The Sheikh’s Stubborn Bride by Leslie North

17

Stella had fled Kadir’s reception as soon as it had been polite to do so. Naziha had been supportive, but she knew it was hard on her friend, splitting her alliance between her brother and his wife. The last thing Stella wanted to do was bitch at Naziha, but she was furious.

As they traveled by private car to the summer home on the coast, the time passed in a bit of a fog for Stella. She’d never wanted or intended to give up on Kadir and their marriage, yet here she was, doing pretty much just that because he’d forced her to. She couldn’t tie herself to a loveless marriage, and her husband had made it more than clear that night at the planetarium that he was through trying with her. And while at one point, she’d hoped he might care for her the way she cared for him, he’d thrown that back in her face because of one stupid omission. A silly, temporary job she’d had ages ago that meant nothing. It was ridiculous. It was infuriating. It was heart wrenching because she’d loved him, dammit, and he was ruining everything because of his distrust and unreasonableness and by being an ass.

Then, of course, there was the fact she’d missed her last period and now feared she might be pregnant. Because of course she was. Angry tears prickled her eyes, and she blinked hard to stop them. She would not cry about this. She wouldn’t.

Naziha reached over and took her hand. “Don’t worry. I’m on your side, and I’m here for you, Stella, no matter what happens. We’ll always be friends, I promise. We’ll go to the summer house, take some time and sort this all out. It will be fine, trust me.”

It felt anything but fine, though, even after a few days. The summer house was lovely, perched on what seemed like an endless stretch of private beach. The sea glittered turquoise in front of them, and palm trees swayed in the salt-scented breeze. She and Naziha spent their days sunbathing, swimming, and playing video games on the large flat-screen TV. They ate good food and drank way too much soda and just hung out. She couldn’t have asked for better company.

“Come on,” Naziha said one night, nudging her with her shoulder as they sat side by side on the sofa, playing yet another round of a popular sci-fi game where they were trying to conquer new planets. “You’re not even trying, Stella.”

“I know.” She sighed and set her controller aside. “I’m just tired, I guess.”

“Hmm.” Naziha paused the game then shifted to face her. “You’ve been tired a lot lately. And not eating as much either, I’ve noticed. And you declined wine at dinner. Are you sick?”

Stella bit her lip. She’d been keeping her suspicion to herself, but it was becoming too heavy a burden to bear alone. She winced and shook her head. “Not exactly.”

“Not exactly,” Naziha said, watching her closely. Then, slowly, realization dawned on her friend’s face. “Oh my gosh! You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”

“I’m not sure.” Stella sighed. “But I missed my last period, and I’ve been feeling nauseous in the mornings, so I think I might be.”

“Excellent!”

That wasn’t quite the word Stella would’ve chosen, but before she could say anything, Naziha was off the sofa and walking over to talk to one of the maids in whispered tones. When she returned, she was grinning wide.

“I just sent her into town to get us a test at the drugstore.” She clapped her hands excitedly, then gave Stella a look. “Don’t be scared. We need to find out one way or another, then we’ll decide what to do from there.”

Stella wished she shared her friend’s confidence and enthusiasm, but all she felt at the moment was unsure. Unsure about the result, unsure about her future, unsure how to tell Kadir either way.

The maid returned, and Stella took the test, then waited agonizing minutes for the results. She was sure it would be positive. Why else would her period have been late, when she’d always been regular as clockwork? And when it did turn out positive, then she’d have to tell Kadir, and he’d want to be involved, and she’d end up staying with him in a loveless marriage, if only for their child. It was exactly the nightmare scenario she’d spent her whole life trying to avoid.

A knock on the bathroom door jarred her out of her jumbled thoughts. It was Naziha.

“Time’s up. What does it say?”

Everything slowed as she turned to face the counter where the tiny test sat, and she held her breath as she peered down at the small screen. It would absolutely be positive and…

She blinked at the test. Frowned. Squeezed her eyes shut, then stared at the stupid thing again.

Negative.

No. No way. There was no possible way it could be negative given all the signs, except…

It was.

A riptide of emotions flooded her all at once, threatening to pull her under—shock, relief, joy, and an odd hint of disappointment. Naziha was knocking so frantically that she nearly brought the door down, so Stella opened it then showed her the test.

“So, it was a false alarm,” her friend said. “That’s good news, right?”

Stella promptly burst into tears.

“Oh, no.” Naziha pulled her into a hug, rocking her like she was a small child. “Shush. Don’t cry. It’ll be okay.”

“It’s so stupid.” Stella sniffed between sobs. “I don’t even know why I’m upset. The test is negative. That’s a good thing, given the circumstances, but I feel so sad now. Like I lost something I’ll never get back.”

The confession felt true in the deepest part of her soul. She hadn’t realized it before, but a tiny part of her had wished she was carrying Kadir’s child. They’d both wanted a family. Images of his face lighting up whenever they’d talked about it filled her head and made her cry even harder.

“Sweetie, don’t,” Naziha tucked Stella tighter against her. “Please. They’ll be more chances. You and my stubborn brother are still married. Don’t forget that. Who knows what will happen when you finally see each other and talk again?”

“But he doesn’t want to see me or talk to me anymore. And frankly, that’s fine by me.” She yanked a tissue from the box Naziha held out for her then blew her nose. “We talked about having a family. Can you believe that? Like bringing a baby into this mess would help anything.” Stella sniffled through her tears, throwing her hands up because yeah, a baby could be exactly what she’d be having nine months from now. A single mom, just like her mother. The path she’d sworn she’d never follow. “It’s all just so frustrating, you know? It didn’t have to be this way.”

And yet it was, because of Kadir and his stubborn refusal to let her in, to trust her, to believe in her the way she’d believed in him. It was done between them, and she needed to move on, baby or not.