Page 85 of The Billionaire's Timed Wife

It takes me a moment to realize my name is being called.

It’s my father-in-law Kamran, letting me know the time has come for Kaled to offer me themahr[38], the gift, usually monetary, that the groom presents the bride on the wedding day.

I don’t care about that. In my heart I know I would have married him even if we barely had food to eat, and that certainty is terrifying, because even in my inexperience I realize I truly love Kaled.

That was my mother’s mistake: falling in love with a powerful man who didn’t love her back.

“Adeela?”

“I’m sorry. What did you say, Your Highness?” I ask, addressing my father-in-law.

When I look at my husband, he’s watching me with a questioning expression.

“Your gifts,” Kaled says, and only then do I notice a servant approaching with a chest about half a meter long.

The man stops in front of me and opens it for all to see.

I can’t hide my astonishment.

It’s packed with jewelry. Not a piece or two but so full it barely closes. Diamonds, rubies, and emeralds glitter—sets of earrings and necklaces, bracelets and rings.

I lift my face to my man, but he doesn’t meet my eyes. He only hands me an envelope Amin has brought him.

I start to open it, but he stops me.

“Not now. You’ll have time later,” he says.

I’m still reeling from the magnitude of his gift and trying to grasp its meaning. Gold is deeply symbolic for our people, and I’ve never seen a woman receive so much as a present before. Husbands are not usually so generous, especially at the start of a marriage.

Most of the time the mahr corresponds to a month’s wages, and it serves as a kind of financial security for the bride in case of divorce, the beginning of her autonomy and independence.

A warm wave spreads through my chest as I finally begin to understand what he’s telling me without words: I have enough to be free if I want to be.

I won’t be forced to stay at his side.

What he hasn’t realized is that I don’t want to leave. Ever.

After the guests pay their respects, everyone drifts off toward the dining hall. It’s just the two of us now, still standing, still not touching.

“We belong to each other now,” Kaled declares.

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to linger at the party, wife.” He doesn’t hide what he’s thinking, and my stomach flips.

“Neither do I, but our reasons may not be the same.”

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“We’re not spending the night here,” I say, with a boldness I never thought I had. “I have a surprise.”

Chapter 40

Mine.

She’s finally mine.

No more separate beds or sleepless nights, my body aching with need.