Then he looked at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher.
“Layla,” he said softly, “I think it’s time we stopped pretending we don’t know each other.”
My mother whispered my name.
My father stood up.
And I realized that the secret I had protected for years was about to be exposed in front of everyone who mattered to me.
My fingers felt like ice as I reached for the veil.
I could hear my own heartbeat.
For one brief moment, I considered refusing.
I could stand up, leave the room, and tell my parents that I would never marry a man who had cornered me like this.
But I knew that running away wouldn’t erase what had happened.
So I lifted the veil.
Zayd’s expression changed immediately.
The polite smile disappeared.
His eyes widened slightly, and he stared at me as if he had just seen a ghost.
Then he whispered one word.
