"Don't touch me!" Lale's voice echoed through the thick walls of the mountain house. Her eyes were fixed on the man in front of her, her body trembling. Rüzgar Altun. Even his name sounded like a threat. "Don't come any closer, or I'll scream!"
Rüzgar raised a single eyebrow. "Who do you think will hear you here, sweetheart? Besides the wolves and bears?" he asked with a cold expression. His tone was like velvet but also icy. Lale's heart quickened with the tension of being near this man.
*This man... This man is nothing but trouble,* Lale thought to herself. They had said he was there to protect her. But from the very first moment, Lale knew that this man would be her greatest threat.
"Why are you here?" Lale asked, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "To protect me? Or..." She didn't finish her sentence. She was afraid to speak the truth.
Rüzgar slowly took a step towards Lale. Instinctively, Lale retreated. Her back hit the cold stone wall. There was nowhere to run. Rüzgar brought his face close to Lale's. His eyes locked with hers.
"Or what?" Rüzgar whispered. His breath brushed against Lale's face. Lale held her breath. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a bird. "Or to silence you?"
For a moment, Lale saw something in Rüzgar's eyes. Was it pain? Regret? Or was it just her imagination?
"Who... who are you?" Lale asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Rüzgar paused for a moment. Then, a bitter smile appeared on his lips. "I am your nightmare, Lale Yavuz. And you will never wake up from this nightmare."
Rüzgar stepped back. Lale took a deep breath. The air filling her lungs felt like a sign of life. Rüzgar walked to the middle of the room and leaned his back against the fireplace.
"You will stay here," Rüzgar said with an authoritative tone. "You will not go outside. You will not talk to anyone. And you will obey me."
*Obey? Is this man crazy?* Lale's inner voice roared with anger. But she didn't show anything on the outside. For now, she had to survive. Afterwards, she would find a way to get rid of this man.
"Why am I here?" Lale asked in a calmer tone. "Why are they protecting me? I'm just a doctor."
Rüzgar laughed mockingly. "Just a doctor, huh? I think you are much more than that, Lale Yavuz. You know very dangerous secrets."
Lale frowned. "What secrets are you talking about? I just... I just did my job."
"You interfered with the wrong people's business," Rüzgar said. "And now, you will pay the price."
Lale thought for a moment. What had happened to turn her life upside down like this? What had she done wrong? Then, she remembered that memory. That night. That operating room. That man's face.
*No... It can't be.* Lale's heart filled with fear. If Rüzgar knew her secret, then everything was over.
"Witness Protection Program," Lale said. "They will protect me."
Rüzgar laughed again. This time, his laughter was even more ruthless. "Witness Protection Program? They just brought you here, sweetheart. Now, you are mine."
Lale looked into Rüzgar's eyes. There was no sign of mercy in his eyes. Only darkness. A deep, bottomless darkness.
"What do you want?" Lale asked desperately.
Rüzgar took another step towards Lale. This time, Lale didn't back away. She didn't take her eyes off Rüzgar's.
"From you?" Rüzgar whispered. "Everything."
Rüzgar reached out his hand to Lale's face. Instinctively, Lale closed her eyes. But Rüzgar's hand didn't touch her.
"But first," Rüzgar said, leaning towards Lale's ear. "First, you will tell me the truth. What happened that night? Who was there? And most importantly... Where did you hide it?"
Lale opened her eyes in surprise. She didn't understand what Rüzgar was talking about.
"What did I hide?" Lale asked.
Rüzgar squeezed Lale's chin. "Don't play games, doctor. You know what I'm talking about. Now talk. Or the consequences will be very painful."
Lale pulled Rüzgar's hand off her chin. Angrily, she shouted, "I didn't hide anything!"
Rüzgar looked at Lale for a moment. Then, a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"Is that so?" Rüzgar asked. "Then, I'll have to remind you."
Rüzgar took something out of his pocket. Lale watched carefully to see what it was. With what she saw, her breath caught in her throat.
A photograph.
A photograph from that night.
A photograph of Lale in the operating room, standing over a man covered in blood.
And the man's face... A face Lale could never forget.
Her fiancé.
Rüzgar waved the photograph in front of Lale's face. "Do you remember now, doctor?" Rüzgar asked. "Or should I show you more?"
Lale's world had collapsed on her head. That night... Everything had changed that night. And now, the past had come to catch her. But there was one thing Rüzgar didn't know. Lale wasn't going to give up easily.
Rüzgar put the photograph back in his pocket. "Now talk," Rüzgar said. "Or I'll show this photograph to everyone. And I'll find an even worse place for you than where you're hiding."
Lale was silent for a moment. Then, she took a deep breath and looked into Rüzgar's eyes.
"Okay," Lale said. "I'll tell you. But first, you owe me something."
Rüzgar raised a single eyebrow. "What do I owe you?"
"You," Lale said, resolutely. "You will tell me who killed my fiancé that night."
A look of surprise appeared on Rüzgar's face for a moment. But then, his expression became cold and ruthless again.
"You don't want to have this information, doctor," Rüzgar said. "Believe me."
"No," Lale said. "I want to. And I won't tell you anything until I learn the truth."
Rüzgar looked at Lale for a moment. Then, he took a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay," Rüzgar said. "Deal. But don't forget, doctor. You may regret it when you learn the truth."
Rüzgar approached Lale. His face was very close to Lale's. Lale held her breath.
"I killed your fiancé," Rüzgar whispered.