“You think you know him, but you don’t. He’s our cousin, banished for a mistake he made. Father paid him to take you away, to rid us of you.”
Zainab’s heart sank. Her mind spiraled into confusion and disbelief. Her sister’s words clawed at her with a cruel truth that she hadn’t been prepared for. It felt as if the ground beneath her had crumbled away. She stumbled backward, shaking her head as if to shake off the words that had just been spewed at her.
“You’re lying,” Zainab whispered, her voice trembling. Yet, deep inside, a part of her wondered if Amina was telling the truth. She had never heard Yusha speak of his past, nor had she prodded. She had been content, wrapped in the small bubble of kindness and affection he provided—a stark contrast to the cruelty she had known all her life.
