Late night update but it's 5k words of drama so yeah. ATSH will be updated in a few days so just enjoy golden till then.

Haya has gotten so mature ish but she's gonna snap soon so just wait and watch.

I can't wait to write forbidden love, so much to tell haha.

Okay so vote and comment, tell me what y'all think.

Haya.

"he's going on and on, I can't understand a word. I swear." She said to Aaliyah, as she was in an adjacent room and hadn't spoken to Amir since the moment he called Illyas.

They had been waiting for the Buredaani Prince to arrive for more than an hour now. Within that hour, Haya had texted Aaliyah about the entire matter because she needed to talk to someone. She didn't have the courage to talk to Amir right now, she didn't even know how he would react.

After a few minutes of silence, Amir had told Suhoor he was calling their mother. Haya had tried to interfere, because the last thing she wanted was for more drama to happen. Still, her husband had only shot her a look and she didn't want to argue any longer.

She hadn't seen this side of Amir before. This conservative and traditional side where he looked like he couldn't stand the sight of his own sister. She hadn't even seen this side of him before.

Now there he was, talking to his step mother over the phone with a loud arabic dialect that Haya didn't understand even a little bit.

"What?"

"Oh yeah, apparently when he's really mad he talks in an arabic dialect I can't even understand. He's talking to his mother," Haya told Aaliyah, her voice lower than usual.

She had tried to call her brother a few times but Illyas still hadn't picked up her phone call.

"Like not his mother, Suhoor's mother. Whatever." She grumbled, as Aaliyah heard her add on more annoyed words.

"And she's so fucking stupid! She showed up with a hickey."

Her friend gasped on the other line. She couldn't believe it.

"Seriously?" She asked, disbelief laced in her tone.

"Yes."

"Are you really telling me that Crown Prince Amir's sister was proudly displaying a hickey instead of covering it up with makeup?"

The first thing they had learned about adulting was to never let a man leave a mark on you, especially in places where it could be seen. The second thing was to cover it up if it was visible. No one liked to see a love bite. It was tacky and looked hideoous.

"Yes. He saw it. He asked her about it and she gave the most cliche excuse in the history of excuses." Haya further added, cringing as she remembered that she had tried to help Suhoor in her lie.

She was quite panicked too, as it it wasn't clear enough already.

"I got burnt while I was doing my hair?" Aaliyah guessed, earning a hum from her cousin.

"Yes."

"Illyas isn't here yet and he's not picking up my calls. I don't even know what to do. Should I tell mom?"

She felt panicked because she cared. She cared about her relationship with Amir, she cared about her family and she really cared about the fact that she was coming out as a liar in front of Amir. He trusted her and she had broken his trust in a way.

"No, just wait. Illyas and Amir are both grown up adults. I'm sure they won't just start throwing punches at one another."

Aaliyah suggested, she let out a huge sigh.

"I'm freaked out, Aaliyah." She mumbled, and her cousin felt the same way.

"So am I."

"I feel like my relationship is going up in flames with every passing moment."

Aaliyah knew that Amir would never take this lightly. Knowing the kind of man he was, this was not a casual affair for him. He would take it seriously and now he knew that Haya had hid the truth from him, he wouldn't let it go like that.

"Haya, everything will be fine. Don't stress out." She still said, not willing to freak her out further.

"Should I tell Yusuf?" She asked Haya, since Yusuf was their older brother and he might be able to solve the matter in a better way.

"No, I don't know. He'll ask you why you didn't tell him any sooner. You'll get involved for no reason."

Haya didn't want her newly developed relationship to get bumpy either. After everything that had happened with him, he didn't need to worry more.

"I can tell him it wasn't my secret to tell. It's pretty simple."

"I wish it was," She murmured, feeling the commotion outside.

"Okay, I think he's here. I'll talk later."

She ended the call and walked back into the hall, only to bump into Suhoor on the way. 

"Haya," She removed her hand from Suhoor's grip, not even bothering to hide her anger and disgust.

Suhoor looked vividly upset, scared and absolutely guilty. It didn't matter. If she could choose to screw with her brother, she could also choose not to snitch on her. How could she just abruptly tell Amir that Haya knew?

"What?" Haya asked, taking a step back. Suhoor swallowed, looking at Haya as if she wanted to apologise.

She felt guilty because Haya was the only person in the house who was trying to help her, who was trying to support her and she had managed to spill out the one thing that she shouldn't have.

"Suhoor, I don't have anything to say to you." Haya didn't want to yell at her, she had zero energy to do that.

"Haya, just listen please?"

Haya stared at Suhoor in exasperation, because what more did she have to say?

"I was trying to save your ass over there even with the pathetic way that you were lying." She mumbled, seeing the tear stains on her cheeks and the fear in her eyes.

Haya looked away.

"Still, you managed to snitch on me like it was nothing." She rolled her eyes, Suhoor grabbed a hold of her hand again.

"I am really sorry. I didn't mean to, I swear-"

"Oh spare me the excuses-" She removed her hand from her grip yet again.

"Haya, I swear. I swear I didn't want to, it just came out of my mouth and I was so scared that I didn't think-"

Haya interrupted her again, because how could she not think?

"You didn't think about how your words would impact my relationship? Yeah, I know."

Suhoor looked guilty, and Haya did feel sorry for her. She had never even once experienced what Suhoor was experiencing right now. She had never been caught for having an affair, had never been told that her freedom will be taken away for being in a relationship.

All she had ever experienced was her mother's constant nagging and lectures. Her brothers had hardly interfered.

"I'm sorry." She apologised again, Haya looked at her with a sigh.

"Haya, I really am sorry. I was so scared, the words just flew out of my mouth. I didn't mean to, I promise."

She explained herself, and Haya saw her for what she was. A scared eighteen year old.

"Illyas is here, let's talk later."

She didn't want to hold a grudge but it would take time for her to let go as well.

"Illyas."

Her brother didn't look even a bit freaked out. He was in a casual attire, more casual than usual with his eyes swollen and unslept and his face was as blank as ever.

Haya didn't care though. She was so mad at him. He hadn't picked up her phone calls, he hadn't replied to her messages and now here he was, ready to talk to her husband about having an affair with his sister.

"Haya,"

"You didn't pick a single call." She stated, crossing her arms as she didn't even embrace him. She was too mad.

"I was occupied. How are you?"

She shot him a look of disbelief. How could he act so casual?

"Are you fucking serious? How am I?! Didn't I ask you twice and you said you weren't even in Paris. You lying asshole." She cursed, voice low because she didn't want people to hear her yelling at her older brother.

This was not Buredaan.

"Calm, okay?" He murmured, looking around as he continued.

"I was at a concert, I couldn't pick it up."

"Concert? What the fuck? She was with you a few hours ago and then you went to a fucking concert?" She asked, not even able to comprehend on what the hell was going on with her brother.

"Okay. We'll discuss this later, I need to have a talk with Amir first."

He said instead, not willing to have an argument with Haya when there was a bigger fish to face.

"What will you say? What can you possibly say?"

Illyas didn't reply, because honestly, he himself didn't know what he would say.

"Illyas, please. Don't fuck it up even more than it already is."

Haya knew her brother had a temper. He would get mad easily and he had ego issues. If Amir said something, he might take it over his pride. She didn't want the argument to get any bigger than it already was.

He was about to respond but both of them felt a presence and Illyas let out a slow nod, greeting his brother in law.

"Salam, Amir." He greeted, seeing the look of indifference on Amir's face. After a few seconds, he replied to the salam as well.

"Salam." He said, gesturing Illyas to walk along with him. He wanted to talk to him alone, not like this.

"We'll talk upstairs." He added, and Illyas hummed walking ahead.

"Haya, wait here." When he felt Haya walking towards the stairs as well, he stopped her.

Haya always managed to impact his emotions. Right now, he was just as angry with Haya as he was with Suhoor. He didn't want to have an argument with her right in front of her brother.

"What? No. I'm coming with you."

She couldn't stay down here. The curiosity and worry would make her go crazy.

"You're not." He denied.

"Amir,"

"Haya."

He didn't even stop to hear her say something, he was already walking upstairs along with Illyas.

As soon as they had walked upstairs, Suhoor walked out of the other room with Majda trailing behind her. Haya couldn't stand the woman's presence anywhere near her.

"Haya? Where are they?"

"Upstairs." Haya replied.

He had brought her here to relax, to get her mind off the stress of not being able to conceive and yet here she was, stressed as fuck about something that shouldn't even be her concern at all.

"Why didn't you go?" Suhoor asked, fear laced in her tone. She was scared. She didn't know what Illyas would say to her brother.

"Your brother didn't want me to." Haya bitterly said, rolling her eyes.

"Haya, please. You have to go, you're the only one who can calm my brother down. You have to go." Suhoor was clearly way more stressed than she was.

"I can't save your ass, Suhoor. I'm not the one who showed up with a fucking hickey," Haya managed to curse, even though she had planned to remain calm in front of everyone.

"And yes, he listened to me but then you went on to snitch on me and managed to shag my brother, so I'm not sure if your brother is going to listen to anything I have to say."

She further added, Suhoor felt her ears burn. If this were any other day, she would have slammed Haya for talking to her in this manner.

But right now, Haya was the only one who could help the situation. Her husband and her brother both listened to her.

She let out a huge sigh when she saw the fat tears leaking out of Suhoor's eyes.

"Look, I told you. Didn't I? Now just be patient and maybe like pray." She murmured, giving her a softer look than before.

"And you," She glared at the old woman who was still standing among them. Majda had caused all of this drama. Couldn't she just keep her mouth shut?

"You managed to ruin my day and I don't forget that easily. I'll make sure you understand your place."

Suhoor swallowed, staring at Majda. Haya clearly had no idea how much their entire family respected the woman, especially Amir.

"She's not a four year old you used to baby sit, she's an adult now. Leave her alone."

Haya further said, not caring for the woman's importance. A part of Suhoor felt satisfied, atleast someone had told Majda to stop interfering after all.

"I had no idea you were in Paris."

Illyas said as he entered before Amir. The Crown Prince stared at the Buredaani Prince as he closed the door to the small library that he had personally filled with his favourite books a few months ago. His sister wasn't fond of books and he knew how much books had helped him as an eighteen year old. Books never made you feel alone, especially when you were in a foreign land with a position that made it hard for you to make friends.

"And if you did, you wouldn't be here?" Amir asked, cocking an eyebrow at Illyas.

He had made sure that he would remain calm and patient throughout, but everytime he looked at the man, he got reminded of the mark on his sister's neck.

"I would have been careful." Illyas retorted, Amir shook his head at the audacity.

"I'm married to your sister, we walk on egg shells all the time because we know the responsibility we carry. You know very well that everything that happens in our personal lives, it impacts our diplomatic relationship too."

Amir started off, sitting down on the couch. Illyas was still a little buzzed if he was being honest. He had already drank two bottles of water and a glass of lemon water to get better. His friends had seen the color drain from his face as he had picked the phone call from Amir and told them that he needed to go and solve a matter.

The entire concert had gone to shit, not to mention he had to now explain himself to another person that he hadn't missed out on an important day of her life on purpose.

"I have always respected you and your family, Illyas. I've considered you all my family, I really don't understand how you chose to disrespect mine." Amir stated, disappointed.

He had always found himself relating to Yusuf. They were both responsible for their countries and also carried the duty of being the oldest in the family. They were supposed to be the guiding light to their siblings.

He had always felt that Illyas and Haya were somewhat the same. Illyas was clever and intelligent, he was cunning when it came to business but he was also free spirited and loud mouthed like Haya. He wasn't afraid to share his opinion. He wasn't afraid to call people out. Still, he respected him.

He was good friends with Adil too. Adil, who didn't even know that Illyas and Suhoor were together. Adil was just as protective as Amir when it came to his sisters. It didn't matter what he did in his personal life, he would never accept Suhoor's recent act. He would never let it go.

Illyas sat on the adjacent seat, glad that the lights in the library were dimmed. The last thing he wanted was for Amir to notice that he was a little buzzed.

"Amir, I understand your anger and it is justified. I assure you that I did not disrespect your family in any way. I did not cross a certain limit." He replied, because he hadn't.

He knew who Suhoor was, he understood her limitations and her family. He didn't want to cause her more trouble, he didn't want both of them to get caught in complicated shit. It had clearly been in vain though.

"But you did. You went after my sister, you're having an affair with my sister."

Amir firmly said, even though he wanted to punch a hole through the wall right now. His anger, he hated that he was trying so hard to control it.

Before Illyas could respond, the door opened after a soft knock and Haya entered the room. She was biting her lip as she entered, not even bothering to stare at her brother.

She was mad at him, and she pitied him too. It was a weird combination.

She looked at Amir, who was staring back at her.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stay and wait." She murmured, walking towards the sofa as she sat down.

Amir didn't protest, he didn't have the energy to fight with Haya. He didn't want to take out all of his anger on her, especially when her brother was right there.

"I belong to a traditional family. An affair is the worst thing anyone can have, especially a daughter of our family." Amir started out, ignoring his wife's presence as he talked to Illyas.

"You know my father didn't even want to let Suhoor out of his sight, because she's always been the rebellious one and he was afraid she would take a wrong step,"

He continued, Illyas only listened.

"I convinced him because I couldn't see my sister crying. I took responsibility. Now what am I supposed to tell him? Am I supposed to say that she's having an affair with my wife's brother?"

He enquired, Illyas didn't really know how to explain it all to Amir without getting Suhoor in trouble. She was already troubled enough.

"I want you to tell me everything, every single detail. I need to know."

He insisted, Haya put her hand under her chin and stayed silent.

Illyas looked at his sister, glad that she wasn't interfering for once. He had tried so hard to listen to her, to understand that she would be trapped in the middle of everything because of his relationship with Suhoor but everything happened with such an ease that he never even got around to thinking of the impact. He thought he would handle it.

"There is not much to tell. We were in contact for the past few months and we used to talk. When she came to Paris, she told me about it and since I have friends here, I visited sometimes. That's all there is to say."

He explained, continuing.

"It wasn't an affair, it isn't one. Infact, this was the last time we were supposed to meet. She said she didn't want to cross a line because of her family and I understood that."

He further added. Haya wished that she could explain to Illyas about Amir's simple understanding.

An affair was haram. A marriage was halal. There wasn't anything in the middle of it. The fact that they didn't even have an affair, it was worse.

If it was just casual dating between them, Amir wouldn't understand. As she expected, her husband looked more disgusted and angered than before.

"And how do you explain the mark on her neck? Do you think I'm blind? Do you think I don't know what happens in affairs?"

He questioned, Illyas looked at the man.

"What do you want me to say, Amir? Yes, I kissed her." He accepted, Haya saw the expression on Amir's face and swallowed.

It looked like someone had just slapped him with a remark. He felt insulted.

"I get that your traditions are different but these gestures aren't a big deal in our family, Amir. I knew what my line was and I did not cross it."

Illyas elaborated.

If this was any other person and not a Buredaani Prince, if this were a man who was not his wife's brother..God knows what he would have done.

Instead, Amir prayed in his head for God to grant him patience.

"So you're saying that there's nothing between you two anymore?" He slowly asked, Illyas nodded.

"No, there isn't." He replied.

"And you're being honest that you did not cross a certain line, which means that my sister is pure."

Illyas wanted to roll his eyes. Pure? What load of bullshit. He hated this thinking, it disgusted him. He gave Haya a look, as if to question her about her choice of a man.

"She's a very pure soul, Amir. I don't consider women who aren't virgins impure."

He couldn't help himself as he responded to the Crown Prince, adding more when he heard his sister sigh.

"But yes, she is a virgin." He confirmed.

Amir frowned, but nodded nonetheless.

"Is that all the truth there is?"

"Yes, that's all the truth there is." Illyas confirmed.

For a while, there was utter silence in the library. Haya wished she could just have a glass of wine and read one of the books present in the library. It was the best way to get rid of the stress for now. She was moody, on her period, stressed as hell and already knew that her relationship was going to go through a rough patch now. It was fucked up.

After a few moments of silence, Amir looked at Illyas again.

"I just don't understand how you even thought of nearing her, of touching her. It doesn't make sense in my head." He argued, disgust laced in his voice.

"How could you even approach her when you knew she's my little sister and just eighteen years old?" He hissed, because he wasn't able to articulate how a man in a position like that could be so damn careless.

His tone didn't sit well with Haya.

"Amir, he told you everything." She jumped in her brother's defense.

"Don't interfere, Haya." Amir dismissed her in return. She shook her head and tried to argue again but Illyas gave her a look, telling her to remain silent.

"When I was interested in your sister, I was man enough to express my liking and I was man enough to marry her. I didn't have an affair because I respected her enough."

Amir claimed.

For him, a man who simply had affairs with women didn't respect them enough. He was traditional like that. He had been brought up with such values, he took relationships seriously. It was a miracle that he had fallen in love with someone like Haya. Someone who had her fair share of affairs and casual dating.

As Illyas digested the Crown Prince's words, he couldn't help but say his own.

"Even if you did have an affair with my sister, I wouldn't have held a grudge. She's her own individual, she knows her limits and we've always supported her."

He replied, looking at Haya.

Amir could have argued in a million ways, but every single one of them would have caused Haya to be disrespected.

"Then that's where we are different. Do you love her?" 

He went straight to the point. If he loved Suhoor, there was a chance for Amir to convince his family about letting the two marry. So far, Illyas hadn't mentioned love at all.

"I-"

Illyas hesitated. He couldn't say that he loved Suhoor and then answer the man on why his face was plastered all over the news tomorrow. He hadn't even implored his own feelings yet.

When the Prince didn't respond quick and hesitated, Amir let out a sound of disbelief.

"You don't?" He asked, shaking his head as he stood up.

"Are you seriously telling me that you don't even love her?"

Illyas stood up as well, swallowing.

"It's complicated, Amir." He murmured looking away.

"So you don't love her but you still managed to have an affair or whatever it was for months and you also kissed her, even though you don't love her."

He pointed out, feeling disgusted with each and every word.

"You don't love her and you don't respect her. What kind of a man are you?"

He roared, Illyas clenched his jaw because he was on edge of his own patience.

"if you can't respect my sister enough to honor her, how do you expect me to respect yours?"

Haya gasped upon hearing Amir's words. She couldn't believe he had said that. She couldn't believe that someone like Amir could say something like that.

Illyas glared at the Crown Prince, feeling more insulted than ever.

"How dare you?" He fumed in disbelief, Amir crossed his arms against the chest and glared at the man.

"I've been asking you the same question." He retorted, pointing out his hypocrisy.

Illyas looked at Haya, who looked so hurt that he wanted to take a hold of her hand and drag her back to Buredaan with him.

He knew he couldn't though. She was Haya, she was strong enough to make her own decisions and fight her own battles.

He took a deep breath, staring at his brother in law.

"I've been very respectful to you, Amir. I know my sister's heart belongs to you and that's the only reason I gave you an explanation because even my father has never asked me for one."

He told the man, adding more with firmness in his voice.

"Your sister is an adult and she chose me. I was there with her because she wanted me to be. If you want any more truth, you should talk to her."

He stated, observing that Amir was simply quiet. His attention had diverted a bit, since Haya was constantly looking at him with a hurt expression.

"And if we're really talking about honor, I didn't touch her even when every fibre of her being wanted me to. That's the kind of man I am."

He stressed, ready to leave because he didn't want to say anything disrespectful to a man who wasn't just married to his sister but also held the power to ruin relations with his country. He couldn't risk Buredaan getting into trouble.

He opened the door of the library, looking back one more time.

"And please, don't cage her again because she tried to fly for once."

He added, walking away.

Amir didn't stop him, because he was quite done too. He couldn't say any more to Illyas, couldn't call him out anymore. He had said he didn't love Suhoor, he didn't want to marry her either.

It was his sister's decisions that had caused him the embarassment. His own wife had lied to him. He had to deal with the mess, no matter what.

"Illyas," He was halfway out of the house when she caught upto him, seeing how he was fuming still.

Haya didn't want to have a talk with him in the house, knowing there were too many prying ears and eyes. She walked with him outside, as he neared his car.

She nodded at Abdul, his PA and then saw some familiar faces from Buredaan. She missed home. Amir's words had hurt her to the core, she didn't understand how he could say something so absurd like that. Yes, he was hurt because of his sister but it had nothing to do with their relationship, with Haya. She wasn't the one who had forced Suhoor and Illyas to date each other. Why the fuck was she involved then?

Illyas stared at his sister, feeling extremely bad for her. She deserved better.

"Haya, I'm sorry you got caught in the middle of this. I never had a bad intention when it came to you."

He apologized, surprising Haya because he was too stubborn to ever apologize.

Haya wanted to be mad, but she couldn't. She could not muster up the courage to be mad at him after the way he had talked to Amir inside. He had tried his best to not mess things up.

"I know." She murmured, he put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll call you, okay?" He wanted to leave as soon as possible, she knew.

"You have to tell me everything, yeah? I'm really freaked out."

Illyas knew he would have to. He didn't have another choice. At the same time, he felt protective. He didn't want Haya to be at the receiving end of drama.

"I'll pick up your every call from now. If you ever feel uncomfortable or troubled, call me." He instructed, Haya let out a sigh as he continued.

"If anyone gives you shit for what Suhoor and I did, come back home."

He further said. The thought of going to Buredaan had not even once crossed her mind. She had to stay with Amir, she had to fix this. She had to even defend Suhoor because she felt like it, all the girl had ever done was date a man. It was nothing.

"I'll be fine." She shrugged him off, but he could easily see the worry in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Haya. I didn't think it would happen this way. I even broke it off with her." He explained, she let out a soft chuckle.

"This is the only time I've ever heard you apologise." She remarked, Illyas shrugged.

"Yeah, don't get used to it." She nodded.

"Will you tell Dad about what happened?"

He couldn't. His father would probably tell him to fuck off after hearing about it all. He wouldn't call him out for having an affair but he would definitely kill him for hurting Haya's relationship and being involved with Amir's sister. It wasn't an ideal situation. He was fucked.

"No, I'll talk to Yusuf though." He responded.

"Okay."

"She's inside. Do you want to talk to her?"

Haya didn't even know why she had asked him that. Amir would probably have a breakdown if he so much as saw Suhoor near Illyas.

"No, I've said what needed to be said."

He replied, not really looking like he was desperate to meet with Suhoor.

"Take care of yourself," he said to his sister, embracing her with a smile.

Haya leaned into the hug, feeling the comfort of home.

"Haya?"

"Hmm?"

She pulled away from the hug and looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Please be there for her. I don't want her to feel alone."

Haya could have cursed him and told him she wasn't Suhoor's baby sitter but something about Illyas' words, something about his vulnerability caused her to nod.

----

Thoughts?