Ilherm

the secret he kept

Marriage was never part of Zainab Najeeb's plan.
At twenty-three, she had everything she wanted-a successful luxury boutique, a loud personality that filled every room, three overprotective brothers, and a life she had built on her own terms.
Then one family promise changed everything.
Muhammad Kabir was the last man she wanted as a husband.
He was quiet.
Patient.
Impossible to read.
And for reasons he refused to explain, he never called her Zainab.
Only...
"Ilhem."
No matter how many times she demanded an explanation, he would only smile and say,
"One day."
She never imagined that one unanswered question would become the answer to everything.
Some love stories begin with forever.
Ours began with a secret.
And by the time I learned the truth...
I wished I had known sooner.