Page 44 of The Sheikh's Fake Bride Scheme

“You had feelings for Steve Morris two years ago,” Keira reminded her friend. “That didn’t mean he was anything more than a toxic grease monkey.”

“Oh man,” Allie whistled. “You’ve got Steve-Morris-level feelings? This is serious, Keira. I thought you just had a minor crush on the guy. Do I need to do an intervention?”

“You absolutely don’t. I’m never going to see him again, remember?”

As they drove home, talk turned to an upcoming race, for which Keira was thankful. Talking about Kareem hadn’t gotten any easier. Almost every day, she experienced a moment of wanting to unblock his number, to see whether he was still trying to reach her. She always managed to resist the urge, but it was getting increasingly difficult to do that, and she was afraid that one of these days she would break.

Back at home, she ran down to the mailbox and picked up the day’s mail while Allie carried the groceries into the house. It wasn’t until she had gotten inside herself and begun to sort through the bills and ads that she realized what she was holding.

“What’s up?” Allie asked, noticing her standing still in the middle of the kitchen. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Keira shook her head. “Not a ghost.” She held out the envelope.

Allie frowned. “What is this?”

“That’s a Qalmese address.”

“What are you saying? It’s a letter from Kareem?”

“I can’t think why he would write me a letter. I think it has to be the divorce papers.” Keira bit her lip. This would really be the end of everything. She had no good reason not to sign these papers and return them immediately, and she also knew that once she did it would officially be over.

Wasn’t that what I wanted? Isn’t that the reason I blocked his number?

She no longer knew the answer to that question. All she knew was that she was filled with grief at the thought that their story was coming to an end.

She sat down at the kitchen table, the envelope in front of her.

Allie cleared her throat. “Listen, never mind the champagne. Maybe we need some vodka.”

“I don’t want to drink,” Keira said. “Not until after I’ve had a look at this, anyway. I think I should be clear-headed.”

“At least you won’t have to think about it anymore after you sign the papers,” Allie said.

Keira knew her friend was trying to cheer her up, so she gave no response, although the truth was that the idea of not thinking about Kareem anymore felt awful. It wasn’t something she was ready to contemplate.

“Do you want me to open it?” Allie asked.

“No,” Keira sighed. “I need to be the one to do it.” She slit open the envelope and pulled out the papers inside.

And paused.

These weren’t divorce papers. This wasn’t a formal document of any kind.

She was looking at a handwritten letter.

Dear Keira,

I apologize for reaching out to you in this manner. I understand from your decision to block my phone number that you no longer wish to speak to me, and I want to respect that choice. However, there is something I think you should know before we go our separate ways.

I have spoken to my family, and they have agreed that you have the right to be present for the Qalmar Cup. You played an invaluable role in helping it come to fruition, and you should be here when it takes place.

I would like to formally invite you to return to Qalmar for the Cup. I will take care of your travel arrangements, of course.

If you wish to accept this invitation, please unblock my number and reply in the affirmative. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume that the answer is no, and I won’t trouble you any further. But I hope to see you again. This event won’t feel right if you’re not in attendance.

I’m sorry again for the way things ended between the two of us. Very truly, I hope that we might be able to set it right someday, though I hold no expectations.

Hoping you’re well,

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