He frowned after her. Why hadn’t she asked after Yasmin? He’d thought the two had been growing close since Yasmin’s arrival. It should seem strange to her that his bride of only a few hours was missing and he came back alone. Perhaps he was mistaken about their friendship. Still, something was off.

As he strode to the back of the house and out the patio doors, he glanced around. Everything was close to normal, as though a wedding hadn’t taken place the day before.

Yasmin’s parents left around the same time she had the night before, which was likely planned ahead of time. He’d called the jet, thinking Yasmin had been on board, and found out it was still at the airport with no scheduled departures. So, her family had found another way back to Canada.

He’d gone about loving her all wrong and what had happened was his fault. He could see that, though knowing it didn’t put a damper on his fury. Nothing would until he got hold of his brother and found out his motives for helping her.

“Mother,” he said, approaching Narin, who was sipping a cup of coffee while overseeing the removal of the catering tables.

She turned to him, concern bright in her eyes. She set her cup down on a wrought-iron table. Then she did something unusual. Instead of greeting him with her usual kisses on the cheek, she fully embraced him, wrapping her arms around his torso and squeezing.

He was shocked for a moment, then he returned the hug, holding her for a moment, before setting her away from him.

“Tell me what you know,” he demanded.

She spoke at almost the same moment, saying, “What happened, son?” Then she looked past him and asked, “Where is Yasmin?”

It was the same question he’d thought Defne would ask.

His mother looked at him with an expression of worry and, if he wasn’t mistaken, fear. Why would she fear him? Then it hit him. She’d questioned where Yasmin was. She was worried he’d done something to her because, like everyone else, she thought he’d done something to his first wife.

He wasn’t here to rehash old events though, not until he’d sorted through his current drama.

“I’m here to find out what happened,” he said, then, to appease her concern, added, “Yasmin is safe on Isla Narina.”

Narin nodded, then asked, “Is she okay?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Why do you care? You tried to convince me not to marry a foreigner. That she would never truly fit in with our family. I would think you’d be happy to have her out of your well-ordered life.”