Page 74 of A Million Shades Of Love and Betrayal

"We'll play it your way for now. We'll gather dirt on Ethan," I continued. "We'll expose him for the slimy, manipulative snake he is. And if he dares to release those photos..."

I let the threat hang in the air, knowing Khalid understood exactly what I meant. "You have until morning to come up with something, because I won't keep this from Yasmin or Ivan for longer than that."

He nodded. "That's fair."

-49-

Yasmin

This all felt like a dream. I was officially married to the love of my life, Rafael, and we were about to start our first night together as husband and wife. The reception lasted into the wee hours of the morning and, as my best friend Amirah predicted, I was far too exhausted to even think about consummating our marriage. Luckily, Rafael was content to hold me as we slept. His arms wrapped around me felt like home, and I drifted off to sleep with a smile.

I woke up to the feel of lips being pressed to my forehead. I slowly opened my eyes to see my now-husband Rafael leaning over me with a soft smile. His dark eyes sparkled with warmth as he whispered. "Good morning, my beautiful wife."

A smile spread across my face. "Good morning, husband," I replied, the words feeling oddly addictive on my tongue. "I love calling you that."

He chuckled softly, the sound sending shivers of delight through me. "And I love calling you my wife," he admitted, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from my face. "My beautiful wife."

Before either of us could say anything else, Rafael’s phone rang. He quickly took the call, his eyes fixed on me the entire time. His carefree expression clouded with annoyance and fury, like a storm brewing on the horizon. I watched, my heart pounding in my chest, as he muttered curt responses into the phone.

“Yeah… No, I don’t care… Fine, I’ll handle it,” he said, his voice tight with barely controlled anger. When he ended the call, I immediately demanded. “Who was that?”

“It was your brother,” he replied, his jaw clenched.

My brother? I thought, my mind racing. Why would Khalid call Rafael at this hour?

“Why did Khalid call you?” I pressed, trying to keep my voice steady despite the growing unease curling in my stomach.

Rafael sighed and ran a hand through his hair, clearly agitated. “Yasmin, you need to get dressed. Now.”

“But—”

“No buts,” he cut me off. “Get dressed first, and then we’ll talk.”

I wanted to argue, to demand answers right there and then, but something in his eyes told me it was serious. Reluctantly, I pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, my mind swirling with worry. Rafael was already dressed by the time I finished, pacing the room with a tense energy that made me even more anxious.

Finally, he made me sit down on the edge of the bed. “Ethan made a threat yesterday,” he began, his voice grim. “He’s threatening to expose you by posting scandalous photos of you online.”

“What?” I blurted out, completely shocked. “That’s impossible. There’s no way he has any scandalous photos of me. Even when in bed with him I always wore pajamas or at the very least, my bra and panties.”

Rafael looked at me, his expression softening slightly with concern. “I know, Yasmin. But he’s claiming otherwise. He’s saying he has something that will ruin you.”

I felt a cold chill run down my spine. “How could he even get such photos? There’s no way…”

“I don’t know,” Rafael admitted, frustration evident in his voice. “But he sounded serious. We have to figure out what he has and how he got it.”

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. “What did he say exactly?”

“He said he’d post them online if we don't meet his demands. He didn’t specify what those demands were, but he wants to talk to you directly.”

My head was spinning. This didn’t make any sense. Ethan and I had our differences, sure, but this was a whole new level of betrayal. “Why would he do this? What does he want from me?”

Rafael shook his head. “I don’t know. But we need to be careful. He’s trying to blackmail you.”

I nodded, feeling a mix of anger and fear. “I won’t let him control me like this. We have to stop him.”

Rafael squeezed my hand reassuringly. “We will. But first, we need to play it smart. We can’t let him know we’re onto him just yet. Let’s see if we can get more information without tipping him off.”

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “Okay. What’s the plan?”

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