"What do you mean?" I asked in surprise. The others were looking at Aslan Bey as if they didn't understand, just like me. "You know, no matter how much we've fixed things for your sake, the person who killed my father and caused my mother's death is still living in that house." I couldn't say anything. Everything had fallen into place. The two families had made peace; Sarp and his father had brought my mother to me. From Aslan Bey's perspective, he was right. But it couldn't be like this. They couldn't separate me from the family I had just been reunited with. I suddenly stood up. This situation was getting on my nerves. "You're not thinking of separating me from my family, are you?" I said. Aslan Bey had fixed his eyes on mine and was just looking. When he remained silent, I had opened my mouth to speak, but Sarp took my hand and pulled me to sit next to him. As I sat, I turned and looked at his face. He was looking at me with a sweet smile. What was this now?
He put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. I looked at him in surprise. Was he siding with his father? When he turned his gaze from me to his father, he suddenly became serious. "I hope you're not thinking of making my wife pay for the events of your past? Solve your problems with whoever they are. I won't let you upset my wife's mood." "Wow, now you're defying your father too, you stubborn mule." "I'm serious, Dad. Don't bother my wife with these kinds of matters. I didn't marry Ceyda for your revenge." This time, Sarp's voice was harsh. "You hid Ceyda from me when you first found her. Tell me, since when have you been hiding things from me, Sarp?" Aslan Bey was starting to get angry too. "If I had told you, you would have used her for your revenge, wouldn't you?" Both were shouting now. I didn't want them to argue. "Enough...." Suddenly, Aylin Hanım's voice filled the living room. "What are you two fighting about? You're scaring Ceyda. The girl is already regretting coming to this house. Drop these topics. Besides, my son fell in love with Ceyda at first sight, Aslan. He couldn't bear to hurt her, so he hid her from you. What could be more natural than that?" Sarp stood up, making me stand up with him. Holding my hand, he said, "Good night to you all." ****** Our room was much larger than the bedroom Sarp had bought for us in Arnavutköy. It was nicely decorated, but this one was also in dark grey tones. Sarp was still tense while changing his clothes. I was sitting on the bed, watching him.
"You really like dark colors, I see. This room is very dark too," I said. As he put on his black t-shirt, he turned to me. "If you want, we can completely change the room, my beauty. Its paint, furniture, even its decor," he said, coming to me. "No, it's beautiful like this too; it reminds me of you. But I like light colors," I said. As he kissed my cheek, he pulled me close. "Let's renovate our room together with you," he said, looking into my eyes. ************ I woke up to Sarp talking quietly on the phone. He was talking with his back to me at our room's balcony door. Cold air was coming from outside. As I stretched, I eavesdropped on his conversation. "Don't lose sight of him; follow his every step and keep me informed. Prepare for tonight." He hung up. "Who were you talking to? Are you going somewhere tonight? You were supposed to take me to my family today?" I said. Turning to me, he smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, my beauty. Get up, have a nice breakfast, and then let's go out." I was very happy and said with a sweet smile, "Okay, I'll get ready right away, my husband," I said, getting out of bed. Then I examined his outfit.
"Are you coming like this?" "Yes, what's wrong with my clothes?" he said, looking at himself. He was wearing a black t-shirt and black pants again. "But, my love, it's the first time we're going to my family's house after getting married. Let's put in a little effort," I said. "Would it be bad if I came like this?" he said with a childlike sad expression. I laughed at his expression. I took his hand and pulled him with me. "Come with me," I said, entering the dressing room. As he changed, I looked at the bullet scar under his right shoulder. Every time I saw it, my heart ached. It reminded me of the day he was shot for me. The scar was healing, but the scene of thinking I had lost him wouldn't leave my mind. So he wouldn't notice I was upset, I smiled and helped him put on the clothes I had chosen. While Sarp wore a black suit with a white shirt, I wore white trousers and a white blouse with a white jacket. He looked very handsome. We left the room smiling and went down to the living room. Breakfast was ready. We all sat down and had our breakfast together. Aslan Bey hadn't brought up yesterday's topic at all. Aylin Hanım was, as always, sweet-tongued and smiling. Sibel was chirpy, always talking about something. After breakfast, we left the house and got into the car prepared for us. Another car with four guards followed us. I had called my mother before leaving to say we were coming. My mother was very happy. Thank God, her memory was intact now. I was very excited. I was going to see my mother. I was going to talk to her. This feeling was indescribable. During the past week, I had wanted to visit her, but my mother had said, "Spend this week getting used to your husband and your marriage, my beautiful girl. I'll be here from now on. We won't be separated again." "Where did you drift off to, my beauty?" said Sarp.
"I'm thinking about my mother," I said, looking at Sarp. "Enjoy today, my dear wife. Hug your mother tightly. Spend time with her. From now on, I'll bring you here often, whenever you want." "Thank you, you're so good. You scared me a lot at first. But all my fears were unfounded. I trust you now, Sarp," I said. "We talked about these things, my beauty. Don't think about the past anymore. My dear wife," he said, kissing my hand. On the way, Sarp had said if I wanted, we could stop by my mother Sevil first. Even though my mind was on my mother Melek, I felt like I had been unfair to my mother Sevil lately and had agreed. Since I started living with my new family and hadn't seen her every day, I felt guilty towards my mother Sevil. When we arrived at my mother Sevil's, I hugged her tightly and kissed her chubby cheeks. I had missed her so much. As she looked at me, she wiped her tear-filled eyes with the back of her hand. "Don't cry, Mom. Look, I'm fine, I'm happy. You can come see me whenever you want. I'll come often too, Mom," I said. With tear-filled eyes, she hugged me again. "Wife, leave my daughter to me for a bit," said my father Yusuf. Smiling, I wiped my flowing tears. I hugged my father Yusuf tightly. I had missed my dear family so much. Actually, I was very lucky. I now had three families. We spent a few hours together having a good time. They really liked Sarp. Sarp was even making jokes to win them over. My adorable husband was doing everything he could to make me happy. I say adorable because he looked so cute. When we arrived at my mother Melek's house, the large iron gate opened for us. When we entered the garden and got out of the car, I looked around. Men were patrolling the area again. I had missed my house in just a week. The four men who came with us waited in the garden while we approached the house. My mother opened the door for us. My mother... My birth mother, Melek, true to her name. When I looked into her smiling, tear-filled eyes, I started to cry. We hugged tightly. Hugging her, breathing inher scent, was completely different. My mother Sevil had never made me lack motherly affection, but I felt complete with my mother Melek. If I had the chance, I would never leave her embrace. When we went into the living room, I hugged my father, who was standing waiting for us, and kissed his cheeks. "Welcome, my beautiful daughter," he said, kissing my cheeks. "Good to be here, Dad," I said. Smiling, I kissed my grandfather and grandmother. Then I kissed and hugged my brother. Sarp had greeted everyone and kissed their hands. When it was my brother's turn, he reluctantly shook Sarp's outstretched hand. He also said, "My eyes are on you." I had missed Hatice abla and Kader too; I hugged them and we sat at the table prepared for us. Sarp was on one side of me and my mother on the other. While eating, my mother and I kept looking at each other and smiling. Occasionally, I couldn't resist hugging my mother. My grandfather looked at Sarp and said, "They blocked your car yesterday. Did you find out who they were and why they did such a thing, son?" Before Sarp could answer, my brother started muttering. "Who knows whose life this reckless bastard has ruined," he said, leaning forward on the table. He raised his hand and shook it towards Sarp. "Look, if anything happens to my sister because of you, I'll kill you," he said. "Atlas, don't be disrespectful. How can you speak without listening to what happened?" my father said, raising his voice. "Sarp is also part of our family now. Your sister's husband. Be careful with your words when speaking to him." When I looked at Sarp, he was looking at my brother with an expressionless face, as if he didn't care.
"Son, tell us about this incident. What happened? Who were they? What did they want from you?" said my grandmother. Sarp smiled and answered my grandmother. "Unimportant people, Grandma. I've handled this matter. A friend we ran a gallery business with got upset because I didn't invite him to the wedding and decided to play this kind of joke on me." What he said didn't seem logical to me at all. If it was such an unimportant situation, why had he gotten so angry when Sibel and I went out for a drive? I looked at everyone one by one; except for my grandmother and mother, no one seemed to believe it. My brother was frowning at Sarp. Still, the topic was closed. They didn't ask any more questions about it. After the meal, while we women were sitting in the living room, the men had gone out to the garden. They had told Kader to bring their coffee to the garden. As they were leaving, my brother had said to Sarp, "Come on, let's talk about the details of this incident." So that's why they were drinking coffee in the garden in this cold weather. They were going to pressure Sarp. My mother and I had become like conjoined twins. I didn't want to be separated. "Mom," I said, looking at her beautiful face. "I don't want to ask because you might get upset, but I'm very curious about what you went through for twenty years, what condition you were in." Sadness fell over her eyes again; I was very afraid she might get sick. I already regretted asking as soon as I did. But with difficulty, she began to tell. "I was seven months pregnant with you. Suddenly, I had a pain in my stomach. I felt nauseous. Your father panicked and admitted me to a private hospital," she said. Then she started smiling. "I was twenty-two years old at the time, just like you are now, my child. You're like my copy, you know?" "Yes, Mom, everyone says that. I also have your photos," I said with a bittersweet smile. "We still look very much alike."
"Your father was young and handsome back then. He was thirty. A male doctor took care of me. First, they pumped my stomach. I was in a lot of pain. Terrible pain in my stomach. The doctor said they needed to deliver the baby by C-section. They didn't let your father in. I was awake during the C-section; there were two other people by my head. You were born, and they brought you close to me, saying, 'You have a daughter.' You were crying; I kissed you. Then I fell asleep or fainted; I don't know." Her breathing started to quicken. From excitement, she was repeating her words. "Okay, Mom, you can continue later; don't tire yourself," I said, holding her hands and kissing them. "No, I want to continue," she said. "When I opened my eyes, you were next to me. In a crib. Zerrin was by my head. She was smiling mockingly. She said to the doctor next to her, 'Yes, Tolga Günay, now the final move is yours.' I was very scared. It was clear they were going to do something to me. But I was most scared for you. I couldn't scream. I couldn't scream." "Mom, please rest now." "Yes, my daughter, you'll get sick again. Please, you can continue when you feel better," said my grandmother. "No, I'm fine. In fact, I'm very fine. I remember everything," she said, standing up. "Mom, where are you going?" I said, following her. She opened the back door, went out into the garden, and called my father. "Aziz!" When my father saw my mother, he immediately stood up from where he was sitting and walked quickly towards her. "What happened, my Melek?" he said, taking my mother's hand.
"I remember everything. The doctor's name is Tolga Günay," she said. My father was looking at her face as if in shock. My brother cursed and said, "That bastard's son also tried to kidnap Ceyda!" Sarp frowned. So Koray was that doctor's son. ****** We all went inside and listened to what my mother was saying. No matter how much we told her not to tire herself, she seemed to relax as she talked. After a while, my brother couldn't bear what his mother had gone through and had stormed out. My mother said she woke up in a house, was kept there for a while, and then was forcibly taken to the house in Tekirdağ where we found her. Every day, they drugged her brain, forcing her to forget. She had tried to escape many times, but the men always found her. She had tried not to take the medication, but they forced her. Over time, she slowly forgot everything. The wife of the man who kidnapped my mother had protected her from the men, but she had never thought to look for her family. Unfortunately, that didn't make her a good person. My dear mother had lived through a terrible twenty years. Until Hatice abla's help in finding those photos and documents. Stupid Zerrin had thrown the torn photos in the trash. But what good did tearing up the house deed do? It was found anyway. Sooner or later, everything comes out. God doesn't leave any injustice hidden. My mother was very tired. I hadn't had enough of her tonight. "Stay here, kids," she had said. I don't know if Sarp was willing, but he had agreed. I had taken my mother to her room and helped her change. As my mother kissed me and lay down, I lay next to her until she fell asleep. My head was on her chest, holding her tightly. I don't know how much time passed; when I felt her breathing calmly, I realized she was asleep. As I quietly got out of bed and left the room, I saw Sarp waiting for me at the door. He was waiting thoughtfully, one hand on his hip, the other on his lips. When he noticed me, I hugged his neck, smiling. "Were you waiting for me?" I said, kissing his cheeks. He smiled sweetly.
"I would wait for you for a lifetime, my dear wife." "Why did you put on your jacket? It's warm inside." "My beauty, I have some business to take care of. I'll be back. Go to your room and sleep; don't wait for me. I'll try to come back early." "What business could you have at this hour? Couldn't you not go? It's very late. I'll worry about you. Could you do your work tomorrow?" I said with a sad expression. "My beauty..." he said, taking a deep breath. He ran his hands through my hair and pulled me close. "Don't worry; I'll be back in an hour or two. Now go to your room and sleep well." Although I was upset, I nodded in agreement. He walked me to my room and left. Even though my eyes welled up as he left, I tried not to cry. What business could he have at this hour? **From the author:** Looking at Ceyda's tearful eyes, Sarp almost changed his mind and didn't want to leave. But he needed to take care of this matter as soon as possible, he thought to himself. As he kissed his wife's beautiful face, he reluctantly separated from her and went downstairs to go outside. The smiling face he had with Ceyda hardened. He took his phone out of his pocket and called Aytaç. The phone was answered on the first ring. "Sarp, son, where have you been?" "I'm coming. Is everything ready?" "Ready, son. The party is waiting for you."
As Sarp hung up, he turned to his right and looked. "Let's go," he said. Atlas, who had nodded, walked with Sarp towards the car. As Sarp started the car and left the garden, four men followed behind them. "Actually, my hatred for you never ended. Whatever I'm doing, I'm doing for my beautiful sister," said Atlas. He was watching the dark road through the window. "You didn't have to come. It's not like I'm very fond of you either." "Son, those men literally intimidated you. Such men don't work alone. You take out one, and another appears. What if they try to do something to my sister? I want my sister to be happy from now on. You'll inform me of whatever you do from now on?" "Whatever you say, brother-in-law," Sarp said with a smile. ****** They parked their cars near a house located in the middle of a forest-like area on one end of the city. Sarp and Atlas went to the men waiting around the house. Approaching Aytaç, he asked, "What's the situation?" Aytaç looked at Atlas in surprise. "I said, what's the situation, Aytaç?" Sarp said harshly. Aytaç turned to Sarp and said, "Our guy is inside dancing with a group of girls," getting over his surprise. He handed the binoculars in his hand to Sarp. "Son, what kind of fantasy is this? Is this guy crazy?" said Atlas. "Son, what kind of person are you? What are you doing here?" Aytaç said, walking towards Atlas. "Get lost. Look, I'm your sister-in-law's brother; I might shoot you. Because of you, we were about to lose Sarp. How dare you come and act like you're with us?"
"Hey, take it easy, buddy. We both made mistakes, but Sarp and I are making a fresh start. The rest doesn't concern you," said Atlas. As Sarp put on the headset Cem handed him, he turned to the arguing Atlas and Aytaç. "I don't understand how you can trust this man and bring him here?" said Aytaç, looking at Sarp. "Aytaç, if you're done, let's start," said Sarp. When Aytaç fell silent with a frown, Sarp began to speak. "Cem, did you place the men?" "The snipers are ready, brother. I placed the men around the house as you said. Ekrem is inside with five girls. He has ten men inside the house and three outside." "Erdem, give Atlas a headset too," said Sarp. Erdem frowned and handed a headset to Atlas. Sarp spoke while looking at the house. "Snipers, begin." The night, illuminated by the house lights, was filled with gunshots. As the snipers took down the men they could see, Ekrem, who was partying with girls inside, threw himself behind the couch to protect himself from the bullets. The five girls who were with Ekrem also hid somewhere in fear. "What the hell is happening?" Ekrem shouted. His eyes were wide with fear. When one of the girls said, "Ekrem, I'm so scared," Ekrem cursed and pushed her away.
When the snipers stopped, Sarp said, "Go in." The men around the house began to enter. They shot any men they encountered. When Sarp said, "Now," Atlas, Aytaç, Cem, Erdem, and Sarp prepared their weapons and entered the garden. Walking cautiously. Atlas took down one man they encountered, and Aytaç took down the other. When they entered the house, the men found three girls, but Ekrem and two girls were nowhere to be seen. The three girls were crying hysterically with fear. Sarp said, "Did you check everywhere?" When the men said, "We haven't checked everywhere yet," Sarp signaled with his head to Cem, Erdem, and Aytaç. "Search the house; they're inside," he said. He himself looked around calmly and entered the bedroom. Atlas was following Sarp. As Sarp calmly examined the bedroom, he noticed that the large mirror on the wall was crooked. When he pushed the mirror aside, he saw that it was a secret passage leading downstairs. When Atlas saw the passage, he muttered, "Oh." "Son, how did you notice that?" he said to Sarp. Sarp smiled and said, "This was to be expected from such a coward anyway." He signaled to the passage with his head and said to the few men next to him, "Go in." "I want the man alive. We'll meet at the end of the passage. Let's see where this passage leads." As Atlas and Sarp left the house, Atlas said, "Why didn't you go into the passage yourself and sent your men instead?"
Sarp looked at him while smiling. "So my white shirt doesn't get dirty," he said. He was also walking quickly. He couldn't let the man get away. Erdem said, "Brother, you didn't used to wear suits at times like this; you never wore white shirts." "Your sister-in-law wanted it that way," said Sarp. When everyone, including Atlas, laughed, he said, "Cut the jokes, or I'll ask you questions if we let the man get away." ****** The men were going through a narrow but lit long passage. After walking quickly for a while, they reached the exit door. When they opened the door, they entered a large garage filled with luxury cars. The garage had two doors: one leading to the front and the other to the back of the house. Some of the men went to the front, and some went to the back door. When they reached the back door, Ekrem was holding a gun to one of the girls' heads, saying, "If you don't get out of my way, I'll shoot the girl," to Sarp, who was in front of him. One of the men quietly approached Ekrem from behind, took the gun from his hand, and grabbed his neck. Ekrem was stunned. As the men took the girls away, Sarp approached Ekrem and said to the man holding him, "Let him go." Ekrem looked at Sarp with fearful eyes and began to beg. "Sarp, I made a mistake. I beg you, please let me go," he said, kneeling before Sarp. "I apologize to you. I promise I won't confront you again; just let me go."
Sarp looked at Ekrem with disgust. He thought a man shouldn't be so cowardly and pathetic. Looking to his left, he pointed at Ekrem to Atlas. "The first punch is your right," he said. As Ekrem began to beg more, Atlas punched him in the face. Sarp said, "Ekrem, don't tire me. Who gave you the order to block my car?" As Ekrem wiped his split lip, he said, "I didn't get it from anyone. I resented you inwardly because you ruined all my business." Sarp laughed and said, "Come on, Ekrem, we both know that's not true. You wouldn't have placed so many men at your door for no reason," and threw a hard punch. "Talk, or I'll leave your corpse here." He raised his fist and hit him several more times. Ekrem said, "Stop, okay. Cemil, Cemil forced me. He said, 'Block his car, send a black wreath. Intimidate him.'" His face was swollen and bloody, and he was breathing in short gasps. "What does Cemil have to do with this, son?" Aytaç shouted. He threw a punch too. Sarp looked at Ekrem thoughtfully and said, "I have no business with Cemil. Why did he ask you to do such a thing?" Ekrem had started crying now. "I don't know, I really don't know," he said.
Sarp pressed his gun to Ekrem's temple and said, "Call Cemil. Say, 'Sarp raided my house; he's going to kill me. Save me.' Go on," pressing the gun harder. "Put it on speaker too; I want to hear his voice." With a trembling hand, Ekrem called Cemil and turned on the speaker. After a few rings, Cemil's voice was heard. "What's up? Why are you bothering me at this hour?" "Brother, save me. Sarp raided my house. He's going to kill me. Please, save me? He took down all my men." "You shouldn't have gotten caught, son. Deal with it yourself. Whether you escape or die doesn't concern me at all. Sarp knows you; his business is with you." As Cemil spoke, a thin woman's voice was heard on the phone. "Darling, who is this insolent person at this hour?" At that moment, Sarp spoke. "You're absolutely right, my dear Cemil. For tonight, my business is with Ekrem. But I will come for you unexpectedly one night, right from your wife's bed. Let's see what your problem is with me?" Cemil, in a moment of fear, hung up on Sarp. "Yes, now let's play a game. What do you say?" Sarp said to Ekrem. Ekrem looked at Sarp fearfully. "O-okay. You'll let me go afterwards, promise?" he said. "If you win, I promise I'll let you go."
"What's the game?" "You'll run towards the forest. I'll count to that number and take aim at you. If you escape, you survive. If you can't escape, you die. Now get up," Sarp said. As Ekrem stood up trembling, he looked at Sarp's face. As Sarp said, "I'm starting to count. One," Ekrem started running towards the forest. Sarp waited a while after him and then fired his gun. As Ekrem fell to the ground, he suddenly got up and started running again and disappeared into the darkness. Everyone watching Sarp and Ekrem was stunned. Cem was the first to recover from his shock. "Brother, why didn't you shoot him?" he said. Sarp said, "This fear is enough for him. Death would have been simpler," smiling. "Son, I've never seen a maniac like you," said Atlas. "You kill so many men to enter the house, but you don't go into the secret passage because your white shirt might get dirty and your wife would get angry. And when you finally catch the main guy, you scare him instead of killing him." "What's it to you? Is it up to you to question these things?" Aytaç shouted. Atlas's presence was driving him crazy. "You jerk," Atlas said, walking towards Aytaç. Sarp pointed his gun at both of them.
"Look at me, disperse before I kill you. I'm already late getting home. I can't be delayed because of you." Atlas and Aytaç separated angrily. Sarp smiled. Now he could go hug his beautiful wife and sleep.