excellent lawyers for marital disputes. Enrico Lambertucci, for example.”
My blood turns to ice.
So that was the plan? She lied all along?
“What do you intend to do?”
“The only thing I can: protect my child from this woman.”
Chapter 47
I pace back and forth in my room, trying to make sense of what happened. At first, I was furious about Kamal’s reaction. Hurt and wounded that he would even consider that I could betray him like Hiba did.
As the minutes passed by, though, I tried to put myself in his shoes. If the child Hiba was expecting was truly Zarif’s, then Kamal has more than enough reason to question his brother’s intentions.
It was purely by chance that we ran into each other today. I was seething with anger at my mother, and he showed up, asking if I was okay.
Even though I can understand my fiancé’s point of view, and perhaps even his jealousy, I have never given him any reason to question my love and loyalty, and I won’t be held accountable for other people’s sins.
