Chapter 26

• Rakia stared at the ring on her left finger with a half-empty mind. Everything seemed to have happened just like that: Ben’s betrayal and the man’s demands, and then she met Dashtan, and finally they tied the knot, and soon they would be married. Rakia blinked and turned her attention away from the ring. Dashtan said their wedding would be held in a week, after which they would fly to Dubai to meet Dashtan’s family.
• Her ringing cell phone startled and panicked her, so she picked it up quickly without looking at the caller.
• “Hello,” she greeted quickly and stiffly.