Hey guys, so sorry to have been gone for so long! Alhamdullilah all is well in my life, work has been so hectic but it's what I always dreamt of doing so I'm like super happy!

Very excited to be posting something after a long time.

I hope you remember how the last few chapters played out!

Illyas and suhoor got married, Illyas called Haya to their room in the morning after the wedding night andhaya has been trying to get pregnant since ages now, that's pretty much it!

Next chapter will be all amir and Haya as I try to end this story, I'll also be posting agar tum saath ho within this week! Need to finish that too.

Hope you all have been good too? Sorry for going all MIA!

hope some of you are still here haha 💖

Haya.

"Can you help her? I don't want anyone else to know." Illyas stated, seeing his own sister with eyes wide and shock evident on her face.

Haya really could not believe that Suhoor had lied. Despite saying it a million of times that her sister-in-law might be lying, catching her red-handed in such a position was absolutely shocking to her. How could two people living in the same house, growing up with the same values be so different?

How could Amir be such an honest man with religious beliefs while his own sister stood there as a liar?

How could everyone fight so much for the sake of Suhoor's so called honor when it hadn't even been broken?

How could Illyas not say the truth? Why did he not tell them out loud? Why did he let himself become the villain?

"Haya, snap out of it!" Illyas exclaimed, exasperated at Haya's reaction.

The Princess took a breath, staring at her brother and slowly averting her eyes towards her brother's wife, a wife that had been enforced on him.

Illyas was the most free spirited man she knew, and he had been caged in the worst possible way.

"You lied, Suhoor." Haya stated slowly, continuing when Suhoor only had tears coming out of her eyes and a face that twitched with both pain and embarrassment.

"You lied about it all, my brother got trapped for no reason. You lied!" Haya's voice got a little loud, and if they were being honest, she looked like she was ready to rush towards Suhoor. The last thing Illyas wanted was Haya to lash out at Suhoor at such a given time.

He stood in front of his sister, shaking his head at her.

"Illyas, why didn't you say it? Why didn't you say that she was lying?" She asked him instead, anger evident on her face..

"It does not matter now, Haya. Suhoor is my wife and I am your brother. Do me this favour." He responded, voice monotonous but his eyes pleaded for help.

"But Illyas, why didn't you say? Why didn't you scream the truth? I had a feeling you hadn't done it but mother said you would scream out loud every day if you hadn't, why didn't you?" She asked again, and Illyas only held her shoulder gently, saying it again.

"Haya, please." He requested, making it known to his sister that he wouldn't stand and let her ask Suhoor or him a billion questions.

It was all pointless. She was married to him now and he was her guardian, her husband. There was no other way to counter the situation.

"Please, Haya. Help me, help her."

He requested, staring at his sister.

He couldn't afford anyone knowing about this, which is why he had only called his sister. He could have called the servants but he didn't think anyone would be able to comfort Suhoor right now.

"Okay," Haya let out a soft nod, ushering her along.

"Come with me." She murmured, taking Suhoor to the washroom and closing the door behind.

Haya took another deep breath against the door, as she leaned against it.

"You know, it's taking every bit of control I have inside me to not say anything." She uttered, seeing how Suhoor looked like she wanted to say so much, tell her everything or even defend her actions.

As if she hadn't said enough already.

"Haya-" Haya glared at her.

"Khalas, Suhoor. Don't say a word." She told her, using the language that Suhoor understood the best.

"And Illyas telling me to not say anything doesn't do shit, he's my brother..I'm supposed to protect him and go against his word for his sake," she started off, seeing the night dress that was crumpled on Suhoor's body and the tear stains on her cheeks.

"If it were up to me, I would take you out in this very condition and tell everyone what a liar you are." She threatened, as Suhoor only stared at Haya.

Sometimes, Haya spoke in such a cruel manner that it was hard to understand why Amir was even in love with her. She was exactly the opposite of her loving, kind and caring brother.

In Suhoor's eyes, Haya had truly won the lottery. She was married to someone incredible who loved her every single day.

Even when she didn't deserve it.

What had she done to get her brother wrapped around her little finger?

Was it the seductive pout that she always wore on her lips? Or was it the thick long eyelashes?

They weren't even real!

"But fuck you for who you are." Haya cursed out loud, Suhoor only flinched at Haya's outburst.

She could say so much, but she was in such a vulnerable position as a person, she was so pathetic right now that Haya was the only one who could help her.

She knew Haya had so many reasons to dislike her, but Suhoor hoped that she could atleast stand with her, just the way she had stood for her before.

"you're Amir's sister." Suhoor heard Haya complete her sentence.

She looked like she was fighting a battle within herself.

"He cares about you, he loves you, he worries for you." Haya added, thinking about how her man would feel in all of this.

"If I do this, you will fall in his eyes and I cannot imagine hurting him like that." She ranted on and on, and Suhoor heard.

"I promised him that I wouldn't lie to him but how can I tell him something that would rip him to shreds? Something that would rip his dignity to nothing?"

This made Suhoor think of her oldest brother, of her father, of her mother who had finally started talking to her, her brother Akbar and Waleed, who had been happy at the marriage, who had forgiven her at last, of Adil, who had given up his friendship with Illyas because of her, but apart from everyone and everything, she thought of Amir the most. He was the only one who had treated Suhoor in the most humane way possible.

Her brother would be shattered after this, he would never be able to meet her eye. Hell, he wouldn't even be able to forgive her. No one would understand.

No one would understand that this was all about her own ego, her desperation, her love, about her own fight with someone who had challenged her. She had won, but at what cost?

"Whatever we talk about right now, it will not leave this room. Tell me everything," Haya said to her, waiting on Suhoor.

When Suhoor did not answer Haya, trapped in her own thoughts and her own trauma, Haya managed to shake her by the arm.

"Speak now, or have you gone deaf?" She questioned, as Suhoor stated at her with tearful eyes.

"Haya." She sniffed, as she felt like she was about to burst out crying again.

"Haya, I-" She looked panicked, afraid and heartbroken.

It stirred something within Haya.

She was an eighteen year old girl, she just made a mistake. Was it so hard to forgive her?

No, she ruined Illyas' life. She embarrassed him. She made him give up on a relationship that probably existed and made him happy.

"I don't know where to start," Suhoor murmured, her body starting to shake.

"Can you just, please?" She didn't know what she was asking of Haya, but Haya moved close to her with a tired sigh and a face filled with empathy.

"Please." She whispered again, Haya let out a slow nod.

"Come here."

So Haya held the woman she was supposed to hate, she let Suhoor cry in her arms for as long as she possibly could, feeling her own heart clench as she heard her saddened cries.

She didn't do it for her own heart that had softened with Suhoor's gaze, she didn't do it because Illyas wanted her to take care of Suhoor.

She only did it for Amir, for his sake and his sake only.

Suhoor cried, like she had lost everything and Illyas' eyes were the most blank Haya had ever seen.

What had these two gotten themselves into? How would this marriage ever work?

It would have been so easy for her to expose the girl. It would have been so easy to simply tell everyone that her brother was innocent and he had not touched the girl who claimed to have lost her virginity to him. It would have been so easy to save the reputation of her dearest brother and also show everyone what a liar her sister in law truly was, but for some reason every time she thought of doing so, certain dimples and those loving eyes crossed her mind.

She could do this to Suhoor. She could do this to his family and even her own family but she could not do this to Amir.

She did not have the heart to tell him that all of this was based on a simple lie. she did not have the heart to tell him that his sister was the main culprit and a liar and her brother was actually innocent.

At the same time she felt so betrayed and so upset especially when it came to her brother because he had never explicitly said that he did not sleep with her.

Although, his eyes always held this emotion that he was being wronged and out of all the people she should have trusted him a one hundred percent.

Everyone believed that he had lived up to his reputation but no one thought that he had the Royal blood of Buredaan within his veins, no matter what his reputation was, the Royal blood was still running through his veins and they should have believed him.

Besides, now even if she did expose her sister in law it would not really cater to anything because the marriage had already taken place and had been consummated as well.

There would be no point. She would only be hurting the people she loved for nothing.

She decided to hold the secret within her heart And not tell it to anybody even if she wanted to.

She knew she would be hiding something from Amir one more time, but by God, this time it was only for the sake of him and his family.

She really wanted to at least tell her best friend to share the burden with someone but just like it was hard for her to keep secrets from her man, she was sure it was the same for her best friend.

After leaving her brothers room, she went back downstairs and pretended that she hadn't seen or heard anything. She would let God decide the fate of Illyas and Suhoor. She wouldn't get in the middle of it for once.

Despite feeling better and angered, she managed to talk to everyone in a respectful manner.

She spent a couple of minutes with her mother-in-law and had a good conversation with her. She even managed to speak without an eye roll to her other mother-in-law.

She said salam to the King and asked him about his health, she passed a smile to her own father and went onto sit with Shahid, who managed to tell her the captivating story that he had just learned about a poet who had recently died.

Shahid even told her that he was considering getting married before reaching his thirties and even wanted to open a few art related schools in the whole country under his name. If he couldn't become a proper artist due to his blood, he wanted to see other people live his dream.

When she sat next to Aaliyah after getting changed, she kept on staring at her friend's protruding belly, hoping that it would be a niece that she could spoil.

She tried to forget about all of the things that had happened earlier in the day, things that involved lies like no other.

"You look troubled, Haya. Is everything fine?"

It was Yusuf, her oldest brother who had just came and sat by her side, questioning his sister who looked zoned out.

"Yes, just a little uncomfortable in this clothing. As beautiful as it is, it's hard to carry such clothing." She replied, telling him half the truth.

It was not the heaviness of the clothing but the heaviness of her heart, that kept on making her feel like she would throw up any second now.

Yusuf only nodded, as everyone in the family started to walk outside to greet the guests, only leaving King Abdullah and King Najaf, along with Yusuf and Amir.

Amir, who had just arrived after his short meeting with the King, Amir who had been staring at his wife through the corner of his life eye,  sheepishly without looking at her, Amir who Haya hadn't even noticed because of her own worry.

"Yallah, Haya." The Prince called out.

It was only when the Crown Prince ushered Haya to go along with his mother and sisters that she managed to see him, nodding as she walked out with a deep breath.

Even if the Prince noticed her worry, he did not say anything. He was far too busy to even speak properly with Haya right now.

"Haya, you have been awfully quiet the entire evening. Nothing to say?"

Queen Azeezah enquired and everyone drew their attention towards Haya, who was behaving too much like an obedient Maraaishi daughter in law and Buredaan's daughter at the same time.

It was unnerving.

"I'm just tired, a little queasy infact." Haya responded, swallowing as her eyes moved towards Illyas who was in conversation with Alexandro and Rumi.

Meanwhile, Suhoor was surrounded by her sister in laws. Both of them looked like a million bucks from far away, even happy to the outside world but Haya knew the turmoil now. She almost wished that she didn't.

"Are you alright? Would you like a doctor?"

"No, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you."

She nodded towards her mother in law, working her way to Aaliyah who was talking to a few of the foreign ambassadors in Buredaan.

"Aaliyah, I need to tell you something."

She mumbled in hurry, holding her arm.

"Okay?"

Aaliyah excused herself from the previous conversation, fanning herself as she felt so awful that she didn't know what else to do.

She never wanted Aaliyah to know because she would be in the same turmoil, but how could she extinguish  the fire that existed within her?

"You look really pale. Are you okay?"

"there is something bothering me and I promised myself that I would not tell a single soul but the entire night I have been feeling so awful and I have to tell you."

She told her best friend, who frowned at Haya and gave her a worried yet encouraging look, motioning her to go on.

"Whatever it is, tell me. It's okay," Aaliyah became a little panicked herself, feeling like maybe this had something to do with Yusuf or her own self.

There was so much that Haya didn't know.

"but you are pregnant and I don't want to stress you out and this has nothing to do with you so don't worry but-" She tried to put her best friend at ease, knowing that her own family would strangle her if she puts Aaliyah through even a bit of stress.

"Okay."

"Okay so you know how everyone thought that Illyas slept with Suhoor and his reputation is so bad and all that?" She whisper yelled, Aaliyah hummed.

"Yeah?"

"I just found out that he did not sleep with her, she was a virgin through and through. She literally lost her virginity last night."

Aaliyah let out an unbelievable chuckle, shaking her head because she and her husband had argued over this, and he had been right all along.

"What is with the smile?" Haya questioned in exasperation.

"I knew it." Aaliyah murmured, Haya only agreed and spoke more.

"Yeah I mean, I kept on telling people that I didn't think he did it but then everyone thought he did so I thought the same. It's so frustrating," she explained, feeling like she should have put more effort into breaking this marriage up.

She was Haya.

She could conquer the world if she set her mind to it.

"No, Haya. I mean that I knew he did not sleep with her. No matter how much Yusuf curses Illyas and gets mad at him, they are brothers. They have a special Bond."

The Buredaani Princess frowned, as she heard Aaliyah elaborate further.

"Yusuf knew around two days ago that Illyas did not do it, he just didn't say anything because Suhoor's reputation would be at stake. When Illyas confirmed it all, Yusuf made me promise that I wouldn't tell anyone, especially not you."

She pointed out, Haya let out a soft gasp.

"They're brothers, Haya. Like we are sisters, they understand each other way better but they never say anything. He was in pain because of Illyas, they even argued but yeah, now you know."

Honestly, Haya felt strange.

Did they not tell her because she would try to do something to fuck the wedding up or because she was a part of Maraaish now?

"I can't believe he didn't tell me. I tell them everything," She growled in frustration.

Aaliyah shook her head.

"No, you don't. You didn't tell Yusuf how you actually felt about my pregnancy, did you? I can read you but he still struggles."

Even though her best friend only gave an example, Haya felt the need to explain her side.

"I was always happy for you but I was just sad for myself, I think he kind of understood that well." She said, Aaliyah squeezed Haya's hand in a soft grip.

"Anyway, I just think that we should let them be. They will figure it out eventually." She advised, not willing to get into trouble for the sake of something that was now permanent.

"I know and I want to and I will not say anything to anybody else but, I kept on feeling like I would throw up if I didn't tell anyone about this."

Haya whined, pinching the space between her eyes.

"Do you still feel that way?"

"Yes, I feel awful. My head hurts, I feel like something here is blocked and I am queasy," she pointed towards her heart and head.

Aaliyah felt a ray of hope growing within her as she heard Haya complain.

"Haya, can I say something without you blowing it out of proportion?" She slowly started off, Haya frowned.

"What?"

"Did you get your period this month?"

The question put Haya off guard but she put on a brave face and shrugged her sister in law off.

"Look, let's not start okay. I don't want to expect something and then not have it happen so I have stopped obsessing over it and I don't want to even think about it now." She continued, just so Aaliyah wouldn't start with her logics.

"I haven't had my period in the past ten days but it has happened before too and I know for a fact that I'm not pregnant, if it didn't happen all these months of trying, it won't happen now when Amir and I are so busy,"

"Okay. Let's not talk to him, let's not see a doctor, let's just have you pee on a stick and we will see how it goes."

"No, Aaliyah. I don't want to feel hurt again. Please."

"Haya, come on. One try, okay? We will sneak out of here and be back in no time, I promise."

"Please, come on."

"No, Aaliyah. I don't want to. Now can we just head back? I'm done with this conversation."

No one could really decipher what had happened. She had been absolutely fine a little reserved, which was so unlike her usual self, but still As glamorous as she could be, and as welcoming towards the guest as she could be, the last people had seen off her was her conversing with the younger Jordanian princess, as she tried to console her and told her to take solace in her brother’s presence because he would always be there for her.

Then she drank a glass of orange juice because she had been feeling a little woozy. She figured it was because of all the stress that she had built within herself. Haya was not good at keeping things in her heart. She always managed to burst everything out, and for the first time, she was keeping something that she really didn’t want to keep for the sake of the people she loved.

Except for Aaliyah, no one knew and no one could actually even know.

Actually, she was only doing it for one person, and that person was the man she was supposed to love forever.

When it was time to bid the guests goodbye, including the family that she had been married in, the bloody Maraaishis that she always mocked and yet a part of her was slowly starting to love and respect them, despite their million wrong doings, Haya was nowhere to be found.

Amir, who himself would be leaving the same night without his wife, asked for Haya twice but she was not in the main hall or even in the Royal gardens. The family figured that both the best friends were together, since Aaliyah was also not around.

Finally, Prince Yusuf himself volunteered to go, check on his wife, and find his sister at the same time. He figured that his wife might not be feeling too well which is why Haya wasn’t around either. He could have sent a thousand servants but a part of him nagged that something wasn’t right.

The sight that greeted him when he entered his bedroom was extremely weird. It was the two best friends hugging in a very awkward position since Aaliyah’s belly was in the way. She was crying, holding onto Haya for dear life where as his sister was still trying her best to breathe.

“Everyone is looking for you two, and here you are laughing and crying at the same time?” Prince Yusuf said as he entered, seeing that Aaliyah was actually okay and was probably experiencing some hormonal drama. She had been quite dramatic lately, at times reminding him of his sister.

Yusuf hated dramatic women. The last thing he needed was another Haya in his life but he knew that Aaliyah was just going through a phase.

“Aaliyah, I understand what you are going through but I have a reputation and my wife not being around and me trying to find her is not a good look on me.”

He scolded, a little frustrated. Lately, actually not lately, but ever since the beginning of their marriage., Yusuf has been like this. He was an extremely good brother., and incredible human being, a responsible son, but he was still working on being a good husband. There were good days and then the bad days made them forget the good days.

Aaliyah only wiped her tears and looked at Yusuf, not even paying attention to what he had just said.

“ if you find out what I just found out, you are going to act the same way.”

He replied, and Yusuf still saw a dumbfounded Haya in front of the both of them.

“What’s wrong with Haya now?” He mumbled, staring at his sister, exasperated. Drama? Again? Were they in some soap opera?

“Haya, I swear I don’t want any drama. Hamdullilah, Illyas got married and your husband looks happy. Don’t ruin it.”

Prince Yusuf said, thinking that maybe his sister just found out that nothing had actually transpired between Illyas and Suhoor. She would wreak havoc if she did.

“No, Yusuf. Okay wait, earth to Haya. Can you hear me?” Aaliyah snapped her fingers in front of Haya, who bit her lip, the shy and shocked smile leaving her face.

She didn’t know how to control her emotions, and how to feel because just when she had stopped thinking about it , it had happened.

Amir had been right all along.

She needed to stop obsessing over things.

“ it’s real, right?” Haya murmured, a grin escaping her mouth.

“Yes, it is! Haya!” Aaliyah engulfed her into a hug again, rubbing her back twice and not caring that she hadn’t even washed her hands after checking two different sticks with the same results.

“Can someone tell me what’s going on? I would like to be happy as well.” Yusuf already got the idea by seeing his sister like that, but he still wanted to hear it from her.

A part of him felt relieved, and the guilt within him instantly faded. The guilt that shouldn’t have even existed in the first place.

“Did the guests leave?” Haya asked instead, her face gleaming with happiness.

"The Maraaishis are still there, Amir and I already bid our goodbyes to the others and then I came searching for you two.”  Prince Yusuf informed.

“Yallah, let’s go downstairs.” Haya murmured instead, using the Maraaishi accent that she had slowly been getting accustomed to.

Her dialect had even changed a little bit but no one dared to tell her otherwise, not even Amir.

He knew how much she adored Buredaan so he was almost scared to tell her that she had slowly started to use Maraaishi words here and there, even when she was speaking fluent English.

She had even been using Maraaishi dialect in Arabic, not the old one of course because she could still not understand it but the newer one.

Her tongue rolled some words like Maraaishis, her mannerisms sometimes resembled the women of Maraaish. Recently, she had been clicking her tongue the way some of the women in Amir’s family did. It was all quite amusing.

She was becoming a bloody Maraaishi slowly, without even realising it.

Haya did not even wait for her brother and sister in law to tag along and rushed outside their Chambers, trying to find a way downstairs. She was careful in hopping down the stairs, but she just felt so warm and excited, she needed to tell Amir.

But before even Amir, her man, love of her life. The most precious soul to her in the world, she knew she had to tell her dad.

She needed to tell her father that his Haya, that his little Princess was finally a grown up.

“Baba!”

It was the first time in a very long time that Haya had called her father with this name. It had been dad for the longest period of time.

It had been dad since Buredaan became westernised and evolved. It had been since their mother wanted to be called mom or mummy.

Haya didn’t even know where it came from, she didn’t know why the words spilled out of her mouth but to everyone’s shock, they did.

Amir frowned, seeing Haya rush down the stairs.

“Haya! Careful!”

The Prince exclaimed because one, he did not want her to trip on her dress and fall down the stairs and two, she had gained the attention of everyone present in the hall.

It was not just his immediate family that was still present, but also some of his close cousins. Haya looked like an angel descending down the stairs, if he was being honest, he didn’t want anyone to look at her right now.

Haya didn’t listen though, she only stopped when she reached King Najaf, breathless as she hugged him tight.

“Haya? What’s the matter, daughter?” King Najaf smiled as he saw the shine in his daughters eyes, as Yusuf and Aaliyah also came down the stairs chuckling as they saw Haya grabbing the King like that.

Their eyes averted to Amir’s family, who were only curiously gazing at Haya.

Queen Beyza herself was all smiles, confused as she looked at Illyas and Shahid, wondering the reason behind Haya’s happiness.

Amir was the only one who was seeing the exchange with his heart in his throat. He knew Haya could only be so incredibly happy about one thing for now. And it was the same thing he had been wishing of for a while too.

He recited verses in his mouth, trying to calm his own heart as he saw his wife’s happiness.

Courage, dear heart.

He mumbled to himself.

“It’s everything, father. Everything is perfect.” Haya mumbled, happy.

“Thanks to God, then.” King Najaf replied, pulling out of the hug to stare at Haya’s face.

“Do you want me to tell you why I’m so happy now?” She asked still, but when did she need to tell her dad why she was feeling a certain way?

Just like always, King Najaf knew.

“No, my dear. I know.”

The King did not care that everyone witnessed the exchange with his daughter, as he spoke to her loud and proud.

“ when you were born, it was the biggest blessing that God bestowed upon me, my heart changed and my life did as well. Now yours will too,” he softly said, staring at Amir and then looking at Haya again.

“Go. Tell the Crown Prince he’s about to get the biggest responsibility of his life.” He said to his daughter, turning her towards Amir.

Haya walked towards Amir, swallowing as she finally realised how it would feel to tell him.

All the nights that she had cried in his arms, all the mental breakdowns and the loss and grief, all the drama that she had perhaps done sometimes, it was all worth it. Finally.

Haya gulped again, putting her hand on Amir’s chest,

“Amir.” She whispered tenderly, but the Prince shook his head.

“Amir, listen.” She said again, the Prince swallowed and inhaled a deep breath looking at her.

He didn’t really know what he was supposed to do or what he was supposed to say. All the prayers, all the silent pleads to God, all the guilt, all the stress and even hope, every feeling finally had a meaning.

He couldn’t do it in front of people, he wasn’t a carefree bird like his wife. He couldn’t show his vulnerability and insecurities in front of people.

He could only be vulnerable in front of God and two people. His mother and now, his wife too.

“Not here, Haya.” Amir breathed out, continuing as he held her hand and dragged her towards one of the living rooms.

Haya could only hear gasps of happiness and the constant mabrook as King Najaf told them the good news.

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I'm gonna try my best to finish my stories, inshallah