Chapter 23 · Chapter 23

Bandar did not let the carved oak doors latch before his stride caught the frame. His hand pressed against the wood, knuckles blanching against the polished grain. In the courtyard behind him, the morning heat of Riyadh was already gathering its weight, pressing flat against the stone walls of our family estate.

"Mariam," he said, dropping his voice to that brittle register he always used when the men’s majlis had promised him an easy triumph and the reality refused to cooperate. "Do not play riddles with me. You walked out of that private wing after midnight. Ammi waited by the outer gate until dawn, and he said the courtyard was sealed from the inside. Did Talal surrender the asset ledgers or did he not?"

I paused in the grand entrance hall. The cool air from the central vents swept over the heavy silk of my abaya, carrying the bitter, familiar trace of oud that drifted from the inner reception rooms. I did not turn fully to face him.