Sheikh Aayan stood and declared, “They will be stripped of their current marriages and children. They will reside here in Durabia. Of course, the dowry will be restored to Durabia first. Twice the amount, as an apology for the injustice done to my son.”
Zohaib sighed with resignation. “Thank you for taking them as your wives once again. You have such a compassionate heart.”
The two sisters wept and sobbed.
“No, not that compassionate,” Kamran admitted. “They will not be my wives. I have no use for women who saw nothing wrong with changing the world’s view of me. Who, by their deception, clearly care more for themselves than they do for anyone else.”
Zohaib frowned, glaring up at Sheikh Aayan. “So, they will not be his wives? What will they be?”
“Servants.”
He was on his feet, roaring, “But they are Royalty!”
“But they are still breathing,” Kamran shot back, and those words seemed to take all the life out of the older man.
“And so shall it be,” Sheikh Aayan commanded as Kamran reclaimed the space besides Ellena. “Guards, take them to the servants’ quarters. I will visit with them to dole out the first of their punishments. Then they will live out their lives as servants until Kamran says otherwise.”
“They also said he was a cruel man,” Naila chimed in, tears streaming down her face as she held on to her sister.
Sheikh Aayan scanned her face for a moment before asking, “Who?”
“Eshaal, Faiza, and Hiba,” she said, gesturing to the women, who shriveled under the sudden scrutiny. “They said if we stayed, he would find a way to murder us and our father could not protect us.”
“We did no such thing,” Hiba protested, glancing at Faiza. “Forgive me for speaking out of turn. She does not speak the truth.”
“Then where did the birth-control pills come from?” Afifa shot back. “I lived here for five years, rarely set foot outside of the palace, and only saw the royal physicians, who were instructed not to provide them for newlywed wives or wives who had not yet conceived children.”
“Swear to Allah,” Sheikh Aayan commanded, focusing on Eshaal.
“She claimed she had trouble with her menses,” Eshaal protested, scanning her husband’s stoic face as though expecting his support in the matter. “We were only trying to help.”
Sheikh Aayan leveled a stony gaze on her. “You mean, only help yourself to become a queen, yes?”
Ellena felt the tension rippling through Kamran, who kept a tight hold on her hand.
Sheikh Aayan pondered that for several moments. “From this moment on, Faiza, Eshaal, and Hiba are on a provisional watch.” His gaze went to Kamran’s brothers, who quailed under his glare. “You must make amends—financial amends to your brother—for your wives’ offenses.”
“How much are you requiring us to give?” Salman asked.
The question, instead of a protest, was telling. Kamran’s brothers were well aware of what their wives had done. More than likely, they were complicit as well.
“Everything in your accounts. Every single amount.”
“Father,” Amir hedged, swallowing hard to contain his shock that matched his brothers’, who stood gaping.
Hiba fainted, and Faiza barely caught her in time.
“Everything?” Laraib croaked and his panic-stricken expression matched Umar and Nadeem’s.
“Everything. All property. All monies. All sponsorships. All businesses. You will have to begin again.”
“This is so unfair,” Nadeem yelled. “The wives you forced on us—”
“In your quest to rule,” Sheikh Aayan roared back, shutting him down. “You committed a heinous act.”
“It was not me,” Laraib countered. “It was the wife you arranged for me.”
Sheikh Aayan left the throne and swoooped down on him. “And you knew nothing of her actions?”
Laraib’s chin lifted to meet his father’s gaze head on. “I. Did. Not.”
Sheikh Aayan drew himself up to his full height. “Do. Not. Lie. To. Me.”
“I did not realize her deception was so low,” he said, backing down under the weight of his father’s wrath. “I apologize, father. And I apologize to you, my brother.”
“Father, I beg you. Do not strip us of everything. We will be commoners,” Laraib protested.
“Any request for living expenses will have to be approved by Kamran. Any purchase, any journey, every major decision or activity in your life must now be at Kamran’s discretion.”
“Why father?” Nadeem cried, holding onto his brothers. “Why penalize us so harshly?”
“Your machination stole his birthright,” the Sheikh said, waving a finger at them. “It is only fair that he has everything of yours.”
Kamran stepped forward. “Father, I do not wish to have any—”
The Sheikh glared in his direction, ending any other words of refusal.
“Birth control cannot be dispensed to women. So, who was it that procured those pills for Afifa and Naila?” He scanned their faces, and when no answer was forthcoming, he added, “I am grateful to Allah that I have six wives and fifteen other sons to choose as heirs.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“I would like a word with my daughters before they are taken away,” Zohaib said, and his tone and posture were surprisingly humble. Too humble—the direct opposite of the demeanor he’d displayed the entire time.
“Certainly,” Sheikh Aayan replied.
Kamran stiffened, released Ellena’s hand, and sauntered toward the throne. “No, I do not think it is a good idea for him to be alone with them right now.”
Eshaal sighed her impatience. Kamran favored her with a warning look that shut her down.
“Surely, he will allow a father and mother to say farewell to their daughters,” Salman said, glaring at Kamran.
“Father, emotions are high right now,” Kamran countered. “I say allow everything a moment to settle and then a private audience will be the reward for their compliance.”
“As a courtesy from one Sheikh to another,” Sheikh Aayan said, focusing on Zoraib. “I am going to override my son’s decision.”
“It is harmless,” Salman said, trying to make an impression on their father since he now stood a chance at being on the throne. “You are being too critical. Shows that you would not make a good king.”
Kamran did not dignify that with an answer.
“Father, I will take my leave,” Kamran said, gesturing for his guards and assistants to make haste. “Please know that whatever happens is on your hands.”
“Such a drama king,” Salman taunted with a smirk.
“Mother, Ellena, Zoya,” Kamran snapped. “We are leaving—right now.”
Zoya hesitated, unwilling to make an exit before seeing the outcome and decisions related to her daughters. She tried to pull away, but a whisper from Farah directly in her ear made the older woman flinch, then lose all color in her olive complexion as she swayed on her feet.
“But what about family prayer?” Ellena protested, staying rooted to the spot. “My directive was dinner every Friday as a condition of remaining with you in the Free Zone.”
“Now, Ellena,” Kamran commanded and guided her forward.
She reluctantly fell into step beside him. “Kamran?”
“Keep going, Ellena.” His tone and the grip on her elbow told her Kamran wasn’t open to any argument.
Once they cleared the throne room to the outside foyer, she planted her feet. “I’m not moving another muscle until you tell me what’s going on.”
The guards and assistants all paused, but they, too, wore anxious expressions.
“I do not command you in anything, but right now I am doing so. Move your feet.” He hooked his arm under hers and his mother’s, who put her free arm around Zoya before he rushed them all forward.
A couple of minutes later, a series of screams and shrieks tore through the air.
Ellena stiffened along wi
th Zoya but did not stop running.
Kamran glanced in her direction and it took everything within Ellena not to question him. In her heart of hearts, she already knew. She was grateful he sought to spare her, his mother, and the women’s mother the core visual of what had happened.
They piled into two separate cars. The drivers cleared the circular driveway and had them moving toward the gate in record time.
The entire trip was made in solemn silence. The moment they cleared the foyer of their new home, Zoya sank into the first chair she could find.
“Mother, please make yourself at home.” He waved toward Ellena. “I need a private moment with my wife.”
“I understand,” she said, embracing him.
“Would you be terribly upset if we missed the palace dinner tonight?” he asked.
She almost crumpled as she put a little distance between them. “No, my heart is hurting for Zoya right now. I will stay with her.”
“I will have the chef make a meal of your choosing.”
“I love you, my son.” She went up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “You always have had more compassion and mercy than anyone I know.” She cupped his face in her hands. “And you were always my favorite.”
Kamran smiled. “Mother, you say that to all of your children.”
She tilted her head, peering at him a moment. “Actually, I do not.”
Ellena paced in front of their bed, her hands flexing in an effort to contain her emotions. One hand went to her belly in a soothing motion as her thoughts went to her child’s wellbeing. On a wealth level, they would have no issues.
Kamran had purchased a building that was on the tail end of construction and had them make major adjustments to accommodate Ellena’s choices. The place was elaborately decorated in the same fashion as the palace, with shades of rich purples and golds. Nine bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, a dining room that seated twenty-four, a living room that spanned out into a solarium leading to an Olympic sized pool and an expansive patio the length of the white stone building. She loved the place and the array of flowers planted in the garden that Kamran had designed especially for her. None of this brought her any peace at the moment.
His foot barely made it over the threshold before she rushed to him.
“Kamran—"
He held up one hand for her to wait until the door closed behind him. His face was pale, almost ashen. All of the fight sifted out of her pores seeing how affected he was by the tragic turn of events. She wanted to wrap him in her arms and hold him for a long while. She did, and when he went limp, shoulders lowered in defeat, he pulled away to look in her eyes.
What she saw there hurt her entire heart.
“You knew,” she whispered. “You knew he would do that.”
“Yes.”
“Has that happened before?”
“Not here in Durabia, but it has happened in surrounding countries. In Zoraib’s country, Sharia Law is swift and absolute. And you are right, it is not always fair to women. In this case, the level at which they sank to defraud a marriage cannot go without punishment. I believed stripping them of everything was punishment enough. Making them service those who once served them was punishment enough.” He rubbed his hands down his face. “Sheikh Zohaib could not live with seeing his daughters reduced to servants in someone else’s sheikhdom. The entire Muslim world would be constantly reminded of their transgressions.”
Ellena pondered that for a few moments. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For getting us out of there before he … killed them. What’s going to happen now?”
Kamran pulled her into his arms. “My father will receive the bride price—double, and now additional money for the loss created by their deaths.”
She sighed. Money again. Women translated into property. “They hurt you.”
“Yes.” He linked his hands with hers. “Their actions changed the course of my whole life.”
“True, and there was sadness because it was unfair to you, but did that require their lives?”
“No, my love,” he answered in a barely audible whisper. “I tried to save them.”
Ellena pulled in a deep breath, then let it out. “I know.”
“My father would not listen.”
“I know that, too,” she whispered.
“He did not have to let him do that.”
She frowned and drew her head back to study Kamran. “He knew?”
“If I knew, everyone in the palace was aware. My brother enjoys these things. It is barbaric. Umar urged my father to believe my request was weakness when it took so much out of me to ask for their release. Especially at a time when I was absorbing the magnitude of what they had done.”
Ellena splayed a hand on his chest. “I am so proud of what you tried to do today.”
“My words condemned them,” he confessed. “In my anger, I said they were unpure.”
“That was true, though.”
“But I have kept the secret all this time. Why did I share it today when it caused them so much pain?” He braced himself against the physical comfort she provided. “I should have held my tongue. I let emotions get the better of me.”
“They called you a monster,” Ellena countered, holding him against her body. “All you did was try to show them how untrue that was. No one can fault you for that.”
“I fault me for that,” he whispered against her hair.
Kamran stayed in her arms several minutes longer before pulling away.
“Come, we need to see about our guests.” He stood, extending his hand to her. “Zoya has lost two daughters. And my father’s kingdom has lost a bit of its humanity. I am not sure how I can come to terms with either one.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Do you realize you are not going to be next in line for the crown if you do not take action?” Nazia warned as she walked toward the window that overlooked the garden. The servants were still clearing the blood from the throne room. Nothing like that had ever taken place in Durabia. Dinner was canceled and everyone dispersed.
“Father did not listen to him,” Salman said with a haughty lift of his chin, moving until he was directly behind her. “He listened to me. That is what is important.”
Punishments in Durabia were handled with more … diplomacy and nothing quite so inhumane in the presence of everyone, including women. Those measures only happened in some of the more restrictive countries.
“And the people hate him for it. We have not seen a display of something so brutal among Royals. I am telling you now, our daughters will not marry any princes from Zoraib’s family.”
“What does it matter?” Salman said, weary of the discussion with his wife. “They deserved it. True, it was not the consequence Kamran had in mind. That man is so weak. What reason did he have to spare their lives? A true king upholds the law. Those women were whores and they shamed the house of Nadaum.”
“Yes, but now that the truth is out, all it will take is to give Kamran a second wife, a Durabian wife, and he is back in line for the throne. Exactly where your father wants him.”
Silence.
His face grew tight and tense as he contemplated the possibility.
“Oh, now you understand,” she taunted. “Faiza warned all of us that woman was going to be an issue. You did not listen to me, but you had better listen to me now. Kamran is gaining the hearts of the people. You, they tolerate. Do you know that when a position became open in his house, nearly every servant in the palace asked to join their household? Every servant and guard in the palace would rather be employed by Kamran and Ellena than the man who would be Sheikh. We can barely keep a round of servants, guards, or assistants. Think about that,” she admonished. “You should have stayed out of that exchange with your father and you would not now be considered as the reason those two women met their demise.”
Fairly chastised, he sighed. “I simply thought Kamran was being sensitive. Weak, again.”
“He w
as being compassionate,” she snapped. “Because he understood Sheikh Zohaib’s true intent. Shows that your brother is very observant and so is his wife. Their work with rescuing women from places like El Zalaam has not gone unnoticed. And the women, the majority of Nationals are leaning more to him, than to you or any of your brothers. Better be glad it is a rulership and not a democracy, because a vote would mean Kamran Ali Khan is next to sit on the throne.”
Salman leaned against the window, absorbing what she said. But he held out hope on one thing. “I know Sheikh Zohaib is extremely upset with Ellena,” he said. “Her words are what led to their deaths. Not my involvement in the conversation. Everyone was believing the story about Naila and Isray taking vitamins until Ellena opened her mouth. Then the physician had no choice but to confess that they had been taking birth control pills.”
“Kamran’s words that they were not pure did not help the situation,” Faiza said.
Salman nodded his agreement. “For the Muslim World to know that Sheikh Zohaib’s daughters and everyone in his female line need to be purity tested brings such shame to his sheikhdom. He will never live that down.”
Now men in both families would have to observe the deflowering on the wedding night to witness signs that the woman was a virgin.
“Did you see the look he gave Kamran?” she asked, moving forward until she was in his arms. Shocking because she almost never did such a thing.
“No, I was too busy with the way he was looking at Ellena. Under all the hatred, his desire was evident.”
Nazia inched backward, shaking her head. “What? No. No. No. He couldn’t possibly want her.”
“He can and he does,” Salman said with a knowing smile.
“How can you be sure?”
Salman squirmed and quickly averted his gaze.
She moved swiftly until she stood close to him again. He wouldn’t meet her eyes but kept his focus on the carpet patterns.
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