Fatou crossed her arms.
“Exactly. She gives you money, and now you want to marry her. How convenient.”
The accusation struck Raúl harder than he expected.
He looked at Raquel.
She was standing perfectly still, her fingers wrapped around the gift she had brought for Amina.
He knew that expression.
It was the expression of someone trying not to show how deeply she had been hurt.
“Raquel,” he said softly, “I’m sorry.”
But Nadia wasn’t finished.
“You are destroying your future, big brother! What about children? What about having a wife who can give you a family of your own?”
Raquel’s eyes filled with tears.
She had faced cruel comments before. She had learned how to smile when people insulted her appearance, how to ignore rumors, and how to turn humiliation into a businesslike silence.
But hearing those words from the sisters of the man she loved was different.
