Chapter Twenty-Two
A month went by. The kingdom, along with most parts of the world, remained fixated on Tamara's ongoing trial, which the judge was expected to come to a decision about in a few days. Everyone in the royal family, Tarif most especially, found the whole process bitterly anticlimactic, but all of them also knew this was for the best.
In the meantime, however, an emergency meeting also took place. More and more people were asking about Safiya's whereabouts, and the palace knew it had to answer such questions sooner or later. Also discussed were other ways to further expand the search, and although the meeting lasted for over half a day, not once had the possibility that the princess had suffered a misfortune was brought up. It was clear in everyone's faces that everyone wanted to believe Safiya remained safe and alive, even if it did feel that they kept hitting the same brick wall the longer the search went on.
From the very first day the princess went missing, Altair had been completely truthful with the assortment of agents, detectives, and even bounty hunters that had been made to sign a disclosure contract before being assigned to the case. He had let everyone know why the princess had left in the first place, thinking that this would make the search easier and quicker.
And indeed, everyone was in unanimous agreement that this was the optimal strategy to take. When searching for an individual, one had to place one's self in that person's shoes. And in the princess' case, the question was simple: where would a young woman go if she did not want a royal sheikh to find her?
It was a good question to ask, and in most cases, it was a question that made a lot of sense to ask. But in the princess' case, this question was also the sole reason behind everyone's inability to find a single clue about Safiya's whereabouts.
Over and over they searched places they believed the princess would find ideal for hiding, but in reality not a single one of these places had even crossed Safiya's mind. With Tamara already in trial and their betrothal broken, the princess believed the sheikh no longer had a reason to pretend to love her. As such, she also believed that the sheikh had no reason to search for her, and it was how she inadvertently ended up hiding in plain sight.
Safiya had planned to leave a quiet life far away from the city, and hopefully it would also be far enough that she would never have to endure the pain of seeing Altair...and knowing he had never loved her. But as days passed, she found herself being consumed by a single thought. Or rather...one person, and today, after what seemed like an eternity...
She had finally found him, and this time the princess was determined to face the demon from her past. Memories of him had never really left her, and there were always nights when she would wake up crying and shaking, her heart torn into pieces because she had dreamt of the boy who had been nearly beaten to death because Safiya had dared to go against him.
Even now, she could still recall how the way she sometimes caught him staring at her would be so sickening it made bile rise to her throat, and oh, how afraid she had been of him in those days.
So, so terribly afraid.
But that was then, Safiya thought fiercely, and this was now.
This time, she was older. Wiser. Braver.
This time, she had nothing to lose, and so this time she was determined to put an end to his cruel ways once and for all.
MAHMUD WAS BONE-DEEP weary, and a part of him was seriously considering offing himself, just to be done with his miserable life.
Ah, to be reunited with Eloisa again.
It was a tempting thought, but he also knew Eloisa would likely greet him with an open-handed slap. She had always been a thorough little thing, never the type to leave any loose ends, and in this life there was still one last fucking loose end he needed to deal with.
One last and then...
What the fuck?
Mahmud, having finally made it to the seedy-looking motel Saul was said to have been hiding himself in, was stunned to realize that someone apparently had the same thought in mind, and it was none other than his own daughter.
She had even managed to gag tie the bastard down, with Mahmud's half-brother spread-eagled on the bed, his gaze wild with rage and fear. Safiya still had her back to the door, but Saul had already seen Mahmud enter, and the idiot actually started flailing as if asking for Mahmud's help.
Seeing Saul looking at something behind her, the princess turned, and it was then Mahmud saw his daughter holding a knife in her trembling hand. She was also pale-faced, and oh God, those eyes of hers—-