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"My mailer kept a copy of your e-mail. It didn't look alarming to me. Nevertheless,
people have decided to be alarmed." He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb
and index finger. "I suppose it's not that strange. You are, after all, in a third-world
country, married to someone you hardly know, living in seclusion, after a kidnap
attempt."
Lucia felt as if a weight had settled on her. "We should leave for the embassy as soon as
possible. Get this cleared up."
"We can fly to Rabat tomorrow morning."
She could tell there was more. "Did something else happen?"
It was a moment before he answered. "I spoke to a priest."
"A priest?"
"He thinks we can get the annulment." Rashid cracked his knuckles. "Given the
circumstances, there would be a question of your consent even with the dispensation."
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Catherine Asaro - The Veiled Web
She spoke in a low voice. "I see."
He was watching her, his face silvered by the starlight. "I don't understand you. You
never raise your voice. Even when we argue, you are courteous. You treat my family
with respect. You listen to what I say and acknowledge my wishes." He shook his head.
"Then you go off and do exactly as you please, regardless of what I or anyone else has
said."
This time she knew exactly what he meant. "The VR suit."
Anger edged in his voice. "Telling you not to use it wasn't a whim on my part. Suppose
you had been hurt?"
"I had to make my best judgment."
"It wasn't your judgment to make."
"I'm sorry, Rashid." She wondered if she could ever make him understand. "I had to do
what I believed right. I went against your wishes because I thought it was best for Zaki."
He gave her an incredulous look. "Do you know what any of my not-so-distant
ancestors would have done to a wife who disobeyed him the way you did me today?"
She swallowed. "I don't think I want to know."
"I know you did it for Zaki. And it probably did help him." He shook his head. "But that
makes no difference. I'm responsible to see no one comes to harm in my lab. Including
you. Especially you."
She wondered if he realized what he had said. Especially you. "I felt responsible for
Zaki."
"It doesn't matter. A man needs to know his wife will follow his wishes."
"A woman needs to know her husband wants a partner, not a servant."
He made a frustrated noise. "It has nothing to do with servitude. It is a matter of trust.
Had one of my employees done such a thing, I would have fired him."
"I'm not your employee."
"No. You're my wife. That makes it even worse."
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Catherine Asaro - The Veiled Web
Tired, she lay back in the pillows. "If you were looking for blind obedience, you
married the wrong person."
"This is what everyone keeps telling us." Quietly he said, "Maybe they are right."
She felt as if a handful of gold dust were trickling through her fingers, vanishing
without recall. "Would you really want a wife who set aside her responsibility for her
conscience?"
"I want a wife who trusts my guidance."
"I do trust you. Can't you trust me?"
He spoke in a subdued voice. "No."
"Rashid, why?"
"Shall we spend years tearing at each other before we admit this was a mistake?" He
rubbed his knuckles as if they hurt, though she suspected the ache he sought to ease
came from inside.
"You never gave me a chance," she said.
His anger flared, sharp and bright. "A chance to do what? Commit adultery with my
doctoral student?"
The shock of his words would have stunned her, except they made no sense. His
doctoral student? CEOs of multinational corporations didn't have students.
Gently she asked, "Is that what happened before?"
At first she thought he wouldn't answer. But finally he spoke in a low weary voice. "My
student had gone over to our flat in London, to pick up a paper I left for him. When he
got there, Brigid was crying. She and I had argued, and I had walked out. He offered her
comfort and it& went too far."
"And you found them together."
"Yes."
"And divorced her."
"Yes."
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Catherine Asaro - The Veiled Web
"And the student?"
"He got another thesis adviser."
Softly she said, "I'm sorry."
His voice caught. "God knows, I wasn't easy to live with. But there are some things "
He stopped. "It's better this way, Lucia. Before we destroy each other."
She wondered how two people could have loved each other as much as he and Brigid
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