Page 5

I turn my back to him, though I can feel his scorching eyes burning my back. The heat in them is ferociously roasting me from the inside out. I force a smile for my children. They can always sense my mood even on the phone.

"What are you two up to?" I ask in a cheery tone. Who knew I could be an actor.

"Getting ready for bed. Leah said we can call you and you can blow us a good night kiss.”

"Yes, Mommy can do that. Good night, my darlings. Mommy loves you more than the whole world …”

"And back again," they complete the sentence.

“I’ll call you before you head to school and see you on our Skype call soon."

"Okay, Mommy, love you.”

"Good night,” I say. Blowing kisses, I hang up and turn to see the blazing eyes of Naseer.

I instinctively switch to professional Mariam, which from this moment on will be my shield wall.

"Sorry about that. How may I help you, Prince Naseer," I manage to say. My body hums like a bee that seriously needs to get busy. Down, girl.

"How old are your children?” he asks like it hurts him to even ask.

"Three," I answer—the math can’t add up. Two plus two cannot equal five if my children are three.

"I see, and their father?" His gruff tone is laced with disdain, a hint of venom, and drops of ferocious stare all wrapped in the man that has possessed my mind, body, and soul for the last few years. I know him, and he’s about to explode in my face.

Currently, he’s doing a good job of not bellowing.

"He left after I said I was pregnant with them," I lied.

“And your new fiancée?" he asks as he takes a seat, getting comfortable. I wish I could tell him Do not, sit with me.

"He's fine, thank you," I replied as succinctly as possible.

"Am sure he is, does he know he’s putting a ring on another man's wife,” he says it like he’d just snapped a finger and all the expressions he’d worn a few seconds ago are now instantly replaced with calm. But I know better, it’s the calm before the uproar.

I open my mouth to scream but no sound or words came out, closing my gaping mouth. I challenge my mind to function better and be controlled, he's just rattling my cage.

I can handle him. I tell myself. My subconscious laughs at me. You wish

“My fiancé and I are both single and now engaged to each other,” I state, though it sounds more like I’m convincing myself than him.

"Just because a debt is forgotten doesn't mean it's paid. Just because you forgot you're a legally married woman does not mean you're not legally married to me," he gruffly states with a sad chuckle. Ha ha, he’s got jokes.

"Just because you didn’t stay in town long enough to check your mail on the divorce paper sent to you doesn’t mean I’m still married to you. I wasn’t married when I got engaged," I respond to his analogy, but he smirks. I didn’t send anything. We both know it; I just thought it would go away. I didn’t tell anyone about that pesky yet important detail. I should have known better, but sending a divorce document would mean I have to release my location.

Now, that pesky detail is blowing up in my face. But how could I tell anyone when I didn’t waste time taking the money or signing the NDA?

"Oh, I checked the mail, dear wife.” He stares intensely. “You and I know, you didn’t send me any divorce papers, if you had we wouldn’t be in this room. So currently, our marriage license says otherwise of your single status."

"In that case, I want a divorce." He smirks again then rises from the seat. Pocketing his hands, he comes closer to me, his smell fills my nostrils and I inhale it all. I’ve slept in that smell for years. This close, it makes my droughty body cry for a sip of him. Down, girl.

“Years apart may have made you forget, but I'm happy to remind you. Divorce is not an option," he states.

"I'm engaged to be married to a man who loves me and wants to adopt my children. You are not going to stand in my way," I retort. Snapping out whatever my body is reacting to, I put some distance between us. I need to remember that word—distance.

"I'll adopt them as your husband, much as it hurts me to know you had another man's children. Because of what we shared, I'll accept them," he says like the decision is final.

"How very noble and generous of you but no thanks. Knox is adopting them once we are married."