Page 33 of The Sheikh's Fake Fiancée

Masood’s eyes narrowed. “I can’t do that. Not until Sheikh Kain has returned.”

“With blood on his hands?” she asked bitterly.

Masood’s eyes narrowed as he took in her similarly bloodied neck. “It’s the least that coward deserves. No one touches or harms our sheikh’s loved ones and lives to tell the tale. Kain will do what needs to be done to protect his own.”

Had Masood being there when Kain had lost his father to a murderer? It made sense why this man was loyal to a fault. Masood and his men would have seen Kain grow from a boy to a man that day, with Kain taking on his father’s death along with his father’s murderer. That he’d also taken on his father’s country was a credit to him.

“Does that include protecting a pregnant woman?” she asked bitterly.

Masood sucked in a breath. “All the more reason for him to hunt down the man who threatened you and his future heir’s life.”

She stepped back. Did Masood really think the baby was Kain’s? Or did everyone turn a blind eye to suit whatever agenda was best for Kain and his country, Dumak?

Masood’s face softened infinitesimally as he said in an undertone, “You might want to sit down. You look as though a breath of wind might blow you over.”

She nodded. “I…thank you, I do feel a little bit shaky.”

She left him to reenter the coffee shop, where she sank onto the nearest chair. Resting her elbows on the table, she cradled her head in her hands. There was no going back from this, not now, not ever. Kain wouldn’t want her. He’d despise her for not telling him the truth.

That she’d had no idea she was pregnant until just recently wouldn’t matter. He wanted a bride who would produce heirs from his DNA, not from someone of Tabari’s ilk. It was bad enough she was a commoner without the biological father being one, too.

And yet the thought of the life growing inside her couldn’t be denied, her maternal instincts gathering force within. She’d do whatever was needed to protect her unborn child. She wanted desperately to hold the baby in her arms in roughly eight months’ time and pour her love into him or her.

What about your mother? Will you see her forced out on the street in her vulnerable state just so that you can keep the baby?

Tears fell then at the horrible choice she’d have to make. Her engagement ring might be worth a lot of money, but even that wouldn’t be enough for the expensive care her mother needed on a daily basis. It was unlikely now that Sheikha Aisha would foot the necessary bills, no matter how much Aisha had once loved her former governess.

Not that any of it mattered now. Kain wouldn’t stay with her knowing she was carrying another man’s child. And even if he did, he’d never forgive her for not telling him the truth.

Her throat tightened, making it difficult to breathe. Her past envy of Aisha seemed so trivial and petty now in comparison. She’d lost her best friend and likely the one man in the world who’d wanted her despite her reputation. And now she was pregnant and alone while her dying mother likely faced her last days without the specialized care she needed.

Zania couldn’t have stuffed things up any worse if she’d tried.

She hadn’t even managed a week of the month she’d promised Kain to be his pretend fiancée. Five days was all she’d achieved before she’d thrown his goodwill in his face and met the one man she should have turned her back on.

Shudders coursed through her body, her emotions no longer able to be held back. Had she robbed her mother of the care she deserved for her last days on this Earth? What about robbing her unborn child of a life he or she should have had?

A big, warm hand was suddenly on her shoulder. “No more crying, shortcake. Tabari isn’t worth any of your tears.”

Her breathing somehow evened out as she looked up at the man who’d been there for her when no one else had. A man who’d captured her heart and made her fall in love with him probably from the very beginning. Her pulse stuttered as her chest grew tight. She couldn’t deny it any longer, least of all to herself.

I love him.

But of course she loved him! She’d known that for a long time now but had been in denial. How could she have trusted her instincts when she’d gotten it so wrong before? But then…she’d never been in love with Tabari. She’d only really been in love with the idea of him wanting her over Aisha.

Her face tingled as heat crept into her cheeks. That she’d been so desperate to better the sheikha at something made her feel ill now. She’d been seriously envious of Aisha since they were little girls, and it’d taken something this momentous for her to fully open her eyes to the truth.

Another truth hit her. Kain thought she was crying for another man. The same man who’d hurt and humiliated her!

She looked down at his hand on her shoulder, taking in his scraped knuckles. “What did you do to him?”

His hand tightened on her. “I taught him a lesson he won’t soon forget.”

So Tabari was still alive. That she felt little about that one way or the other just made her feel more insensitive. But then, after what he’d done to her, she had a right to feel the way she did.

Kain’s eyes narrowed as he watched her closely. “Tabari is in custody now and will soon be serving a long sentence in jail, where he’ll have lots of time to reflect on his actions and feel sorry for himself.”

“I thought you might have killed him,” she admitted softly.

---