As the cab pulled up behind the long line of cars parked outside the palace, the driver turned to face Yvonne.

“Do you want me to try and cut the line?” he asked.

She shook her head, not wanting to make a scene before finding Zadid. Of course she would still try to keep her promise to Iman, but even if she couldn’t, she would find a way to pay her back for all she had done. It was becoming clearer to her by the minute that the people of Abu Algar truly were special.

“I’m all set getting out here, thank you,” she said, handing him some money she had exchanged at the airport back in the States.

“Thank you, miss. Have a wonderful time.”

She thanked him again before stepping out, feeling as comfortable as if she were wearing a nightgown in her apartment. Iman really was a wizard—transforming her into a fashionable princess while also giving her the most comfortable clothing she had ever worn.

A few people dressed to the nines were making their way up to the palace gates, where a security guard was taking names. Yvonne swallowed, prepared for such an instance. How could she not be, when she’d had had so much time to think about this exact moment?

She fell in place behind four couples as she waited her turn to be let into the event, shifting from one foot to the other as she fought to hide her nerves.

Was she a total idiot for thinking she could pull this off?

The couples made it through easily, Yvonne stepping forward to face the security guard.

“Name,” he grunted.

“Yvonne Hunt,” she replied.

Perhaps he still put her name on things, out of habit?

The security guard frowned, his brow creasing as he flipped the list over and over, clearly not seeing her name. His eyes were dark when he looked back up at her.

“You’re not on the list,” he said.

Yvonne kept her cool, keeping her expression mildly concerned.

“Seriously? Ugh, Zadid told me he was going to take care of that before I flew out.”

Her casual use of his first name had the guard staring at her, waiting for an explanation. She sighed.

“I’m Zadid’s assistant from Washington. He’s still doing business with ELA International, and he invited me to come to his party, then apparently left me off the invite list. If I’d known it was such a big deal, I’d have double-checked with him.”

She could tell the company information registered with the guard, though he wasn’t entirely convinced. Behind her, people were starting to stare.

“Can you prove this?” he asked.

A flicker of hope darted across Yvonne’s heart, but she simply nodded and opened up her purse, pulling out her work badge with ELA International on it as well as her phone, where she opened up one of the last work emails she had received from Zadid—making sure to hide the date it had been sent.

Seeing the email address and the company information, the guard nodded.

“This checks out. You can go.”

“Thanks,” she replied, her tone casual even as she cheered inwardly.

She stepped forward confidently, the long stone driveway leading up to the palace closed off to cars for guests. There was a red carpet set up for the occasion, and Yvonne realized in that moment that he had really downplayed the level to which his birthday was celebrated.

And here she was, thinking he was just a handsome businessman.

Cameras flashed as she reached the doorway to the golden palace, a waft of sea air coming in from the cliffs below. Reporters were shouting questions at everyone that walked by, and Yvonne realized that there was a celebrity or two walking ahead of her that even she recognized.

A flash of light blinded her, then, and she shaded her eyes.

“Miss! Miss! Who are you, and who are you wearing?”

Remembering her promise, Yvonne turned to pose for the cameras, allowing her comfortable shoes to peek out from underneath her long gown.

“My name is Yvonne Hunt, and I’m wearing Iman Al-Abi, a local designer with a ton of promise! She made everything I’m wearing, and these shoes are the most comfortable things I’ve ever worn.”

A chorus of questions were tossed in her direction, but Yvonne realized the longer she stood and told people exactly who she was, the greater risk of having Zadid get the wrong impression as to why she was actually there.

Nodding politely, she made her way onward toward the massive curved doorway of the palace. Two large, gold-plated doors were carved with historical images of ancient warriors.

Yvonne was awed by the art of just the front door as she passed through, the candlelit dark-wooded interior giving an ancient glow to the place as the ocean of people made their way in the direction of what appeared to be a massive ballroom.

As she stepped inside, she gaped at the stunning paintings all along the walls and ceilings. There was so much art to look at that she could hardly take it all in before she remembered that she was there on a mission.

She had to find Zadid.

Skirting around the edge of the ballroom, she recognized many more famous faces in the crowd, everyone there for the sole purpose of celebrating Zadid.

As she walked her second loop around, she caught a glimpse of someone walking out toward a wide balcony—someone that looked very, very familiar. Heading in that direction, she made a beeline for the balcony.

Zadid was about to talk to a group of young people standing at the edge of the balcony when Yvonne approached him, placing a gentle hand on his bicep. When he turned and looked at her, his face froze in shock.

“Yvonne?” he asked, his eyes searching her face.

For a moment, he smiled. He was happy to see her! Yvonne smiled back up at him, a wave of relief crashing through her as she realized that it was all going to be okay. He was going to be a perfect father!

The Sheikh’s smile faded as his eyes darted around the room, worry sneaking in behind his gaze. It was as if he was concerned someone would see them talking.

“Zadid, I’m sorry for barging in on you like this, but there’s something I absolutely have to tell you—”

“What, that John is running the company into the ground? You don’t have to tell me that, Yvonne. I have already heard plenty from the rest of the team. Some of them managed to track me down via social media to try to get me to come back, but it simply can’t happen.”

He wasn’t looking at her as he talked. He was eyeing the room, his eyes darting from her face to the crowd all around them. At the moment, she could hardly care about the firm and what was going on there. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the sonogram image of their babies and held it out to him.

“I don’t care about ELA International. It’s going to hell anyway, and I should probably get out. I’m here because our little Christmas adventure left us with some unexpected gifts.”

Zadid was staring at the images, his expression confused at first, then surprised as he looked up at her with wide eyes.

“You’re pregnant?” he asked.

“That’s generally what those pictures mean, yes,” she replied with a smirk.

He grinned back at her like a fool. Wanting to show him, Yvonne straightened her back and pulled her dress a little tighter, revealing her growing belly.

“If the pictures don’t convince you, this should. All three of them are in there, cozy and warm. All three of your babies.”

“Three?” he said, his voice rising an octave before he cleared his throat. “We’re having triplets?” he asked, a little quieter.

Yvonne nodded, relaxing finally after an intensely stressful three months. Being with Zadid, seeing him excited at the prospect of becoming a father, it was enough to fill her to the brim with joy.

She reached for his hand, wanting to place it on her belly. When she did, she noticed the presence of a gold band on his ring finger, and she froze, staring at it. Dropping her hand, she stared up at him in horror.

“Zadid, does that ring mean what I think it means?”

Her voice was shaking. She was going from emotional highs to lows so fast, she was likely to faint from the whiplash of it all. She took a step back, waiting for him to answer. She needn’t have bothered. The answer was already in his dark eyes.

“I’m not married—this is a promise ring,” he explained. “I’m engaged to a woman from here, and she’s here tonight,” he said, glancing around again.

Yvonne stared at him, the pieces coming together. He had left so abruptly—his fiancée must have been waiting for him on the other side when he landed, ready to start a new life together. Had he been with her the whole time?

“You’re…engaged?” she whispered, unable to believe it.

Zadid’s expression changed as he nodded to someone across the room. Yvonne turned to see a stunning, raven-haired beauty walking across the ballroom in their direction. Even from that far away, her enormous engagement ring glistened in the light of the chandeliers.

“Is that her?” Yvonne asked, nearly hissing the words.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “That’s her.”

Yvonne turned, not wanting to look at the gorgeous woman Zadid had found to replace her forever. She could feel the woman approaching, knowing she was out of time. Panicking, she left him with an ultimatum.

“This is it, then. You can choose between marriage to that woman, or me and the babies, but you can’t have us both. I won’t raise our children that way—I’d rather do it alone.”

Zadid opened his mouth to respond when the woman approached, wrapping a possessive arm around his middle as she stared down at Yvonne and her bump. Yvonne noticed that the sonogram pictures had somehow disappeared from sight, and she wondered what Zadid had done with them.

Gazing up lovingly at Zadid, the woman cooed something in Arabic, once again staring pointedly at Yvonne, making it clear in any language that she was no longer wanted. With a nod at Zadid, Yvonne turned before he had a chance to see her face crumble in despair.

Pulling herself together as best she could, she hastily found the ballroom exit, dashing out the enormous front doors and doing everything in her power to avoid the cameras as she fled from the scene as fast as her perfect shoes would take her.

Once she reached the gate, the security guard stared at her curiously as she ran out in the direction of the cliffs. She swept along the stretch of ragged landscape until she reached the edge and turned, staring with tears in her eyes at the stunning palace Zadid had spoken so much about.

In that moment, Yvonne knew that she would be terribly, horribly alone. Of all the scenarios she had imagined, somehow, reality had managed to turn out so much worse.