The Sheikh's Collection. Оливия Гейтс

his real reason for being there. “And continuing on with the subject of motherhood, Piper also informed me you had information about my mother that she’s convinced I should know.”

      Unmistakable panic showed in Elena’s eyes. “I told her I would tell you in due time.”

      “Perhaps that time is now.”

      Elena hesitated for several moments, leading him to believe she might thwart his attempts at garnering information. “I suppose you are right.”

      “Then proceed,” he said as he braced for the possibilities and prepared for the worst.

      She picked up a stack of papers and moved them aside before folding her hands atop the desk. “First of all, I must clarify an incorrect assumption you have long held regarding your parents. Your mother always remained true to her husband during their marriage, and they both grew to love each other. Most important, Aahil Mehdi was your biological father, not some unknown man.”

      He had waited all his life for confirmation or a denial of his theory, yet something didn’t quite ring true. “If that is a fact, then why was I the only son not raised and schooled here at the palace? Why was I the only brother sent away during my formative years?”

      “To protect you, Adan.”

      “From what?”

      “The chance someone could learn your true parentage, and you would suffer the consequences from being labeled the child of a concubine.”

      Anger began brewing immediately beneath the surface of his feigned calm. “Then you are saying my father was the adulterer and I am the product of his affair with a servant?”

      “No. Your father was a good man, but you were the reminder of his failure to make his queen happy by giving her the baby she was not able to conceive.” She sent him a wistful smile. “Yet you were the greatest joy in my life from the moment you came into this world.”

      Awareness barreled down on him with the force of a hundred wild horses. “You gave birth to me?”

      “Yes, cara, as a favor to the king, and during the process of conception, your father and I fell in love. And as you already know, that love continued until his death, but I assure you we did not act on it until the queen’s demise.”

      Questions continued to bombard his brain. He chose the one that took precedence over all. “Why did you wait to tell me this?”

      “I promised your father I would never reveal the truth to anyone, even you.”

      Once the initial shock subsided, ire took its place. “He had no right to ask that of you, and you had no right to keep this from me all these years.”

      “I realize that now,” she said. “And had Piper not come to me and then pressed me to reveal the truth to you, I might have carried the secret to my grave.”

      Adan was torn between gratitude and resentment aimed toward both Elena and Piper. “How long has she known about this secret?”

      “For a while.”

      One more betrayal in a long line of many. “She should have told me immediately.”

      “Do not blame Piper for not saying anything, Adan. I begged her to allow me to tell you.”

      “She should not have come to you in the first place.”

      “She did so because she loves you, Adan. She only wants what is best for you, and she believes with this information you’ll find some peace.”

      Piper’s declaration of love intruded into his thoughts, but he pushed it aside. “If that is so, then why would she subject me to this confession knowing it would cause such turmoil?”

      “I suspect she recognizes that lies have the capacity to destroy relationships.”

      And so could the truth. His relationship with Piper had been fraught with lies from the beginning, and he wasn’t certain he could trust her now.

      Bent on a confrontation, he shoved the chair back and stood. “We will discuss this further after I have had time to digest this information.”

      Tears filled Elena’s eyes. “Please tell me you do not hate me, Adan.”

      How could he hate the woman who had been the only mother he had ever known? In reality, his real mother. “I could never hate you, Elena.”

      “But you might never forgive me,” she said, resignation in her tone.

      “I will try, and that is all I can promise at this moment,” he said before he turned to leave.

      “Where are you going, Adan?” Elena called after him.

      “To have a serious conversation with my alleged wife.”

      * * *

      “What possessed you to interfere in my life?”

      Piper put down the art book she’d attempted to read in the common sitting area, moved to the edge of the uncomfortable chair and faced Adan’s wrath head-on. “I assume Elena told you everything.”

      He released a caustic laugh. “You would be correct in that assumption, and you have yet to answer my question.”

      “Okay. You see it as interference, and I see it as making an effort to find the answers you’ve always longed for.”

      “I never sought those answers for a reason.”

      “And that reason is?”

      “I knew nothing good would come of them, and nothing has.”

      She couldn’t believe his attitude or his misdirected anger. “What’s not good about finally knowing the identity of your real mother? Believe me, Sunny and I unsuccessfully tried to find our father, but we could only narrow it down to three prospects. One was in prison for insider trading, one was a money-hungry gigolo and the last was married with four children. With that field of prospects, we decided it wasn’t worth pursuing. At least you now know you have a wonderful mother.”

      He ran a fast hand over his jaw. “I am not you, Piper. I had no desire to learn the truth. And now that I do know, I have been shown that even the most trustworthy person is capable of the ultimate betrayal.”

      She felt as if he’d placed her in that category, along with his biological mother. “Look, Adan, I don’t agree with Elena concealing the truth for such a lengthy period of time, but on some level I did understand why she was afraid to reveal it. Seeing your reaction only validated her fears.”

      He paced back and forth like a caged animal before pausing before her. “How would you wish me to react, Piper? Should I be celebrating the lies I’ve been told my entire life? Or the fact that you knew the truth and concealed it?”

      “Believe me, keeping it from you wasn’t easy.” A colossal understatement. “But it wasn’t my place to tell you, although I would have before I left if Elena hadn’t.”

      He narrowed his eyes into a hard glare. “It wasn’t your place to go on a bloody fact-finding mission, either.”

      No matter how hard she tried to see it from his point of view, his condemnation hurt like the devil. Time to fight fire with fire. “Sometimes it’s necessary to set a lie into motion to protect those you love, just like you’re protecting Samuel by lying about our marriage.”

      “You are absolutely correct,” he said, taking her by surprise. “And I plan to put an end to that fabrication immediately. Now that Talia has relinquished her rights, you have no cause to remain here any longer. I will make the arrangements for you to fly home as soon as possible.”

      As she came to her feet, she seriously wanted to cry, maybe even beg, but instead called on fury to give her strength. “So that’s it, huh? I’ve served my purpose and now you’re going to toss me out into the street like refuse?”

      “I am not tossing you