Zara stormed into the mansion, her heels echoing down the marble corridor. Her chest was tight, her heart heavy. She didn't wait for Ameer. She went straight to her room and slammed the door shut behind her.
She had thought marrying him would be the hardest part.
She was wrong.
It was the lies. The shadows. The feeling of being watched—controlled.
She stood in front of the mirror, slowly pulling the pins from her hair, letting her waves fall down her back. Her reflection looked like a stranger.
How had she become this version of herself in just a few days?
The door opened without a knock. She didn't need to turn—she knew it was him.
Ameer stood there, silent, his presence filling the room.
"You shouldn't walk away from me in public," he said finally, his voice quiet but sharp.
"And you shouldn't hide ghosts in your closet," she replied, turning to face him. "Who is she, Ameer? The woman with Rami."
His expression didn't change. But something in his eyes… shifted.
"Her name is Layla," he said, after a long pause.
"Then why does she look exactly like Leena?" Zara asked. "Is she her sister? Her twin? Or is she—"
"She's nothing to you," he interrupted coldly. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll stop asking questions you don't want the answers to."
Zara stepped closer, refusing to back down. "I want the truth. You said I could earn it. So tell me—what happened to Leena?"
Silence.
Ameer looked away for the first time since he entered the room. And in that moment, he didn't look powerful or in control. He looked... haunted.
"She died," he said, voice low. "And I killed her."
Zara's breath caught. "What do you mean?"
"It was an accident," he said quickly, almost like he was trying to convince himself. "She was in my car. I was driving. It was raining. I lost control. She didn't survive."
Zara stared at him, her throat tight. "Why have I never heard this version before?"
"Because my father buried it. Just like he buries everything that might ruin the Alhassan name."
Zara didn't know what to say.
Was he telling the truth? Or was this another lie wrapped in emotion?
Ameer stepped closer, his voice quieter now. "You think I'm cruel, Zara. But the real monsters in this family… you haven't even met yet."
Then, without warning, he turned and left, leaving her alone with the weight of his words.
She sank onto the bed, her head spinning.
The truth was darker than she imagined.
And if Ameer was telling the truth…
Then she wasn't just married to her enemy's son.
She was married to a man hiding from his own past.