Unexpected Promises

Chapter 64

Saad's pov: 

"You aren't going anywhere Saad Ibrahim!" As soon as we entered our home and reached the hall, mama stopped me, her voice thundering with a warning, daring me to go against her. Sighing, I stopped at my place, already feeling tired. 

"Let him go, Maria. You can question him all you want later." Baba interrupted, looking at me with sympathy.  

"I'm not speaking to you Faisal." Giving baba a sharp glare, she replied. And it was one of the rare times when she actually took his name, which indicated that she was really very angry. 

"Mama, wh-" 

"Nor am I talking to you Maaz Ibrahim." Mama interrupted once again when bhai tried to intervene, turning her sharp glare towards him. She had, undoubtedly, taken our full name, which, once again, indicated that she was fuming and wouldn't listen to anyone. "Would you like to interrupt me too, like them, Zara?" Glancing at her, I saw her turning her sharp glare at bhabi now, daring her to go ahead and say if she wanted to say anything. By the look on her face, I knew bhabi wanted to interrupt, but quietly shaking her head, she looked down, making mama add in satisfaction. "No? Better. But I do have questions for you all too." 

"Can't you see how tired he looks? Just let him rest, at least for today." Holding mama's arm to calm her down, baba tried to intervene once again, a worried look taking over his features. 

"Does it look like I care? So much has been going on behind my back and you expect me to just let it go? I have questions and I want them answered, now!" Shrugging her arm out of his hold, mama snapped angrily. 

"Maria. Try to understand-" 

"You try to understand! I can't just sit back and watch stuff unfolding in front of me! And you know what? It looked like I was the only clueless clown who didn't know what was going on there while you all knew about it all the time! You know how confusing, how embarrassing, how disrespecting it felt?!" Narrowing her eyes at baba furiously, she interrupted once again while showing him a finger, her voice rising an octave as she turned to glare at me before adding. "Saalo ki mehnat se jo reputation banai thi, wo ek jhatke me mitti me mila di tumne Saad, ek jhatke me! Do you even realise what you just did? And what were you saying there? That she is your wife? And that they are your in-laws? Tell me Saad, ANSWER ME!" 

(The reputation which we built from years of hard work, you ruined it in just a moment Saad, in just a moment!) 

I was getting fed up with this growing drama. I hated it! And when mama brought her reputation in between before asking me again, I replied angrily, getting frustrated. Why would she doubt me? What was so hard to understand or accept in this? "YES MAMA! Yes! She is my wife and they are my in-laws! Do I need to repeat myself?" 

The sound of the slap resounded in the room before I could even anticipate something like that happening or feel the sting, and the gasps echoed around, making me close my eyes as tears stung my vision. It hurt my heart more than my cheeks! I- I didn't even remember the last time when mama raised her hand on me. And for what? Just because I was finally accepting the truth and confronting it? 

"Bhai-" 

"Don't. Don't you even dare repeat that in front of me again! Bhaad me jaye wife and in-laws! I don't accept her as my daughter in-law nor do I accept them as your in-laws! You get that?" Showing me a finger, she replied angrily. Now it angered me more, it just frustrated me more that she was talking about them like that. That she wasn't ready to accept her! "And Alayna, go to your room." When mama took Alayna's name, I realised that it was her who had whispered bhai and that she was still in the room. Glancing at her, I tried to blink my tears away. I couldn't be weak. I couldn't be weak in front of them, in front of Alayna. She- she might not take it the right way and start disliking mama, and I didn't want that.