Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
He would love her and only her in this life and the next, and it would not change.
“Tory—-”
“Please don’t—-”
“I love you.”
Anisah squeezed her eyes shut at the words. A part of her wanted to look at him, but a bigger part of her was terrified of what she would see.
"I'm sorry," she choked out in a broken whisper. "I'm s-sorry, but please just go."
Time passed, and every second of it was like having her heart stabbed over and over again.
Tarif's fists clenched against his side as he stared down at her bent head. This...this was how much he had hurt her. He had hurt her so fucking much, with how he had made Anisah believe that what they had was heaven...only for him to throw her to the wolves by refusing to hear her pleas and having her arrested in front of the entire palace.
"I love you, Tory."
He just had to fucking say it because she was his world now, and always would be, even if she were never to forgive him.
"And I'm so fucking sorry for failing you."
The thought of walking away from her for good had Tarif's chest tightening to the point that he was struggling to breathe.
"I know you don't want to hear this," he said tautly, "but I will always love you—-"
Anisah kept her eyes closed even as she covered her ears. She didn't want to hear this!
"Always, Tory. I will always love you—-"
Oh God, why couldn't he just stop?
"And I will spend the rest of my life loving you."
A sob escaped her, and even though terror still devoured her heart, she could no longer keep her eyes from flying open, and as their gazes clashed, Anisah had no choice but to confront her worst fears.
Tarif, oh God, Tarif.
All along they had thought she had refused to see the sheikh because she no longer loved him.
But the truth was, she had only been desperate not to see the sheikh because of the opposite.
She still loved him, and she wanted to keep loving him.
She loved him so much that she knew she would never be able to take it if she were to look in his eyes and find out that the real Tarif Al-Atassi did not and could never measure up to the man she had desperately conjured in her imagination when she thought she was down to her last dying moments.
In the moments before she had lost consciousness, she had entrusted herself to a man who could make her smile and cry, a man who could excite and anger her, a man who made mistakes but learned from it –
That man she had imagined loved and trusted her unconditionally.
And now she saw in Tarif’s eyes –
Anisah started to cry.
Tarif was not that man.
“Oh, s-sheikh.”
Because he was more.
The sheikh slowly gathered her into his arms, and it was only when people started clapping and cheering that the two of them realized they had an audience all along.
But in spite of this—-
The thought of pulling away didn't even occur to Anisah.
She was too busy weeping against her beloved's chest, and her heart felt as if it was about to painfully burst with so much love when she felt his shaking lips brush against the top of her head.
I love you.
She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, clutching him like she would never let him go, and with this, the sheikh heard her unspoken words.
I love you.
And the whole world fell silent...as they witnessed Tarif's dark gaze slowly shine with tears. They, too, needed no words to hear what the sheikh was saying as his own arms tightened around his woman.
I love you.
I love you.
Epilogue
Several months later
Washington, USA
It was a night to remember, with Hyacinth and her co-host Marwan Bseiso winning Kastein Inc.'s prestigious Digital Innovation award for the year, and while the two had certainly built an impressive fanbase all on their own—-what had the audience doubly excited was the fact that members of the Ramilian royal family had also flown out of the kingdom to show their support.
Among those seated in the front row was Sheikh Rayyan Al-Atassi, whose cold blue eyes and aloof good looks had many a girl's heart fluttering. While his presence was a surprise, it was nonetheless welcomed by both the live audience and the millions watching the awards night online, and as speculations rose as to whether his attendance here was merely a decoy, and that what he had truly come to America for was to enjoy a secret tryst with someone equally famous—-
There was one more thing the public was eager and impatient to know.
Where in the world was the newly married Sheikh Tarif Al-Atassi and his wife?
****
The answer to this could be found in a VIP-only powder room backstage, which the organizers of the event were quick and anxious to offer, upon learning that Lady Anisah was in need of a private place to recover from a wardrobe malfunction.