Amina’s voice dripped with malice as she leaned in closer, her breath hot against Zainab’s ear. “You think he’s a beggar? You think you know him?” A pause hung in the air, like the calm before a storm. “He’s lying to you. He’s a thief, a criminal, hiding from his past.”
Zainab’s heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing with uncertainty and fear. She tried to steady her voice, to maintain the newfound strength she had discovered within herself. “You’re lying,” she said, though doubt had already begun to creep into her mind.
Amina pulled back, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. “Ask him yourself, if you dare.”
