He explained that his business involved complicated financial arrangements and that his family had learned to be cautious about people who entered their lives because of wealth.
Amelia understood that concern. She knew that money could attract dishonest intentions.
But she also reminded him that she had never asked him to buy her affection.
“I agreed to marry you because I believed we respected each other,” she said. “I didn’t agree to stop being myself.”
Karim looked away.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then he admitted that his family had expected him to marry someone who would accept a more traditional role within their household. He had hoped that Amelia would eventually become comfortable with those expectations.
He had not fully explained them before the wedding because he believed they could resolve the differences later.
To Amelia, that explanation was more painful than an argument.
She realized that the problem was not simply the request about her career or the financial document. It was that an important part of their future had been left unexplained until after she had made a life-changing commitment.
