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Hafiz followed her into the main room with long, brisk strides. His presence made the apartment feel smaller, as if it couldn’t contain him. Lacey wished Priya had not had the night shift. She wanted him to leave and could have used some backup right now. Knowing what kind of man he was, Hafiz wouldn’t leave until he got what he was after.
“You made sure I wasn’t part of your world,” Lacey continued. “I thought I needed to earn that privilege because I was a foreigner and a nobody. Now I realize that nothing I did would have made a difference. It just wasn’t going to happen.”
She was done trying to earn love. It didn’t work. She had twisted and bent herself into knots, determined to give her all and make her relationships work. She had made Hafiz the most important part of her life, and he could not do the same. He had accepted her love as if it was his due, but he did not see her as a priority in life.
No more. Hafiz did not value her role in his life, and he wasn’t going to. From now on, she would put herself first because no one else would. She would not settle or compromise.
She heard Hafiz’s cell phone ring. Lacey whirled around and saw him retrieve it from his pocket. “Don’t you dare.”
He frowned as he glanced up from the touch screen. “I’m just—”
“No, you are not answering that phone. I don’t care if Rudaynah suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. It can’t be as important as what’s going on here.”
“Lacey, don’t be—”
“I’m serious, Hafiz. For once, I am your top priority. The most important person in your life is right in front of you, so put the phone away.”
Hafiz’s austere face tightened, clearly holding his anger in check.
“If you’d rather take the call,” she said coldly, “then leave and don’t come back.”
Her heart was pounding as the phone continued to ring. Hafiz silently turned off the ringer and returned the phone to his pocket as he held her gaze.
Lacey tried to hide her surprise. She had never given him an ultimatum like that. She had always been reluctant, always knowing that he held the power in the relationship. She’d believed that if she made any demands, placed any expectations on him, he would exchange her for another woman.
It turned out that he’d done it anyway.
“I am marrying Nabeela, but the marriage is in name only,” Hafiz assured her.
“What exactly does that mean?”
“It means that we will not live in the same suite of rooms in the palace. It means that we will see each other on official occasions, and, even then, we won’t stand next to each other.”
Lacey’s eyes narrowed as she listened to his explanation. “And this is what you want?”
“It’s not about what I want to do. It’s about meeting my obligations. Meeting the expectations of my country and my family.”
“Will you consummate the marriage?”
His nostrils flared as he reined in his patience. “It is required by law.”
The idea of him in bed with another woman made her sick to her stomach. How would he feel if she chose to sleep with another man? Claimed it was required? Hafiz would do everything in his power to prevent that from happening. Why did he think she wouldn’t respond in the same way? Because she was a woman? Because as a mistress she had no claim on him?
“Will you have children?” she asked.
The muscle in his jaw twitched. “As the second in line to the throne, I am not required to have an heir.”
She noticed he didn’t answer her question. “But you won’t be second in line,” she reminded him. “You will be the crown prince if you marry Nabeela.”
“That is the sultan’s promise, but I don’t know if or when it will happen. I need to be the crown prince,” Hafiz admitted. “I didn’t expect to get a second chance, and I have to take it.”
“It’s what you want most,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone. He wanted it more than he wanted her. “It’s what you strove for all these years.”
“I had abused that power ten years ago. If I get the title back, I can make amends. I can show that I’m different. That I am the leader that they need.”
