I frowned immediately.
"Absolutely no, Sapphire. Forget it."
"What? I haven't even said anything yet."
"No need. Last time you looked at me like that, I ended up in the middle of a pool party I never want to remember again."
She grinned and nodded.
"Best party ever!"
When she saw my dead-serious expression, she tried—and failed—to look serious.
"It took me three months to recover from what I saw that night, Feyza! And I'm not even talking about the blackout drunk girl who tried to sit on my lap and kiss me."
The image flashed through my mind, making my skin crawl again.
She laughed and leaned back.
"Gotta admit, though—she was hot. You should've given it a shot."
I leaned over and pinched her leg hard.
"Watch it, Blondie, or I'll try my luck on you."
She giggled and raised her hands in surrender.
"Relax. It's not that kind of party."
"I knew it! It's a party again, isn't it?" She sighed and tossed her hair back.
"I have to go to a New Year's party my mom organized to get my car back. And to stop them from locking me in a room with some spoiled rich heir they're desperate to marry me off to—you guys need to be there."
I stared at her, stunned.
"You can't be serious. That only happens in TV shows."
"Yeah. Sometimes I think I'm living in a ridiculous soap opera too."
"But they're your family. Educated people. How could they force their own daughter into something she doesn't want?"
She smiled bitterly.
"Some rich parents will do anything for more money and better status, Duru—using their own children as profitable deals included."
That was disgusting.
I silently thanked my family all over again.
Considering how little she ever talked about her parents, I knew it couldn't be easy for her to share this. And seeing her sit there, ashamed of something that wasn't even her fault, made me even angrier.
Then a wicked idea popped into my head.
I grinned and reached for her hand.
"Don't worry, Blondie. Leave the party to me."
Her expression shifted—trying to look worried but failing to hide her smile.
"How bad is it?" she asked.
I grinned wider.
"Oh, trust me. You don't want to know."
When lunch break ended, Feyza headed to class, and I started walking home.
As the rain began to drizzle, I looked up at the sky.
"You had to wait until I left, didn't you?"
A flash of lightning split the sky, followed by deafening thunder—answer received.
Rolling my eyes, I pulled my hood up.
No matter how fast I walked, if the rain kept coming down like this, I'd be soaked by the time I got home.
Still not fully recovered, I called every taxi stand saved in my phone—no luck.
As I walked as far from the road as possible to avoid splashing water, one car slowed down beside me.
I was about to walk past it when the horn honked.
After a split second of hesitation—and a much louder thunderclap paired with heavier rain—I opened the door and got in.
As the car moved again, my nervous excitement turned into unease. I glanced sideways.
He hadn't looked at me once. Not a single word.
Within minutes, the tension between us became almost tangible.
When we reached my place, I murmured a quiet thank you and got out, rushing toward the gate, trying not to get soaked.
Just as I reached for the lock, a hand grabbed my arm—sending a paralyzing shock through my body.
I turned to him slowly.
People passing by stared at us like we were insane—standing there in the pouring rain, frozen.
Honestly, I felt insane too.
After all, how big was the difference between madness and love?
My heart was pounding with fear and excitement when he finally spoke.
"You were right."
"About what?"
"When you said I used you. You were right."
The flat, emotionless tone twisted something inside my chest, but I forced my voice to stay steady.
"I know you didn't, Kerem. If you're saying this because you're mad at me, I'm sorry, okay? I was wrong to jump to conclusions without listening to you."
He sighed, still not looking at me.
"I'm not angry, Duru. You were right. You're naïve—easy to play. Getting you to help me without any problems was almost effortless. Everything I said, every moment I pretended to care, getting close to you—it was all just a game. And now, I'm done with you."
Every word sliced through me like a blade. There was no way to hide how much it hurt.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I'm done with you. Forget that you know me—or my friends. I don't want you anywhere near any of us again."
I shook my head, ignoring the tears burning in my eyes and how desperate my voice sounded.
"You can't be that vile!"
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you shouldn't have been this naïve. The kiss meant nothing. Just a thank-you—for your cooperation."
That was it. My blood boiled.
I only realized I'd slapped him when my palm started stinging.
I had a thousand things to scream at him—but no strength left to continue.
Through clenched teeth, I spat,
"You, Kerem Dinçer, are worse than the devil—and I hope every day you live in this world turns into hell!"
That single second of eye contact meant something different to both of us.
The storm wasn't in the sky anymore.
It was inside us.
I turned and ran into the building.
Pacing back and forth in the living room, his words replayed over and over in my head.
Had everything really been a lie?
Despite our agreement, the things he'd said had felt too real to be an act.
Could I really have fallen in love with someone like that?
As much as I didn't want to believe him, something inside me whispered that it wasn't impossible.
It felt like a cruel prank.
Like whoever was writing my life had a seriously twisted sense of humor.
My head was a mess—thinking logically was impossible.
But one emotion stood out clearly above all others.
Hatred.
I hated him more than I had ever hated anyone or anything in my life.
I dropped onto the couch, wiping away the tears blurring my vision.
He wasn't worth a single tear.
And from that moment on, Kerem Dinçer no longer existed for me.