The Sheikh’s Stubborn Bride by Leslie North

15

Stella waited for Kadir inside the planetarium’s lobby, her stomach so twisted with worry that she wondered if she’d be able to eat anything. She’d dressed with care, wearing a pretty amethyst dress, sexy yet not over the top. Naziha had helped her pick it out specifically for tonight. She wanted to look serious, yet still feminine and appealing. Her nerves were shot from imagining how Kadir might react over and over again. Given his curt response, she didn’t have her hopes up, but she was an optimist by nature, so she refused to give up entirely. She paced back and forth to relieve some of her nervous energy. If he didn’t arrive soon, she thought she might lose her mind from the tension.

It seemed everything was riding on this dinner—their marriage, her future, the future of Al-Fatha.

This was her chance to show him that she did value him, that his views were important to her even if they were different from her own, that she was willing to learn and understand and work on their partnership, to grow the chemistry between them into something deeper and stronger and more real and lasting.

In fact, if she was honest with herself, her feelings for Kadir were already stronger and deeper than she cared to admit.

She loved him.

Funny how that had happened, since she’d always been so hesitant to fall before, but something about her husband and his charming, confounding ways had her head over heels for him. Even if he might never feel the same for her.

After all, this had been a contracted marriage and business arrangement for both of them. And while sex had been involved, she’d known that their union was so much more than that for her. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with Kadir, getting to know him, caring for him, falling deeper in love with him and his beautiful country and wonderful family every single day. Even if that meant keeping her views to herself. She would never give up on the history of this place entirely—it was too meaningful not to be preserved. But she would work side by side with Kadir to find new ways to capture that magic and make sure it was around for a long time to come, even if it was in a different form than it was now.

The past, the present, and the future could coexist at once, if you were just willing to try. Now, she just had to convince her husband of that.

He should’ve been here by now.

Stella checked her watch then frowned. He was late, which wasn’t like Kadir at all.

She turned to check the entrance, then stopped, her breath catching in her throat.

There he was, standing in the doorway, watching her, looking even more handsome than usual in his dark suit and crisp white shirt, if that were possible. Stella waved to him, but he didn’t respond, so she walked over to him and leaned in for a kiss, hoping to set the right tone for the evening. Kadir pulled away.

A splinter of hurt lodged inside of her. She’d hoped he’d come tonight to try to work things out between them, but perhaps that wasn’t the case at all. Her heart slammed against her rib cage, and her throat felt tight. She forced a smile she didn’t quite feel and took a step back, smoothing a shaky hand down the front of her dress. It was Kadir’s favorite color, and they’d picked it out with him in mind, which seemed silly now, given his chilly mood and the fact he wanted to be anywhere but with her at that moment.

So much for the romantic, happily ever after she’d been dreaming about.

She swallowed hard. “I’m glad you came. I had the palace chef make some of your favorite dishes for dinner.” There was ras asfour, small beef cuts cooked with nuts and pomegranate molasses, and kafta bi tahini, chicken and lamb meatballs with sesame, onion, garlic, and coriander, topped with pine nuts and pomegranate seeds, plus hummus and toasted bread, stuffed grape leaves, and even a raha tarte for dessert. She’d gone out of her way to make sure everything was perfect, but now she feared it might all go to waste. They took their seats across from each other at the table and filled their plates.

As they started eating, the awkward silence between them grew tauter until Stella felt compelled to fill it. “So, how was your day? Did you get your work done?”

“No, actually, I didn’t.” He set his fork down after only a few bites and wiped his mouth, shooting her a flat stare from behind his napkin. “My day was not good. Not after I discovered something quite unexpected.”

“Oh, what was that?” she asked, desperately trying to keep things light and positive despite his dour mood. “Nothing to do with the press, I hope.”

A small muscle ticked near his tense jaw, and he shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore.”

Her pulse tripped. Please, god. Not yet. She took a sip of water, her hand trembling so badly, it was a wonder the whole glassful didn’t dump in her lap. “I’m sorry?”

He tossed his napkin down, then crossed his arms. “I saw the film, Stella.”

Of all the things she’d expected him to say, that hadn’t even been on her radar. Confused, she frowned. “Film? What film?”

“The romantic comedy you were in a few years ago,” he said, his clipped voice digging into her composure a little more with each word. “Why didn’t you tell me about your acting career? Especially because of what you know about my mother.”

“Acting career?” Stella shook her head, still trying to figure out where he’d gotten that from. “There is no acting career. If you’re talking about that scene in the movie at the café, it was one day, Kadir. I was working on developing my first game, and I needed some quick extra cash. I saw the listing for extras on a job board and showed up at a cattle call. It meant I could both pay rent and eat that week. It took half a day to shoot. That’s it.”

His skeptical expression said he didn’t buy it. “And why should I believe you?”

“Because I wouldn’t lie to you. I never had a speaking role or a credited appearance. I never wanted a life in front of the camera. Seeing how awful I was at the press day should convince you of that, even if my words don’t,” she said, letting out a nervous laugh.

That was the wrong move, however, if Kadir’s angry exhale was any indication. “This isn’t funny.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“And was this your only acting role?” he asked, his voice accusatory, as if he’d already made up his mind about her. “If you had no interest in acting, I’d think it would be.”

She winced at that. “I did a few other gigs too, as an extra, not an actor. But only because it was easy money and only took a single day, so it didn’t interfere with my gaming work.”

“Define a few,” he growled.

“There was the rom-com you saw. A Bollywood-type film about a librarian and a billionaire. Then there were a couple of superhero movies where I ran around a fictional city while the bad guys blew it up. And there was one horror movie where I was attacked by a zombie.” She searched her mind, then nodded. “That’s all of them.”

“I see.” His dark eyes narrowed, and dots of crimson stood out brighter on his high cheekbones. “And this Bollywood-type film. That wouldn’t happen to be Love in Stock and Stacks, would it?”

“Yes.” She felt her palms grow damp as his scowled deepened. “Why?”

“Because that was one of my mother’s films, Stella. You worked with my mother.”

“I never met her!” Stella exclaimed, standing abruptly. “The extras never got to meet any of the headline actors. Half the time they weren’t even on set with us. They filmed our parts before or after the big names arrived. And on the rare occasions when they were there, we weren’t allowed to approach them, just sit in the background and fill up space. Honestly, Kadir. If your mother was there, I was just some peon in the background, probably cleaning a bathroom or something.”

“Don’t try to make a joke of this, Stella. I don’t like secrets, and you deliberately hid this from me.”

“No! I didn’t, I swear.” She couldn’t let this be the end. She wouldn’t. “I’m sorry. I should’ve said something earlier, but I didn’t think it was important, any more than the summer I spent working the concession stand at the neighborhood pool. I spent more time squirting orange cheese over nacho chips than I did on that movie set. If I’d known you’d react this way, I would’ve told you sooner, but we had so much else to deal with. First the wedding, then the big interviews, then my game coming up for release, and—”

“And nothing.” He stalked to the exit, then turned and looked back at her. “It’s over, Stella. I cannot trust you—not to tell me the truth about personal matters and not to have my back on policy issues.”

“Kadir.” She stood her ground and raised her chin, refusing to beg. “I was going to tell you about being an extra, but the timing never seemed right. And honestly, it didn’t seem like a big deal. We were both so busy, or fighting, or enjoying a lovely moment I didn’t want to ruin. I should have told you, and I’m sorry. That past doesn’t change anything about what I want for our future.” She blinked back tears. “But I’m not going to stop having my own interests and opinions just because they don’t align with yours. I’ve never hidden who I am, and if you can’t deal with me, here and now, then…” She ran out of words as her heart broke, and everything but pain seemed to leave her completely.

He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Stella, but I can’t do this. Goodbye.” And he walked out.

She watched him go, her vision blurring with tears she couldn’t hold back any longer. She’d worried this would happen. Kadir was gone, and there wasn’t anything she could do to bring him back. They’d known each other mere weeks. No way could she overcome his resentment of a lifetime.