Page 64 of A Million Shades Of Love and Betrayal

Before Cheryl could respond, Amirah cut in, her tone dripping with disdain. "There's no need, Yaz. We all know this is just another one of their guilt trips."

Cheryl sighed, reaching into her purse and pulling out an envelope. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but Ethan wanted you to have this. It's a letter."

A handwritten letter from my ex? My stomach churned at the sight of it. I shook my head firmly. "No, I don't want it."

Amirah, however, had other ideas. She snatched the envelope from Cheryl's hand, her curiosity getting the better of her. "I'll take it. I want to see what he says after being cruel to you."

"Amirah!" I protested, but it was too late. She had already taken the letter, stuffing it into her bag.

Ava seized the opportunity to change the subject. "Yasmin, you mentioned some pictures before. Could you describe them to us?"

I frowned, confused. "Pictures? You mean the ones Ethan showed up with when he accused me of cheating?"

She nodded a peculiar urgency in her eyes. "Yes, those. Can you describe them?"

Reluctantly, I described the photos that Ethan used as evidence against me. "They were photos of me with another man, looking very... intimate. They were badly photo-shopped and I could have sworn one of the photos was on a website time ago."

Ava and Cheryl exchanged a look that made my blood run cold. Cheryl turned to me, her face pale. "Yasmin, we never sent those photos. We had no idea they existed until you mentioned them."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, feeling as if the rug was pulled out from under me. "That someone else sent those photos?"

"That's not what we're saying," Ava continued. "You know exactly who did it?"

"I do?" I glanced at Amirah who was watching me, her concern shining clearly through her eyes.

"I think it's time for you to go," she told them. "You've upset her."

"Wait," I called out as they turned to leave. "Why are you turning on him?"

I expected some long-winded explanation that would have me question my sanity, but Ava's answer was so simple yet devasting. "The ship is going down, there's no reason for us to go down with it."

They left right after, leaving me reeling. If they were trying to piss me off so I would forget all about what they did it was working. Now I knew the answer to the question I should have asked a long time ago. Ethan wasn't pissed off because I accused his mom of sending the pictures, he was pissed off because he was a momma's boy, and he knew she didn't give him the photos. He was just upset that I called her a bitch.

I grabbed the nearest chair, surprised I hadn't seen it before. Only three people who knew I was 'married' to Ethan would do such a thing. I blamed two of them all along, but I was wrong. I thought it was odd he didn't notice how badly photo-shopped they were but that was because he was the one to edit them. He created the evidence he needed to justify a divorce and I don't know why..

-44-

Rafael

I woke up to the sound of my alarm, its persistent beeping breaking the silence of the early morning. Yasmin stirred beside me, groaning softly as she pulled the covers over her head. Yasmin was not a morning person, especially since we were up late last night fooling around.

“It’s too early,” she mumbled, her voice muffled by the duvet.

“I know,” I whispered back. “But we’ve got a plane to catch, and we need to pick up my parents.”

She peeked out from beneath the covers, her sleepy eyes meeting mine. “That sounds like a one-man job."

I chuckled, deciding to change tactics. "I thought you wanted to try on your dress and look at the venue before the wedding."

She sighed and I knew I won. "You're right, let's go."

After a quick cup of coffee, we managed to get ready quickly, the excitement of the trip to Dubai added an extra spring to our steps despite the ungodly hour. Yasmin looked stunning even in her casual travel outfit, her dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

As we drove to my parents’ house, the streets were eerily quiet, the city not yet awake. I glanced over at Yasmin, who was staring out the window, a small smile playing on her lips.

“Penny for your thoughts?” I asked, squeezing her hand.

“I’m just thinking about how excited your parents must be. They’ve never traveled this far before, right?”

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