Chapter 32 · Untitled Chapter

The silence in the majlis settled deep, heavier than the resinous smoke rising from the mabkhara. The men seated along the perimeter of the room looked from Bandar to the elder seated at the center, Abu Fahad, whose fingers rested motionless on his dark misbaha.

My uncle cleared his throat, a hesitant sound in the vast room. He did not look toward the partitioned screen where I sat in my abaya, nor did he dare meet Bandar’s gaze directly. The authority that had governed this house for decades had shifted, deliberate and unyielding, into Bandar’s hands.

"The denunciation was spoken into the open air," Abu Fahad said at last, his voice carrying the measured gravity of a formal ruling. He motioned with his right hand toward the estate's steward. "Let the ledger reflect what is acknowledged before this gathering. The accusation does not bear the name of Noura bint Khalid Al-Subaie. Her name is whole, her honor unblemished, and no stranger shall summon her to the outer gate.