Chapter 200

Roshanay understood her mother’s concern. On paper, she was the enemy’s sister, a potential threat to Moosa’s safety. But she had to believe that their love was stronger than that, that Moosa could see past her blood ties to the person she truly was. She had to believe that what they had built together, despite all the complications, was real enough to survive this storm.

Roshanay took a deep breath and just shook her head. “I’ll deal with it. I am much stronger than that mother. I’ve endured a lot and we’ll see that when Moosa opens her eyes. Let’s just talk about something else.”

The dismissal was gentle but firm. Roshanay didn’t want to dwell on the negative possibilities, didn’t want to borrow trouble from the future. She had learned that worrying about things that might happen was a waste of energy. What mattered was the present, the moment-to-moment reality of what she could control. And in this moment, she was safe, with her mother, surrounded by a family that was