ishq lost & found

35; Space

Running a hand through his hair, Saad threw his file to the side as he couldn't focus one bit. He was frustrated, not only because his constant thoughts of Ranya were impending his ability to do his job, but because so was his guilt. The second he told his receptionist not to let her in, a surge of disappointment shot through him. He was better than that. He couldn't believe he had just denied his wife something so simple after making such proclamations of how he would fulfill his duty as her husband. But he couldn't even give her a moment of his time, all because he thought he was doing something wrong to his brother.

Loyalty aside, he had to be honest with himself. As much as he owed his brother loyalty, he also owed his wife. He owed her a lot more but had been doing a lot less. Her words had not went through him, he knew what he was doing. He knew what she had asked for and what she wanted but for some stupid reason her felt like he would be wrong to give it to her. He told himself that she still had feelings for Salman, that she wanted a companion, not necessarily Saad, more than likely Salman. But that didn't mean he had the right to dismiss her kind gesture at all, especially not in front of others.

Forgetting whatever task it was he had been working on, Saad rushed to the front of his office, catching his receptionist by surprise.

"Where's Ranya?" He asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"She left. A while ago actually. But she left this for you anyway." She replied, wearing a look of confusion as she pushed the package of food towards him.

Ignoring the package, he rushed down the building, his heart beating rapidly in his chest as he hoped to catch her before she left, even for a brief moment just to say thank you. He should have talked to her in the first place, she was right outside his door but instead he told his receptionist to tell her no? Arriving at the ground floor, Saad jogged to the front, looking around hoping he could see her, but by the time he had gotten there, it was clear she had left.

Walking through the front door, Ranya had yet to fully register what she had just found out. Stepping into what had become somewhat of a home for her, it suddenly felt unfamiliar, foreign. Like she was stepping into something that wasn't real. Locking the door with a firm click, she did what she always does. Neatly put away her shoes, her coat, and figured she should get back to the work she had abandoned for the sake of her traitorous husband.

She hadn't cried. Not yet. She knew tears meant admitting to herself what had actually happened, and she wasn't ready for that. All she knew was that she just felt... hollow. Numb. Only on the surface though, but beneath that calm exterior there was something burning. The fact that her husband, the same one that always liked to parade around what their union means to him, the same one that talks about how he will fulfill all his responsibilities as her husband, the one that expressed and even displayed his disdain for Sana, would turn around and hand her Ranya's biggest shame and secret was starting to click.

Rubbing her forehead, a sudden headache manifesting with all the emotions she felt rushing through her, the realization made her stomach twist, a wave of nausea rising so fast she had to take a seat at the same chair she had been hopefully daydreaming about Saad on just hours ago. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, hoping to soothe her aching head. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, but all she could think about was her own stupidity.

How could I have been so stupid? The question echoed in her mind, laced with bitterness. She thought she knew him somewhat. Maybe not as well as she used to, but the idea that the same Saad, the one she had fallen for when they were younger, was the guy he is now just didn't make sense to her. Her chest ached, an unbearable tightness squeezing her heart, making it hard to breathe.

"How-" Ranya began, her farce of nonchalance dropping like her heart at the mention of Salman.

"Saad told me," Sana interrupted, taking her hand off her shoulder and giving her a smile, "But don't worry your secret is safe with me."