“You know why I’m here,” Noura said.

  “Uh…” Alyssa bit her lip. Was that a statement or a question?

  Folding her arms, Noura turned and headed for the living room, each sharp step of her heels echoing in the quiet apartment. Instead of stopping at the couch, like Alyssa expected, she bypassed the furniture and went for the bar.

  Uncorking one of the crystal whiskey decanters, Noura filled herself a tumbler and knocked back a third of it in one big swallow. Alyssa’s watched the whole thing in shock. She’d had a handful of meals with Noura before, and the woman never even finished the one glass of wine she usually ordered. Apparently, though, she could drink like nobody’s business. The whole sipping-like-a-bird thing was probably expected of a woman of her status.

  Her perfectly painted red lips drawn tight, Noura walked slowly over to the couch and set the tumbler on a coaster on the coffee table.

  “Sit, Alyssa,” she said.

  Her voice this time was eerily calm, and it creeped Alyssa out even more than the bursting into the foyer had. Alyssa planted her butt on one end of the couch, and Noura perched on the other end.

  “You sold a lie about my son to the tabloids.”

  “It wasn’t a lie,” Alyssa blurted out.

  Noura’s eyebrows rose. “You are pregnant?”

  Alyssa tried to fight the shame coursing through her. Other than keep the truth from Ali a little too long, she hadn’t done anything wrong. And even that was questionable.

  But there wasn’t anything wrong with her pregnancy. She and Ali loved each other. She wore his engagement ring. They already planned on spending the rest of their lives together.

  Unless he’s changed his mind.

  Alyssa tried not to think about that possibility.

  “Noura—”

  “You sold the truth to the press,” Noura interrupted. “And it never crossed your mind to tell Ali what was happening.”

  Alyssa’s exhale burned like fire. Noura had it all wrong. If only she could get thirty freaking seconds to explain herself!

  “Luckily,” Noura said sharply, “we have been through this before.”

  That stopped Alyssa’s next protest in its tracks, and she stared at Noura instead. “You have?”

  Noura’s gaze cut through Alyssa, and she pursed her lips.

  “A woman Ali was seeing here in New York some years ago sold information about him to journalists. Apparently, she was disappointed after he turned her down.” Noura paused. “But you do not have that excuse.”

  “I didn’t sell anything,” Alyssa said through gritted teeth.

  “This is what we will do,” Noura went on, as if Alyssa had said nothing. “There will be a releasing of a statement by both you and Ali. It will say you are thrilled about the baby. It will coincide with a photo shoot. We will have another photo shoot in the future, several months from now.”

  “A statement?” Alyssa repeated. “I don't know if Ali—”

  “He will,” Noura interrupted. “He has no other choice.”

  Again, Alyssa’s face flamed. She had always suspected Noura had never fully come around to the idea of Alyssa joining the family, and now, she knew that was true for sure.

  “Coming here,” Noura sniffed, “I did not know you were pregnant. Now that I do, that changes matters some, but we can work around it.”

  Finally, Alyssa had reached her breaking point. “Work around my baby? Work around my life?”

  Noura stiffened. Alyssa remembered Ali sitting on the same couch not more than an hour before. He had hit his own breaking point, then, and he'd fled.

  As much as Alyssa wanted to tell Noura to stick it where the sun didn't shine right then, she knew that that would be a bad idea. She was quickly running out of allies. She needed all the help she could get.

  “You know nothing of the confines we operate in,” Noura snapped. “You arrived in this world months ago. There are expectations. Unwritten and written rules.”

  Alyssa forced herself to breathe. “I know. Noura, look. I'm sorry…”

  “That does not matter much now—”

  “But you need to listen,” Alyssa growled, staring into Noura’s eyes. “Now.”

  Noura blinked in shock and shrank back. Before she could find her tongue, Alyssa pushed on.

  “I found out I was pregnant the day Ali left for Baqar. I came home to tell him, and he was so stressed out and busy packing, I hesitated. On top of that…”

  Alyssa licked her lips. She didn't particularly want to share the next part with Noura, but the woman was listening and that felt like a rarity. Plus, desperate times called for desperate measures.

  “Plus, we'd just talked about kids,” Alyssa said. “In Costa Rica. And we agreed that waiting a few years would be a good idea. Ali seemed really relieved by that decision. So, when I came home and found him stressed out and about to leave for three weeks, it seemed like the news of a baby on the way would only make him more anxious. I didn’t want to tell him on the phone, so waiting seemed like the best idea.”

  Noura was listening with a flat face, not even a twitch of an eyebrow or a twist of her lips revealing her inner state. Alyssa decided to take that as a good sign and kept going.

  “The only person who knew about the pregnancy was my best friend, because she was the one who took me to the doctor. And Lucy would never tell a soul. She hasn’t betrayed my trust once in the years that I’ve known her.”

  Noura lifted her chin. “People will do uncharacteristic things when given the opportunity.”

  Alyssa decided to ignore that comment and continued. “I know who leaked the story. I didn’t put the clues together when Ali was here earlier. It was this guy I went to high school with. He’s a writer at Whispers.”

  Noura’s eyes flashed, her brows knitting. “How did he discover the news?”

  “He invited me to dinner at his place with his wife a couple weeks ago, and I think he must have snuck into the living room while I was at the kitchen table and gone through my purse. I had my records from my doctor in there, and my phone.”

  Just talking about it made a weight press onto Alyssa’s shoulders. She hunched forward and looked at her hands.

  “Derek could have easily put it all together,” she said. “And I guess he did.”

  Noura said nothing, and Alyssa glanced up at her. Their gazes caught; then, Noura sighed.

  “I owe you an apology,” she said.

  Alyssa’s eyebrows shot up. Now this she wasn’t expecting.

  “It seems…” Noura paused, thinking it over. “I judged you too quickly. Because of the history our family has with the press and Ali’s…taste in previous women, I assumed you had done what the last girl did. Please forgive me.”

  Alyssa sat up straighter, hardly able to believe her ears. “Of course.”

  “Now, who did you say this writer is?”

  “His name is Derek. We dated in high school. Not that I’m proud of that.” Alyssa’s stomach churned as she remembered the dinner at his house. “The really awful part is that his family is nice, and it seemed like he’d changed because of that. He has a really awesome wife. A sweet baby, another one on the way…”

  Alyssa looked down. How come the world wasn’t black and white? Why couldn’t the bad guys live in caves and have no attachments to others whatsoever? Why did some of them have to have sweet families to care for?

  “I remember him suggesting he was having money problems,” Alyssa said. “He didn’t directly say it, but I…I picked up on it. I guess he felt like he had sell this story. Like he had no other choice.”

  “We always have choices,” Noura answered tartly. “Did he ask you for an interview first?”

  “No. But maybe he figured I wouldn’t give it.”

  “Would you?” Noura asked.

  “No. I’m a pretty private person,” Alyssa said, not knowing whether that was the right answer or not.

  Noura nodded in satisfaction. “You still have much to learn, but I’m pleased to hear you would have turned down speaking with a tabloid.”

  “Thanks,” Alyssa said, not exactly grateful for the backhanded compliment, but pleased Noura no longer seemed furious.

  “There is still the matter of this writer.”

  “Is there?” Alyssa asked. “I mean, he already published the piece. Plus, his name isn’t on the article.”

  “He must be put in his place.”

  Alyssa sighed. “Yeah, I need to talk to him. But Noura? Can I deal with that? Please. Derek and I go back years, and he has a family.”

  Noura seemed to consider that. “Very well. You may address the issue as you wish.”

  Alyssa nodded. “Thank you.”

  Noura took a sip of whiskey—the first she’d had since chugging a giant portion of it and sitting down. Putting the glass down, she smiled the slightest bit.

  “Many people would be appalled to see me drink in such a way,” she said.

  Alyssa grinned. “I was pretty surprised. I didn’t know you could hold that much liquor.”

  Noura shrugged a shoulder like it was no biggie. “In my position, I cannot do what I wish all the time.”

  Alyssa nodded. She’d already wondered plenty of times about what might be expected of her once she and Ali were married, but he’d assured her that both his distance from the throne and their living in New York meant she would not have to adhere to any formal rules. The only expectation, basically, was that she not embarrass the royal name.

  Too late for that.

  “A baby,” Noura said. She lifted her chin, looking at the window with a dreamy look on. “It will be nice. I’ve wanted a grandchild for a long time.”

  “I’m excited,” Alyssa said, realizing that, despite all the craziness happening, she truly was.

  Unexpectedly, tears filled her eyes. Were she and Noura having a moment?

  “Ali came home?” Noura asked.

  “Yeah.” Alyssa cleared her throat and blinked away the tears. “And then he, uh…left. I didn’t get to explain the whole Derek thing to him. I think he believes my friend sold the story…” Alyssa cringed. “Or I did.”

  Noura nodded and stood. “Then you must find him. Explain it.”

  Alyssa stood as well. “I don’t know if he wants to listen, right now.”

  Noura’s lips drew into a thin line. “My son can be stubborn, but he loves you, Alyssa. This, I know. Find him, and all else will work its way out.”

  CHAPTER 13

  ALYSSA

  The night pushed in, Alyssa’s phone calls to Ali remained unreturned, and still she had not found him.

  She'd gone everywhere she could think of. Kurt’s apartment. All of Ali's favorite galleries and bars. She'd even headed over to the office space he worked out of part-time, but its doors had been locked, the entire floor dark.

  After taking cars everywhere and getting nowhere, Alyssa had requested she be dropped off somewhere on the edge of the Lower East Side. She'd started walking, hoping at some point that her brain would break and the relentless worries would stop coming, but so far, that hadn't happened.

  She'd texted Ali telling him she had figured out what Derek had done, thinking that that would get him to call her back, but no luck. Her phone remained silent.

  Was he getting her messages and ignoring them? Or maybe he'd turned his phone off and wasn't looking at it. Either way, Alyssa felt like she was about two minutes away from going crazy.

  If Ali didn't come home that night, if half the bed remained cold and empty, what would she do? How could she deal with that?

  Noura said all I need to do is find him and things will get better from there. Well, too bad that's easier said than done.

  Biting her trembling lip, Alyssa walked by a bar. The door opened and a group of people her age emerged amid a chorus of laughter. One of them commented on how cold it was, and Alyssa realized with a shock that her nose and exposed fingers tingled from the cold. She'd been so busy looking for Ali, that she hadn't even noticed the temperature dropping.

  Alyssa shoved her chilled fingers into her jacket pockets. She couldn't keep this up all night. Sooner rather than later, she'd have to go home and face something so much worse than the cold: an empty apartment.

  As her fingers grazed her phone, it started to ring. Alyssa whipped it out from her pocket.

  Ali?

  But it was Lucy, no doubt calling to see how the hunt was going.

  “Hey,” Alyssa glumly answered, continuing to walk as she talked.

  “That doesn't sound good.”

  “I've looked everywhere, Lu. Wherever Ali is, he doesn't want to be found. I think…” Alyssa took in a shuddering breath. “I think he might not be coming home.”

  “That's bull,” Lucy said, understanding that Alyssa wasn't talking about that one night. “He loves you.”

  “He didn't respond to my text about Derek. Maybe he thinks I'm lying.”

  “That's a really big maybe.”

  Alyssa pressed her fingertips to her temple. Her head ached and she was finding it hard to form full thoughts.

  “Okay…” Lucy paused for a second. “If you don't find him within the next hour, come over here. Stay the night.”

  Alyssa's chest exploded with pain at that thought. Ali had only just returned. She was pregnant with his child! They needed to be together.

  Alyssa sighed. “I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that.”

  “It won't be a bad thing. Maybe you guys need a little space from each other, anyway. A few days to clear your heads.”

  “Like a separation?” Alyssa asked, her heart constricting.

  “Maybe.”

  Alyssa's breath caught in her throat. At the same time, she saw something familiar across the street. Coming to a standstill on the sidewalk, she clutched the phone to her ear and stared.

  “Alyssa? Are you there?”

  Alyssa's lashes fluttered, and her heart sped up. “Yeah, I'm here. Sorry. I just thought of someplace Ali might be. I'll call or text you soon.”

  “Okay,” Lucy said. “Don't make it too long. I don't want to worry about you.”

  They said their goodbyes, and Alyssa slipped her phone back into her jacket pocket and walked swiftly across the street. Her heart rate increased as she drew closer to the pub.

  Of all the places Alyssa had thought to look for Ali, the pub they'd had their first real date at hadn't been one of them. She remembered Ali saying he liked going there because it was a break from the rest of his life. The staff there knew he was a sheikh, but they treated him like just another regular.

  Opening the door, Alyssa wondered if he had been visiting the spot on his own recently. He hadn't taken her to it since their date months ago, but maybe he went on his own when he needed a break.

  The pub’s heavy wooden door banged shut behind Alyssa and she had her answer. Ali was sitting in the booth at the window, at the table they'd sat together their one time there.

  At the sight of her, he sat up straighter, his shoulders drawing back. There was a pint of beer in front of him, and it looked like it had been sweating a while but barely sipped.

  Alyssa took a few tentative steps toward him. Stopped.

  Neither one of them said a thing. In the back of the pub, a sportscaster yammered on the TV, and the bartender and a customer laughed over something.

  Alyssa walked the rest of the way to the window, slid into the hard booth, and placed her hands on the table. Ali looked down.

  “You found me,” he said.

  After all the frantic hours of searching for him, hearing his voice was almost too much.

  “Kind of by accident,” Alyssa said. “I was in the neighborhood, talking to Lucy on the phone…” She trailed off, and another uncomfortable silence fell on the table. “You don't still think it was her, do you?” Alyssa choked out. “Or me?”

  Ali sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. “I never thought it was either one of you. I am sorry. I said that in anger.”

  Deep relief filled Alyssa up. “Good. But wait. Did you see my text? I've been calling you, too.”

  “I turned my phone to silent. To think.”

  “And I ruined that, huh?”

  Ali smiled in the most bittersweet way she'd ever seen. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Tears blurred Alyssa’s vision, and she swiped at them with the back of her hand, turning her face to the window so the pub’s staff wouldn't see her crying. Although, maybe they already knew something heavy was going on, because no one had approached the table to see if she wanted anything.

  Ali pulled his phone from his pocket, read something on it, and frowned. “Derek?”

  Alyssa nodded. “My ex-boyfriend from high school, remember?”

  “The one who invited you over for dinner with his family?”

  “Exactly. It was all a ruse,” Alyssa said. “He wanted to get some kind of story from me about you. Us. I didn't know it at the time, though.”

  Ali's jaw ticked. “He has since admitted this?”

  “No, but it’s the only theory that makes sense. I think he went through my purse and found my papers from the doctor.”

  Ali frowned harder. “Have you spoken with him?”

  Alyssa shook her head. “I haven’t seen or talked to him since that night. He gave me my yearbook back that he said he needed for a project, and that was it. He writes for Whispers, though. It’s him. It has to be him.”

  Ali nodded, pressed his folded hands against his lips, and closed his eyes. Time slowed down to a painful degree.

  “Ali?” Alyssa whispered, afraid to speak too loud.

  He opened his eyes. “I love you, Alyssa.”

  Emotion flooded Alyssa, made her choke on her words. “I—I love you, too.”

  “When you said that it was true, that you’d been keeping your pregnancy from me…” Ali dropped his hands and shook his head. “I do not even know what went through my head. I couldn’t believe it. It made no sense.”

  “Would you have wanted me to tell you on the phone?” Alyssa asked. “Or in an email?”

  Ali’s gaze drifted to the street outside. “No,” he said. “I wouldn’t have liked that.”