Chapter 15 · Untitled Chapter

The gray light of dawn broke cold over the limestone courtyard, cutting a thin, sharp edge across the parquet floor of the inner corridor. By the time the distant chime of the foyer clock struck the hour, my abaya was already fastened, the black crepe falling straight to my ankles, and my tarha pinned securely at my throat.

Bandar stood beside the arched entryway of the private wing, adjusting the cuffs of his white thobe. The silver cufflinks clicked in the stillness—the only sound in a house holding its breath.

On the mahogany console, untouched where he had set it hours before, the settlement paper lay next to the heavy rotary telephone. Its corners were crisp, white, and completely devoid of my signature.

From beyond the dividing door came the sound of a key turning in the heavy lock. The copper latch lifted with a low, metallic groan, and the double doors leading into the antechamber swung inward just enough to admit a single figure.

It was my uncle.

He had not slept; the weariness clung to the creases around his eyes, though his bisht was draped over his shoulders with deliberate, formal stiffness.