Sarah returned to the apartment, crying. She told Aniya everything, including how hard she had slapped him. Aniya was stunned.
"You don't have to go tomorrow," Aniya said, but Sarah wasn't listening. She kept murmuring incoherently.
"Do you regret it?" Aniya asked.
Sarah looked up with red, tear-filled eyes.
"His forehead was bleeding," she whispered.
"You can't undo it, Sarah," Aniya said gently.
"You should have scolded him, but you overreacted," Aniya admitted.
"But now you can't take it back," she added, wrapping a blanket around Sarah.
"Why do I feel… like it wasn't the first time he stood in front of me?" Sarah whispered.
"Sleep now," Aniya said softly.
"His forehead was bleeding… and still… those eyes looked at me like… like they weren't angry at all. Just… familiar." She murmured as Aniya turned off the lights.
________________________________________
Mehmet's side
How you got this ?
Tayyep asked Mehmet about his forehead when he was going home with him, but Mehmet didn't reply. He just lit a cigarette.
"You're smoking after a long time," Tayyep said, but Mehmet's expression remained unreadable. He lit another cigarette before finishing the first one.
"Someone thinks Eric is better than me..." Mehmet muttered, his jaw tightening. "Someone thinks I'm not capable of their trust..."
"And who's that someone? Sarah?" Tayyep asked.
Mehmet didn't reply.
"And why does she think that? Did she cause that forehead injury? Or did she do it herself?" Tayyep wanted to know the story.
"She thinks she can't trust me," Mehmet muttered.
"Why?" Tayyep patiently asked. He was Mehmet's unpaid listener.
"I sneaked into her apartment and stole her scarf. I placed a pot and left. She kept thinking about who was in her apartment. She didn't sleep well for weeks," Mehmet said while staring out the car window.
"You did what? Sneaked in? And stole?" Tayyep was stunned.
"So what? The only thing I regret is that she was worried about it for so long, and I wasn't aware." He acted like he had done everything perfectly.
"And now? You should apologize," Tayyep said, playing with the seatbelt.
"No. I told her I wouldn't disturb her ever again," Mehmet replied as he rubbed his temples.
"And you mean it?" Tayyep wanted assurance, but Mehmet closed his eyes.
"Take me home and shut up, or call the driver," he said.
Tayyep gave him a look. "First, we have to visit a doctor. She did it pretty bad—the wound."
"No. I don't want it to heal," Mehmet said with closed eyes. The moment she slapped him flashed in his mind, and he suddenly opened his eyes.
"Your Anne will ask you about it," Tayyep said, trying to convince him to get a bandage.
"I'll tell her another story," Mehmet replied.
Mehmet… Tayyep spoke in a low voice. "Sarah… is she the same girl you—"
Mehmet snapped, cutting him off.
"Oh, so she's Sarah Fahim… that girl" Tayyep continued, thinking out loud, piecing things together.
"That's what I was thinking, Mehmet. I always believed that the girl you saw in Taiwan is the only one who can undo you. But then Sarah came, and your armor—your usually unbreakable armor—cracked too soon. And now I see… she's the same girl. She's the one you saw in Taiwan.She's the one. She's Sarah," Tayyep said, his voice low but charged with excitement.
"Don't you ever dare tell anyone," Mehmet snapped.
"But why did you behave so rude with her in the start… although you waited...." Tayyep began, and Mehmet cut him off again.
"Call the driver," Mehmet said sharply.
Tayyep laughed softly.
He started the car and stopped at a private clinic. "I can't see you like this," he said.
"Because you'll laugh every time you see it, right?" Mehmet snapped back.
Tayyep laughed. "Nobody's ever done that to you, and yet you're sitting here like nothing happened." His laughter wasn't meant to tease—it was to lighten the mood.
"I know a lot happened. And a lot changed," Mehmet replied.
"Like what?" Tayyep asked.
"I won't disturb her again. Ever." He closed his eyes once more.
"You mean it?" Tayyep pressed.
Mehmet nodded.
"Bet?" Tayyep needed assurance.
"What?" Mehmet asked.
"If you lose, you'll give me that painting I've always wanted."
"And if I win?" Mehmet played along.
"You won't," Tayyep laughed. "But if you do, I'll do whatever you say."
"Deal," Mehmet said and opened the car door to leave and get the bandage.
As Mehmet stepped out, Tayyep muttered under his breath, "This is the first time I want you to lose a bet. Because if you win this one, you'll lose your life, your Sarah, Mehmet.
I could steal that painting from you, but fine—let's play. Tayyep Buraq will make you lose the bet and win the life this time." He smiled to himself.
"You need her."
Tayyep rushed to join him.