Chapter 33 · Untitled Chapter

Through the high lattice of the majlis screen, the twin red beams of the departing vehicle swept across the stone perimeter wall before fading into the Riyadh thoroughfare. The courtyard was hollowed out by their absence. For twenty-four hours, that engine had idled near the threshold, a blunt instrument intended to strip my family’s name down to an accusation and carry me through the gates in silence.

Now, the iron gates clanged shut, the sound ringing cold against the estate’s limestone facade.

In the center of the hall, Bandar did not turn his head toward the sound of the departing car. He remained standing, the pristine white line of his thobe catching the glow of the brass chandeliers, his fingers still curled lightly over the edge of the low cedar console where the phone had rested. His silence was not relief; it was the absolute, immovable weight of a settlement concluded on his terms.

My uncle, Ammi Saud, sat back into the deep cushions of the perimeter majlis. The server, holding the silver dallah, hesitated by the threshold until my uncle gave a faint, dismissing flick of his wrist.