10
We dined as if nothing was wrong. Ash discussed business affairs with the sheik and I joined in when the topic strayed. We smiled and held hands for the sheik's benefit, we laughed when he joked about how beautiful our future children would look.
But it was hollow, our smiles strained. My stomach was too tight to eat and I left the delicious food untouched on my plate. Ash's eyes had a hardness to them that worried me. Usually his anger or tension dissolved as quickly as it flared, but not this time. It dogged him like a shadow and tugged at his mouth. I wanted to kiss it away since it was me who'd put it there.
The evening dragged. My insides were in knots and my nerves taut by the time Ash paid. This was it. The last time we'd be together as a fake couple. Our next step would be de
