Chapter 28. How Innocent

Opening the text she had sent him, Shehryaar passed the phone to her without a word, then sat back in his chair, watching her with his dark, unblinking eyes. Sheharzaad’s eyes scanned the screen, her chest tightening as each word sank in.

"What?" she whispered to herself as she felt her heart constricting inside her. The message was clear. She could feel her stomach churning as she pieced things together. Because of this message, he thought she was a promiscuous woman, a woman who would spend a night with a man in exchange for cash. That's why he asked her to spend a night with him. That is why he made such an outrageous proposition.

The realization stung her. "That's fake. I swear. Somebody is trying to frame me. I swear," her voice cracked, growing more frantic with each word as she desperately hoped he would believe her. But, alas, she was mistaken.

Shehryaar's lips curled slightly; he leaned back further in his chair. “Framed, huh?” His voice was soft, almost a