Page 34 of The Billionaire's Timed Wife

Adeela’s innocence is charming but dangerous in the world we live in. Naïve and unprotected, she’d be easy prey for bad men.

“Would you have told me the truth, or were you planning to keep deceiving me?”

“Jazmina wanted to tell you everything, but I still didn’t know if I could trust you. I probably would’ve told you eventually,” she admits, once again proving how honest she is. “But that was before my father called. Now, nothing else matters.”

“What did he say to you, Adeela?”

Her hands twist together as she avoids my gaze, focusing on the window. “My mother is dying,” she says, her voice hoarse with emotion. “He knew and didn’t help her. He told me she has terminal cancer.”

Memories I don’t like to revisit come back like an avalanche. Her mother suffers from the same cursed disease that took mine.

“My father said that if I return to Rheadur and marry that man, he’ll pay for all my mother’s medical expenses and make sure she dies with dignity. He also said he’d let me see her one last time.”

If I hadn’t heard it from her own mouth, I wouldn’t believe it.

What kind of sick bastard uses a mother’s illness to blackmail his daughter?

“And what did you say?”

“The only thing I could: that I’d obey him if he took care of my mother. Giving her one last kiss is better than never seeing her again. My heart bleeds just thinking that she’s dying alone without knowing how much I love her.”

“Do you remember her? What you used to do together?”

“Not much, honestly. When my mother left, I had a nanny, Faiza, who later married my father. She knew my mother well and helped me remember her, telling me how her hair shone just like mine. Another thing we share is our love for butterflies,” she says, showing me a thin bracelet with a small butterfly charm.

“Did he give you a deadline to return?”

“He said he wants to see me in Rheadur tomorrow, before nightfall. Which means I should leave at dawn.”

“No.”

“What do you mean,no?”

“You won’t marry because of blackmail. Especially not someone who would hurt you.”

“Jazmina told you?”

I nod, furious just imagining her defenseless in some bastard’s hands.

“This isn’t just blackmail, Kaled,” she says, standing abruptly. “My mother’s life depends on it.”

“You’re not going anywhere. I won’t allow you to submit to anyone against your will. Give me until tomorrow night. I’ll find a solution.”

When I rise from the armchair, a million thoughts collide in my head. All I need to do is organize them, becausesomewhere deep inside, I already know the solution, one that could benefit us both.

“I need your mother’s full name.”

“What for?”

“Trust me.”

She walks to the bedside table and picks up what looks like a diary.

Do girls still write their secrets on paper?

“Daisy Ellis,” she says, even after writing the name down on a sheet of paper.

When she extends her hand to give it to me, I grab her wrist. “Give me your word that you won’t go anywhere.”