The next morning, Amelia woke in a bedroom larger than the apartment she had once shared with a roommate.
Sunlight filtered through tall windows. Fresh flowers stood beside the bed, and a tray of breakfast had been placed on a table near the balcony.
For a few minutes, she simply lay there, trying to understand how dramatically her life had changed.
Then she noticed that Karim was not beside her.
She assumed he had gone downstairs to speak with his family. After getting dressed, she walked through the quiet hallway and followed the sound of voices toward a private sitting room.
Karim was there with two older relatives and a family adviser.
When he saw her, he stood and greeted her affectionately. But something about the atmosphere made her pause.
The conversation stopped as she entered.
One of the relatives offered a polite smile before leaving the room. The adviser gathered several documents and followed.
