Page 138 of Grave Danger
“That’s crazy,” said Zahra. “I would gain nothing by that.”
“On the contrary, you would gain everything you wanted,” Jack said, and then he spoke directly to Nouri. “The point sheused youto make, Nouri, is that Farid made a terrible mistake when he rejected Zahra and married Ava instead.”
“That’s laughable,” said Zahra, adding a nervous chuckle.
Nouri wasn’t laughing, and Jack could tell that the seed was planted in his head. He pushed forward with his theory, linking one detail to the next in machine-gun fashion, cross-examining his own client.
“You didn’t stop dating as teenagers because Farid had a temper and you broke up with him. In fact, it wasn’tyourdecision at all, was it, Zahra?”
She was silent, though it seemed she wished she could deny it.
“Things ended between you and Farid because Ava did an evil thing, as you call it. AvastoleFarid from you.”
“What? I dumpedhim.” Zahra laughed nervously again.
“Ava stole Farid, and you’ve never forgiven her. That’s why you called her evil.”
“That’s a terrible thing to say.”
“Ava was never unfaithful to her husband. Ava and Farid had the perfect marriage and the perfect child—which only made you more jealous.”
“Jealous?Ha!”
“When Ava was gone, you didn’t marry Farid just to escape with Yasmin. Being married to Farid was what you wanted all along.”
“That’s a lie!”
“The fact that the marriage was never consummated was not for lack of desire on your part. Farid never stopped loving Ava—which must have pushed you over the edge.”
“Don’t believe him, Nouri!”
“Far enough over the edge to make you want to hurt Farid in the worst way possible—by taking his daughter.”
“Stop it!”
“And when he found you and filed the Hague case to get Yasmin back, you answered with the worst trope in the Islamophobic book: the angry Muslim man who beats his wife and child.”
Zahra appealed to Nouri, her eyes welling with tears, but said nothing.
Nouri took a step toward her. “Is this true, Zahra?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters!” he shouted.
“Farid doesn’t want to be happy!” Zahra shouted back. “He clings to the story that Ava could still be alive. He wants to spend the rest of his life searching for the wife he never stopped loving. He doesn’t deserve Yasmin. He doesn’t deserve me!”
Nouri’s anger was palpable, and all of it was directed toward Zahra.
“I came to this country to help you because I felt sorry for you, Zahra. I felt sorry for what happened to your sister. I felt sorry because you made me think Farid was an abuser. You made me think he was an awful man who didn’t deserve his own daughter. You made me believe you were in love withme.”
“I do love you, Nouri!”
“You used me, the same way the CIA used me!”
“That’s not true!”
“Quiet!” shouted Nouri, his voice nearly rattling the kitchen windows.