Page 28 of A Million Shades Of Love and Betrayal

We sat down to eat, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken thoughts. Rafael broke the silence first, his gaze fixed on me. "Do you know how your ex-husband knows your father?" he asked, his voice gentle but curious.

I shook my head, drinking some coffee to buy myself some time. "No, I don't. I've never spoken about one with the other. I'm just as curious to know how they met."

Rafael nodded, seemingly lost in his thoughts. We finished our breakfast in silence, each lost in our contemplations. After breakfast, we retreated to our rooms to get dressed, the minutes ticking by too quickly for my liking. Just before we left, Rafael stopped me with a question that caught me off guard.

"Yasmin," he began, his voice hesitant yet determined. "Do you remember what you said about talking when we were sober?"

My heart raced, my thoughts whirling as I searched for the right words. "Yes, I do," I remembered it quite well. With everything that was going on with Ethan, I pushed those thoughts aside but now that he was asking me, it all rushed forward once again, the intensity of it all almost knocking me to my feet.

"Well, I want you to know that I'm completely sober when I say this," Rafael took a deep breath, his eyes meeting mine with a sincerity that warmed my soul. "I like you, Yasmin. I genuinely do. I don't know how or when it happened but at some point, your presence engraved itself in my mind. I think about you whenever you're not nearby. I'm smiling for no reason and can't wait to be home in the evenings because I know I'll get to see you. I don't expect you to feel the same, so soon, not after what that bastard did to you but that's okay. I want us to get to know each other, to spend time together, and hopefully at some point, if you ever develop feelings for me, maybe there can be an us."

His confession hung in the air between us, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. I wanted to throw my arms around him and confess to feeling the same as him, but I stopped myself. I didn't want to be one of those girls who jumped from one relationship to the next without taking time to heal. It would also be unfair to him if I expressed my interest in him only for it to be a rebound.

I mentally berated myself for leading him on when I wasn't even sure of my feelings. Not knowing what else to do I threw my arms around him, pulling him into a heartfelt hug.

-20-

Rafael

Daniel turned off the car and sat in the driver's seat, waiting for me to say something. With a quick nod in his direction, he plugged in his earphones turning up the volume so that he couldn't hear us. I leaned back feeling the tension radiate from Yasmin beside me. The low hum of the city outside the hotel was a sharp contrast to the silence inside the vehicle. I had to tell her, and there was no easy way to do it.

"Yasmin," I began, my voice steady but my heart racing. "Before we go in, there's something you should know."

She looked at me, her eyes wide and searching. "What is it, Rafael?"

"I told your father about our engagement," I said, watching her reaction closely.

Her eyes widened further, and she drew in a sharp breath. "You what?"

"I had to," I explained my tone firm but gentle. "He asked me, and I thought it was best to tell him sooner rather than later."

She stared at me, shock and resignation settling over her features. "I suspected he already knew," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nodded, forcing myself to hold back from mentioning the hug we shared earlier. When I confessed, I didn't expect her to tell me she felt the same, but I hoped she would have said something to give me hope that she could be interested. It was shocking how easy it had been for her to avoid talking about her feelings, now I wasn't even sure I'd be brave enough to bring it up again.

"It's okay," she said finally, her voice gaining strength. "He would have found out eventually."

With nothing left to say I got out of the car and walked around to her side to open her door. Daniel went to park the car while we stared at the building in front of us. The hotel loomed above us, an imposing structure of glass and steel. We made our way to the restaurant on the first floor, where we were supposed to meet Yasmin's father.

The restaurant was chic, with modern décor and a view of the city that was nothing short of breathtaking. We found a quiet corner and sat down. I used the moment to ask the question that had been gnawing at me since she told me about today.

"What's the game plan, Yasmin?"

She looked at me, her expression calm but determined. "I'm going to tell him that Ethan is my ex and I think it's in our best interest to work with someone else."

My heart skipped a beat. "You're not going to tell him that Ethan was your husband?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't see the point in complicating things. He'll already be pissed at me for not telling him sooner. I'll tell him that Ethan is my ex."

"What if Ethan lets it slip that you two were married?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper. The thought of that man ruining everything for her made my blood boil. I could understand why she didn't want to tell her dad. It was likely that her father would be disappointed in her if he found out she got married and divorced in secret.

She sighed again. "There isn't much I can do if he does, but I'll try to convince him otherwise."

Just as she was about to continue, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and then at me. "It's my dad. He's asking us to come up to the conference room. The hotel owner is letting him borrow it for our meeting."

We stood and made our way toward the elevator, but just as we were about to pass the reception desk, the receptionist called out to us. "Hello, you can't go back there without booking a room."

"Oh no," Yasmin rushed out. "We're here to meet my father, Ivan Rashid."

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