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‘There is nothing I want more than to make you my wife, Kaliah, as soon as possible. Is this not what you want too?’
The intense emotion in his voice had made her nod before he’d left her at the door to her new quarters two days ago. Yes, it was all a bit fast, even for her, but she had no qualms about her decision. Not only was she looking forward to being with Kamal, she was also excited about her future role as Queen of Zokar. She had been given full command of hiring her own staff—and defining her own duties—but, more than that, Kamal had informed her through his executive assistant that, once they were wed, he would relinquish any claim to the Narabian throne.
She didn’t want to relay any of her concerns about the speed of the marriage to her father, though. Because it would feel like a betrayal of Kamal, and the new phase of her life they would embark on together when she became Queen of Zokar.
‘Well, you know me, I never do anything by halves.’ She let out a laugh, which only felt slightly forced. ‘I hope you’ll all be able to come to the ceremony. Raif and Kasia have already confirmed they can attend with their oldest four,’ she said, the nerves knotting in her stomach. ‘And we’re hoping Karim and Orla will be able to make it too, as they’re in Zafar at the moment instead of Kildare. Unfortunately, Dane said Jamilla can’t come, as she has some big event in Manhattan she can’t shift,’ she added, mentioning Karim’s half-brother, a nightclub entrepreneur, and his wife, who ran a charitable foundation in New York. ‘But Dane’s coming with their three-year-old twins. By the way, why are there so many sets of twins in our family?’ she added, her laugh sounding manic now even to her own ears as her father remained suspiciously silent. ‘Seriously, I should probably be concerned.’
‘Take a breath, Liah,’ her father said, his voice finally stopping the stream of inane information.
‘You are coming, aren’t you?’ she managed, the desperation in her voice impossible to hide.
‘Of course,’ he said.
‘Thank God!’ she blurted out. ‘And William and Kasim and Rohaan?’ she added, suddenly knowing she needed her brothers there too, to ground her. Unshed tears scraped at her throat. She missed them all so much.
‘Yes, they’ll be coming too.’
She blinked to hold back the traitorous emotion making her chest feel tight.
Why did she feel unsteady, so unsure? This was silly. She’d agreed to this marriage. She loved Kamal. But the thought of seeing her father, her mother and the whole of her family made it all seem more real and that much more overwhelming.
‘You don’t have to go through with this if you’re not ready, Liah,’ her father said gently.
The words didn’t even register at first, but when they did the strange combination of uncertainty and anxiety pressing on her chest morphed into something even more disturbing—panic. ‘But...but I am ready,’ she said.
‘Are you sure, honey?’ he said again, sounding concerned.
And suddenly she was a little girl again, with his strong arms around her as he held her on the saddle of her first pony, and as he let go, telling her not to go too fast over the jumps. Of course, she had gone too fast, and she’d fallen and broken her arm in the process. He’d raced to her side, picked her up and cradled her on his lap until the palace medical team had arrived. But he’d never chastised her. And neither had her mother.
They’d always stood by her, even when she’d made stupid mistakes.
But this isn’t a mistake. It can’t be.
‘I know he needs to get married before his coronation ceremony next week or he risks losing his throne,’ her father added. ‘But you shouldn’t feel pressured into agreeing to this marriage if you’re not one hundred percent sure.’
‘Sorry, what?’ she said, her voice a squeak of distress.
Had she heard that correctly? Surely she couldn’t have?
‘You didn’t know?’ Her father swore, the ugly, angry word making nausea well in Liah’s gut.
Had Kamal lied to her? Why hadn’t he told her he needed a wife to secure his throne? Was that why he’d asked her to make this engagement real, why the wedding had been scheduled so quickly? Had he used her, the same way Colin had used her?
He never said he loved you. And now you know why.
The bleak thought had the nausea bubbling under her breastbone. The hollow weight in her stomach was worse, because it was a feeling she remembered when she’d overheard Colin’s making fun of her to his friends. But this time the weight was so much heavier...
Because she’d never loved Colin. Had never felt for him even a tiny part of what she felt for Kamal.
‘Liah, I’m coming to get you,’ her father snapped, sounding furious, and more than a little irrational. But something about his anger, the fiery temper, helped to calm her own panic—a bit. ‘No way in hell are you marrying a man who can’t be honest with you about something so funda—’
‘Dad, it’s okay, I knew.’ She forced out the lie, determined to defuse the situation and give herself time to think.
There had to be a reason why Kamal hadn’t told her all the details. Perhaps he had been scared to tell her, in case she changed her mind, scared to trust her.
That wasn’t good. If they were going to have a life together, they had to learn to trust each other implicitly. And he should have given her all the facts. But she refused to assume the worst. She knew he needed her, wanted her, that he saw in her things she hadn’t even seen in herself until a few weeks ago.
It can’t be a lie.
