Page 94 of Hired Husband

“This one is,” she said, and despite the hurt shimmering in her eyes, I could see that she was set on this decision. No matter how much I begged her to turn David down, she wouldn’t do it because she thought she was protecting me. Protecting my family. Even if it broke her own heart.

“Please,” I whispered, trying anyway. “Don’t do this, Jasmine.”

Instead of responding, she took one more step closer and rose onto her toes to brush a kiss against my cheek, lingering with her front against mine and her lips on my skin, so close that I could feel her breathing. I could even feel her hesitation, but it didn’t last long.

Letting go of my hands, she turned and walked out, not even pausing at the door to say goodbye. As soon as I heard that latch click into place behind her, my legs refused to keep functioning and I dropped into a crouch, burying my head in my hands and realizing that if I’d thought I knew what turmoil felt like before, I’d been wrong.

This… this is turmoil. And I have absolutely no idea how to survive it.

CHAPTER 38

JASMINE

Tucked away in a corner of Nanna’s garden at the family estate in Sharm El-Sheikh, it was easy to ignore the fact that my world was on fire, my heart broken, and my tea cold. I just sat there under an old jacaranda tree and stared out at the Red Sea, wondering why the water was so intensely blue-green some days and such a vibrant aquamarine on others.

Logically, I knew the answer, but I hadn’t been particularly keen on logic this last week. That was the beauty of Sharm. Usually, I came here to escape and explore, but this time, I was hiding, distracting myself with the natural wonders of a place I’d realized I’d been taking for granted for much too long.

The distractions had been a lifesaver. As had the privacy, solitude, and lack of questions around here. Back in Cairo, everything had been a mess. Isaac was gone and the only thing anyone knew was that he’d gone back to Chicago.

Joseph had been trying to mop up a clusterfuck of epic proportions, trying to keep the project from imploding while simultaneously attempting to convince Isaac to answer his phone. As far as I knew, it hadn’t worked yet.

Isaac wasn’t taking my father’s calls either, which had inevitably led Dad back to me. I couldn’t count the amount of times he’d asked me what I’d done. Eventually, I just hadn’t been able to take it anymore, so I’d come here, to a place where I could ignore the world at large while I licked my wounds.

In the meantime, however, I’d also made David’s proposal public, slipping the rumor to the local media. It had made me downright sick to my stomach the first time I’d seen my name linked with his in a headline, but I’d done what I had to do.

I wasn’t stupid or naive enough to believe that David had been secretly in love with me for all these years or that he wanted to marry me because he was desperate for us to spend the rest of our lives together. It was about money. Plain and simple.

The Mahers had lost theirs and David wanted access to the Saad fortune to replenish the family coffers. I’d accepted that right from the get-go and I’d agreed to marry him anyway, because at least Isaac and Joseph would have a shot now.

But only if Isaac came back.

Which seemed unlikely at this point.

I blew out a heavy breath and leaned back on my palm, closing my eyes as I tried to focus on the grass underneath me. So thick and lovely. Not itchy at all.

Unfortunately, that particular distraction only served to remind me of how itchy both Isaac and I had been in the desert. Tears burned the backs of my eyes and a fissure opened up in my chest, the pain so immense that it felt like it might just tear me apart. If I crumbled and turned to dust right here on the lawn, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

It hurt that much to know that he was gone. That no one had heard from him. To know that he loved me and I’d walked away without so much as looking back even once.

“I come bearing more tea,” Zara called in a sing-song voice as she emerged from the back door. I glanced over at her, only barely making out the blurry shape of her body since my vision was swimming with tears.

I sighed but accepted the steaming mug from her despite the fact that I didn’t want it. Ever since she’d arrived here completely out of the blue a few hours ago, Zara had been hovering, not intentionally putting herself in my space but always close enough that I could just say her name if I wanted to talk.

So far, I hadn’t had the urge. Even so, I wrapped my fingers around the mug and managed to flash her a small smile. “Thanks.”

“Ah, she speaks.” Zara grinned, but her eyes were cloudy with concern. “How are you holding up?”

I shrugged, but even that was lackluster. “I’ll live.”

“Will you?” She held my gaze for another long beat before sighing and lowering herself right onto the grass with me. Her nose wrinkled a little as she crossed her legs, but she swallowed most of her complaints. “I just mean that you’ve never gone into hiding before. It’s not like you, so I’m wondering what your life is going to look like from now on. If you call this living.”

“Okay, so maybe I won’t live, but I will survive,” I said quietly, turning away from her to look out at the sea again. “At least I’ll have a hell of a view while I’m doing it.”

“Jasmine.”

“No,” I whispered, my head shaking. I wiped away a tear that had started leaking from my eye. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”

She lapsed into a rare silence as she nodded, but approximately thirty seconds later, she wasn’t capable of keeping it up. “I spoke to Joseph this morning.”