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Saaina then turned and her dark eyes locked with Robin’s.
For a moment she could only stare as her sluggish brain struggled to process the emotion brimming there just under the surface. She was so accustomed to Saaina glaring at her that seeing any other expression on her face was foreign.
She knelt next to Jessica but kept her eyes on Robin. “Are you hurt badly? What can I do?”
“Oh, great, you want to help now, bitch?” Jessica snarled.
Saaina ignored her and glanced over her shoulder again. With no sign of the others, she twisted the cap off one bottle then held it out toward Robin.
“Are you thirsty?” Saaina asked.
“It’s probably poisoned,” Jessica grumbled.
This was utterly bizarre.
“What do you want?” Robin asked despite the dryness.
Saaina’s face crumpled, and she lowered to the floor, sitting cross legged. She drew in a shuddering breath. Was she about to cry?
“I failed you,” Saaina said in a small, helpless voice. “I failed you. I’m so sorry. This is my fault.”
“We don’t want your redemption tour, thanks,” Jessica snapped.
Robin shifted her feet, thereby pulling on Jessica. She glanced at Robin who shook her head.
Something was going on here. There were so many layers and Robin was lost.
“What do you mean?” she asked Saaina.
The other woman bent her head. “I didn’t know what to do for you, but I knew the last place you needed to be was around your father.”
“Wait, what?” Jessica muttered.
“You hate me,” Robin said.
Saaina shook her head. Tears clung to her dark lashes now. “No. No, I don’t hate you. I…”
Robin glanced at Jessica while Saaina struggled to breathe. She seemed to compose herself after a few moments and leveled a serious gaze at Robin.
Saaina spoke softly, but her tone was firm. “Daar genuinely likes you. There’s hope for you. Be quiet. Say as little as possible no matter what happens to us, understand me?”
“No. No, I don’t understand,” Robin said.
“Your uncle forced me to marry your father. I didn’t want to, but… I had to. I know Daar killed your mother. I don’t know how or who did it, but he made it happen. He told me he was going to do it. I was already promised to your father before your mother was killed.” Saaina leaned closer and dropped her voice. “There’s another man. He controls your uncle. This man had me do things for him, things Daar will kill me for if he ever finds out. I never wanted to hurt you. I promise. The only thing I could think of to save you was to drive you away. If you didn’t want to be around your father or me, maybe you’d be spared from all of this. Maybe you wouldn’t get involved…?”
She pressed her hands to her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks now.
Robin stared at the other woman, processing her words.
All these years, all the cruel things Saaina had said, and it was for Robin’s benefit?
She opened and closed her mouth, but didn’t know what to say.
“We’re fucked,” Jessica said.
Robin glanced at her friend.
“We saw the tip of the iceberg and thought we knew what was going on.” Jessica turned her head. “We had no idea. No fucking idea.”
