When I opened my eyes again, I saw stars.
Even when I closed them and opened them once more, the image didn't change. But these weren't stars in the sky—they looked like glow-in-the-dark plastic stars used for decoration.
Frowning in confusion, I turned my head and looked around. I had no idea where this room was. Strange…
Wasn't I waiting for Kerem in the car? I must have fallen asleep while trying to rest. But even if I'd fallen asleep in the car, shouldn't I have woken up at Kerem's place? What was I doing in this unfamiliar room?
It wasn't like someone could've kidnapped me. Laughing at my own ridiculous thought, I reached up to pull my hair back—then froze when my fingers brushed against a thin, scabbed cut on my neck.
The image slammed into my mind: the masked psychopath, eyes gleaming with sick pleasure as he dragged a knife slowly across my skin. My stomach lurched.
As my calm slipped away, a dozen possibilities raced through my head.
Could someone really have taken me without anyone noticing? No—impossible. Even if I'd been alone in the car, Kerem hadn't gone far. There was no way someone could've taken me without him noticing.
Oh my God. What if he hurt Kerem to get to me? No. No, no, no. That couldn't have happened.
I felt the blood drain from my body. Panicking, I tried to get out of bed, tripped over the blanket, and crashed into the nightstand, landing hard on the floor. I groaned and pushed myself up on my elbows.
How far was this bed from the floor anyway?
My eyes landed on the shattered glass of water on the floor, and I cursed myself.
"Great job, Duru. A perfect start to escaping unnoticed."
When I heard footsteps approaching, adrenaline drowned out the pain. I scrambled to my feet and scanned the room for something to defend myself with. My gaze locked onto a flowerpot on the table by the window.
I grabbed it and hid behind the door.
The door opened. A male figure stepped inside—judging by the silhouette. I shut my eyes and screamed, swinging the pot at his head.
Correction.
I thought I did.
My wrist was caught mid-swing and twisted aside, the pot slipping from my hand and crashing to the floor. I was yanked against a solid chest, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs.
Too scared to open my eyes, I waited for the next move—until I heard a familiar voice swearing.
"Have you lost your mind? You almost cracked my skull!"
I snapped my eyes open.
"Kerem? What are you doing here?"
His angry expression softened into a teasing smile as he raised a brow.
"You're not seriously expecting me to explain why I'm in my own house, are you, Sunshine?"
I frowned at him, utterly confused.
"But you don't have a room like this!"
"Now I do. I told you I'd prepare a room for you. Did you forget? I planned for it to be a surprise when we got home, but you fell asleep in the car. After yesterday, I figured you needed the rest and didn't want to wake you. So I carried you in while you were sleeping. I thought waking up in your own room would be a nice surprise… but judging by your attempt to cave my head in with a flowerpot, I'm guessing you didn't enjoy it."
As I stared at him, shock turned into anger. I lifted my free hand and started pounding his chest.
"You idiot! If you were going to surprise me, you should've stayed here! Why did you leave me alone? Did you even think about what would go through my head when I woke up alone in a room I'd never seen before? I thought that psycho had taken me again—and that he'd done something to you! I was losing my mind!"
He flinched—not from the pain, but from my words. When I went to hit him again, he caught my wrist and pulled me against his chest.
"Okay, okay… calm down, Sunshine. Shh… it's over. I'm here. I'm so sorry. I never imagined you'd feel this way. Shh… please don't cry."
He let go of my hands. Holding my face gently, he wiped my tears away, his eyes shifting through the most beautiful shades of brown as emotion took over. The thought of never being able to look into those eyes again made my heart clench painfully.
Tears came faster. He stopped wiping them, rested his forehead against mine, and sighed.
"Duru… please don't do this to me. Hit me if you want, but don't cry like this in front of me. I hate feeling like there's nothing I can do when you're crying."
"You don't have to do anything. Just stay with me."
I rose onto my toes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly. He sighed again, slid one arm around my waist, the other under my legs, and lifted me into his arms. I didn't protest as he carried me to the bed.
He sat back against the headboard with his legs stretched out, me still in his arms. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes.
"I'm so sorry I scared you like that, Sunshine. But you don't need to be afraid anymore. I swear, as long as I'm here, that man will never touch you again."
I lifted my head, wiped my tears, and looked into his eyes.
"You don't understand. I'm not afraid of what he might do to me. I'm afraid of what he might do to you. Sooner or later, he'll stop going after the people around you and come straight for you. Even the thought of that makes my blood run cold—because I know he wouldn't hurt you the way he hurt me."
He looked surprised by my confession—tense, even—but if I stopped now, I'd never say it.
"You didn't see it, Kerem, but I saw his eyes. That man is sick enough to do anything without blinking if it means getting what he wants. And even so… no matter how much I wish it, I can't ask you to give this up."
I sighed, my gaze dropping to the bed.
"Honestly, I'm not sure I could give it up either. After everything you and Rüzgar have been through, I can't stand the idea of the people who did this to you walking free and living their lives, Hotshot."
I looked back at him, forcing my tear-hoarse voice to sound firm.
"I only ask one thing of you. No matter what happens, promise me you won't throw yourself blindly into danger. Even if they threaten you with me again, you won't set yourself on fire for it."
"Duru—"
"I said promise!"
He cupped my face with both hands and stared straight into my eyes.
"Listen to me carefully, Sunshine. I've never made a promise I couldn't keep—and I won't start now. You can be sure I'll do everything I can to make sure that never happens and to protect you. But if I'm ever forced to choose between you and myself, I'll choose you. Every time. I don't care how many times it happens or what I lose in the process. Do you understand me?"
No matter what I said, this resolve wouldn't change. I sighed and nodded, praying things would never come to that—because if they did, even for different reasons, I'd make the same choice.
Every time.
Even if it meant getting hurt myself.