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Power. It was all about the power. “But the sultan has the ultimate power. And he can strip your title whenever he sees fit.”
“That is true, but I won’t let that happen. I know how to protect what is mine. This time no one will intimidate or harm those who are important to me. This time I have the power to fight back.”
Lacey shook her head with resignation. That sounded like the Hafiz she knew and loved. “You already have that power,” she pointed out. “You don’t need to be a prince to use it.”
He reared his head back as if she had said something blasphemous. “I disagree. Taking care of Rudaynah is my purpose in life. I can’t do that if I’m not their prince.”
Lacey tried to imagine what Hafiz would be like without a royal title. He would still be arrogant and influential. People would continue to clamor for his attention and advice. But would his countrymen allow him to represent the sultanate if he wasn’t a prince, or would they treat him as a celebrity? She didn’t know.
“I may not agree with you every time, Lacey, but I always listened. You made me look at the world differently. I missed the way we used to talk,” Hafiz said.
Lacey looked away. “We didn’t talk. I was your mistress, not your girlfriend. We had sex. Lots and lots of sex.”
“Don’t,” Hafiz said harshly. “Stop rewriting our history.”
Was she guilty of that? Lacey sank her teeth into her bottom lip. She had felt loved and adored when she was with Hafiz. He had been generous and caring. Maybe it wasn’t just about sex.
“Think about the times you listened to the troubles I had on a project or my concerns for the sultanate,” Hafiz said quietly. “You gave me advice and ideas. I knew I could count on you to give me honest feedback. Your opinion always mattered to me.”
“And now you have Nabeela for that.”
“Nabeela won’t look after my best interest. She can’t drive me wild. She can’t love me the way you do.”
“Then break the engagement,” she whispered.
He froze and turned his head away. “No, Lacey,” Hafiz said as he took a step back.
“You don’t have to do this to redeem yourself. You have made up for your mistakes years ago.”
“I don’t deserve forgiveness.”
“You don’t deserve a loveless marriage,” she insisted. “I know what it’s like to be unloved. To be surrounded by indifference. It chips away at you until you become a shadow of yourself.”
“I can’t break the engagement. It’s too late.”
Lacey closed her eyes as the pain flashed through her. “And you can’t walk away from me. So, what do you plan to do?” She slowly opened her eyes as it occurred to her. “You plan to have both of us?” she asked in a scandalized whisper.
Hafiz remained silent as he watched her closely.
She felt the blood drain from her face. “You need to leave right now. I can’t believe you would insult me this way.”
“I told you, my marriage would be in name only. It’s not a real marriage. It’s not even a relationship.”
She thrust her finger at the door. “Get out,” she said, her voice trembling with outrage.
Hafiz sighed and went to collect his jacket. “Give me one good reason why this won’t work.”
“I don’t want to be your mistress.” At one time in her life, she gladly accepted the role. It had been the only way she could be in his life. She’d gratefully accepted the crumbs he offered, but now she knew she deserved more.
“But you can’t be my wife,” he murmured.
“You made sure that couldn’t happen. Even if you didn’t accept Nabeela as your bride, I still wouldn’t be your wife. Because I was a mistress. Your mistress.”
“That’s not the only reason.”
“Because you don’t think I’m worthy of the title.”
“That’s not true,” he said, grabbing her wrists with his large hands, forcing her to stand still as he towered over her. “I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. This is the best compromise I can make.”
“Compromise.” Her lips curled with disgust as she said the word. “I’m done compromising.”
