ishq lost & found

39; Warning

For a while Saad had been feeling like an imposter. Like he stole his brothers place in life, thinking it should have been Salman in his place, and that maybe if it were, Ranya would be happy.

That was his mistake, and seeing how broken she was, it was clear he did the right thing. It had been some time, the two of them standing interlocked before Saad finally pulled back a bit, disappointing Ranya. She had been upset with him, and in the back of her mind she hadn't forgotten what he did to her, but being in his embrace was calming nonetheless.

"I'm going to go deal with him, do you wanna wait with Dua?" Saad asked softly, pulling back even more so he could get a good look at Ranya.

Tears staining her face, and his shirt, she nodded, suddenly feeling empty and bare outside of his embrace, his warmth leaving her. He gave her a small smile as she nodded, telling her, "I'll be back, just- don't come down til I call for you, okay?" He instructed, taking her to Dua's room before quickly relaying what was going on.

"What!?" Dua nearly shouted, angry when she saw Ranya who had clearly cried, "What is he doing here?"

"I don't know, I'll talk to him." Saad seethed, telling her through gritted teeth, "You want him gone, right?"

Nodding, Dua took Ranya in, comforting her best friend as best she could as Saad jogged down the stairs, a storm of emotions swirling through him, each sharper than the last. He'd imagined this moment for the past few weeks, it haunted him, it was something he honestly dreaded. He didn't know how it would go, he figured he'd be on the receiving end of Salman's anger but nothing had prepared him for the raw, simmering rage that was building in chest.

His brothers betrayal towards him had been easy to bury, he had bigger problems in life. He hadn't felt anger towards Salman for being interested in Ranya, after all, who wouldn't be. He couldn't be angry at him if Ranya liked him back either. But, Saad simply couldn't wrap his mind around leaving Ranya the way Salman had. If it had been him in Salmans place, he would have died before giving her up. And that's what he thought the moment they got married, as confused and unsure as he was about everything else, he knew he would never give her up.

Saad had convinced himself to be the bigger person, figuring he'd have a better plan on confronting Salman, going about their conflict in a mature and perhaps forgiving way. He had always been that way, a bit older in his character than his age. When they were younger, sure, he'd get mad at Salman all the time. But he'd always been able to control it, expressing it in a healthy way. But now, seeing Ranya's tears, her broken expression, and her vulnerability, suddenly he didn't care about being kind to Salman.

Standing in the foyer, noticing a crowd by the door and the distant, faint sound of his father's boisterous voice, Saad weaved through the guests standing shoulder to shoulder from their foyer to the front porch. As he got closer, he saw the figure of his father, Salman, and his mother. His father was obviously laying into Salman, giving him a piece of his mind, his shouting making it all the way inside the house.

The mere sight of Salman, who was so obviously confident that his family would welcome him with open arms, angered him in ways he couldn't describe. The way Salman stood, shoulders raised with pride as if he had nothing to be ashamed of. From a distance it even seemed as though he was smirking, his father's harsh words having no effect on him. Salman was always like that, shameless and careless. He could get reprimanded for something obviously wrong, smile his way through his punishment, and then do it again.

It was an image that stoked the anger in Saad to a boiling point, so intense it made his jaw clench, his teeth grinding as he fought to hold it all in. His hands curled into fists at his sides, his knuckles white with the force of his grip, his body practically vibrating.

Marching towards Salman, Saad felt a fire in him he didn't know he possessed. Each step forward felt like crossing a line he could never uncross, but he couldn't care less. He wanted Salman to feel every ounce of anger, disappointment, shame he didn't seem to have, and distress. It was evident their father's words had no effect on him, but Saad knew where it would hurt. He wanted him to understand that the man standing before him was no longer his forgiving brother, but instead someone ready to protect his wife, and his family, even if it meant severing ties.

Reaching Salman, Saad placed a supporting hand on the shoulder of his father, signalling that it was his turn. He didn't bother with formalities, unable to care for the consequences that may follow. Looking his brother dead in the eyes, voice colder than ice, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Salman's face flickered with something he recognized all too well- a brief glint of fear, quickly masked by a cocky, arrogant, and indifferent expression. To anyone else, Salman may have looked unbothered, but Saad saw right through it. 

"I can't be here to support my sister?" Salman asked, unable to properly meet Saad's gaze, his eyes shifting between Saad and his parents who stood behind him. There was an edge of discomfort in his posture, his jaw grinding like he used to when he was stressed. Saad was surprised he wasn't able to keep up with his facade, but his casualness about the whole thing was making his blood boil. 

"Bullshit." Saad narrowed his eyes, taking a step closer, looking down at his younger brother as he whispered, his voice low, "Drop the act." 

Shifting slightly, audibly swallowing what must've been more audacity and likely fear, Salman looked down, letting out a smug, light laugh, turning to his parents, "You're all really going to pick her over me? You're okay with what those two are doing together?" Salman exclaimed, his charade slipping, his voice getting all high, squeaky, and whiny. 

Receiving no response from his parents, although it was clear by his mother's face that she was beginning to miss her son, Saad stepped slightly to the side, once again in Salman's field of vision. His voice dropping dangerously low, every word sharp and deliberate, like a barely contained threat, Saad warned, "I don't care what you want, just stay the hell away from my wife."  

His heart feeling as though it was lodged in his throat, Salman backed up somewhat, gulping at his brothers words. They didn't fight all that much growing up, and there weren't many times where Saad lost him temper with him. But this? This was a side of Saad Salman had never seen, and now that he had, to be honest he was a little scared. 

He had showed up with the intention of making somewhat of a comeback, not moving back entirely, but making his presence known. From what Sana had been telling him, it sounded like there was trouble in paradise, but from what he could tell there was nothing of the sort. He wanted to ruffle some feathers, make Ranya miss him, and see what he could do. He had been fully convinced that his older brothers annoying sense of morality would have helped him, but it seemed he wasn't the only one that had changed. 

His confusion and fear also mingled with anger, surprised his own family could treat him this way. That too, in front of others. He figured that even if they were still upset, that they'd welcome him in and deal with him later. But instead, they threw him out? He didn't know what it was that he was going to do, but he would have to do something. 

Face beginning to burn, seething at the idea that his entire family picked Saad and Ranya over him, he nodded, knowing his emotional blackmailing would work pretty fast on his mom, "Fine. I'll leave. But when I die, that's when you'll wish this hadn't happened." Giving his mother a look of sadness, the same way he'd look at her as a kid to get whatever he wanted. 

Of course Saad was going to defend Ranya, call her his wife and act like they love each other. But his mom would probably be a better insider than Sana ever could, and he was going to milk that source. 

guys lowkey I hate this chapter but its a filler there's gonna be better ones so if this isn't that good 😭 I'm sorry