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Lisa patted her shoulder. “Happens to the best of us. You better go grovel at Hania’s pedicured feet.”

She gave her a little shove, and Dina stumbled forward. Her mother, Nasrin, turned around to notice Dina and scowled. “Where have you been?” she whisper shouted. “Your sister was beside herself when she realized you weren’t here like you promised.”

“I was . . . um, not feeling well,” Dina said, thinking fast. “I had a migraine. For the first time ever. But I’m all better now, thanks to the power of drugs. I mean, over-the-counter drugs, not the other kind,” she added. From behind her, she could practically hear Lisa’s eyes roll. “I’m here now,” Dina said brightly. “How did the photo shoot go?”

Nasrin was still irritated with her elder daughter. “It would have been perfect, if only you had bothered to show up. Honestly, Dina, can’t you let your little sister have today? Not everything has to be about you.”

Dina gaped at her mother. “When is anything ever about me?”

“It was most inconvenient of you to decide to have a migraine on the day of your sister’s wedding,” Nasrin said. “You should have tried harder to be here for your family.”

“I’m so sorry I was prostrate with pain this morning, Mom,” Dina said, forgetting for a moment that she hadn’t actually suffered from a debilitating headache. “I’ve done everything possible to help Hania, including helping the wedding planner make her ‘Disney’s Animal Kingdom’–themed mehndi a reality!”

“That’s what you do for family,” her mother shot back. “You don’t need to be thanked for doing what is expected. Now go make up with your sister. I don’t want Hania to cry during her grand entrance. This is supposed to be a happy day, especially for me and your father. Two daughters happily married and settled at last.”

Dina ignored the pang of guilt she felt at these words. In just a few days, her parents would find out that the number of married daughters they had was still stuck at one. She took a deep breath, swallowing her guilt and grief, then pushed her way through the A girls and the rest of her extended family.

There was no doubt she was in the wrong here; she had let her sister down. However, considering all the sacrifices she had made for her family, the many times she had come through for her parents and sister, she expected they might show her a bit of understanding the one time she messed up. She looked back at her mother, who was still glaring at her, and then met Lisa’s sympathetic gaze. She squared her shoulders and turned to her sister, who was seated like a queen on a high-backed chair, eyeing her with disdain.

“Hey, Hania,” Dina said weakly. “You look stunning,” she said.

Hania gave her a small smile, and Dina was aware of Ambreen’s ever-present camera, always recording. “This look was the work of so many people, including my wonderful sponsors, my makeup artist, and my stylist. I’m so glad I could count on my team to help me pull it together.” She narrowed her eyes at Dina. “Well, most of my team. Some of my inner circle were less than reliable today.”

Dina winced. “I’m really sorry, Hania. I had a migraine this morning. I know I messed up, but I’m here now.”

“Arshad was here,” Hania said sweetly. “He was so worried when he realized you weren’t with us, like you had told him. I guess you had somewhere better to be.”

Her sister’s voice had risen during this last exchange, and Dina cast a nervous glance around her. The A girls were not so subtly leaning forward; even worse, Ambreen was right there holding her camera aloft, capturing every word.

“The focus needs to be on you today,” Dina said, desperate to change the subject. “It’s your big day, and I couldn’t be more excited or more proud. You did it, Hania. The day is perfect, thanks to your expert planning and exceptional taste.”

For a moment, Dina was certain the thick layer of flattery she had spread would soothe Hania’s ruffled feathers. Then, with a quick glance at Ambreen, her sister stood up from the chair where she had been lounging. “What I needed was my older sister with me while I got ready for my wedding day, like you promised!” she said loudly.

Dina had to bite back the retort that clawed up her throat. Where was all this resentment coming from? Usually she would simply accept her sister’s or mother’s criticisms without complaint or any attempt to explain. Yet today of all days, she had to fight the urge to demand they listen to her. “I said I was sorry,” she said simply. “I know I missed the Vogue Arabia photo shoot. I’ll try to make it up to you. I feel terrible for not being here.”

But Hania wasn’t having it. She pointed her finger at Dina dramatically. “You’re just jealous because I’m the center of attention. Even when I let you and Arshad perform at my mehndi, that wasn’t enough. It’s my wedding, Dina. You already had your turn. Why can’t you j-just b-be s-s-supportive for once?” Hania’s voice was trembling now, and a single tear fell from her eye. The A girls glared at Dina; a few even hissed their displeasure.

Dina turned to go, but Hania grabbed her hand, then nodded at Ambreen. The social media manager ushered everyone out of the room. Lisa shot her a sympathetic glance before exiting with the rest of the entourage, leaving the two sisters alone together. Instantly, Hania’s expression changed from woebegone bride to her usual smiling self.

“I think that went well, don’t you?” Hania asked Dina.

“What’s going on?” Dina asked.

Hania was peering at her face in the mirror and frowning. She reached for a makeup brush and dabbed some concealer on the end, then set about repairing the slight imperfection the single tear had left on her face. “I’m super pissed at you for not being here on time, but to be honest, it wasn’t a big deal, especially since Vogue Arabia is sticking around for the whole nikah anyway. But when you bailed—I’m not buying the whole migraine excuse, by the way—Ambreen suggested we use it. Our viewers really respond to conflict, and we needed some sort of tension before the service. But don’t worry, we make up right before my grand entrance. You apologize with, like, tears in your eyes, and I graciously forgive you. Then we hug it out.”

“Right,” Dina said sourly. “Sounds like a plan. Next time, do you think you could give me a heads-up before you start yelling at me in front of your friends and thousands of followers?”

“I have a million followers, actually,” Hania said. She turned to smile prettily at her sister. “No offense Dina, but you have the worst poker face. You couldn’t keep a secret for five minutes. I was doing you a favor by keeping you in the dark.”

“So you didn’t mean what you said, about me being jealous of you?” Dina asked.

With one last glance at her perfectly repaired makeup, Hania adjusted the skirt of her lengha. “Oh, I know you’re jelly, and that’s totally cool. It’s not easy being related to me, I know.”

Dina smothered her smile. “It truly is not,” she said. Outside, they could hear the beginning strains of Hania’s entrance music.

“Try not to mess up again, okay?” Hania said. “A lot is riding on this, way beyond a magazine story.”

“What do you mean?” Dina asked.