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The woman standing tall before me had her eyes fixed on me, her voice trembling with anger. The words falling from her lips only deepened the wounds already inside me.
"You're not even worth as much as a servant! Stay away from my husband!"
She was talking about the man I had married through a religious ceremony just yesterday. She was saying, "He is my husband!" and she was right… She was his legal wife. I had no real place either in this house or in his life.
I did not defy her; I did not even deny it. I simply lowered my head and spoke in a calm voice.
"My lady, what you say is true. I know why I am in this house. I did not come here to disrespect you. I agreed to serve you and Cihan. Please do not speak to me like this… It hurts me deeply."
My words did not soften her. On the contrary, the corner of her lips curled into an arrogant smile.
"Good! You need to know your place and your limits anyway. But I do not care one bit if you're hurt!"
Her eyes flashed for a moment. She took a deep breath and continued in an even harsher tone.
"I have only a short life left… I wanted to spend it with my husband and my child. But then suddenly you came! Wherever the hell you came from, go back there and leave us alone!"
As if to show she did not want to see me any longer, she quickly turned her back and walked away.
As for me, I left the room while forcing back my tears. The moment I closed the door behind me, the tears I could no longer hide began to fall.
What was my fault? Why was everyone making me pay the price for the pain they were suffering? I had suddenly found myself in the middle of all this, and it was as though everyone wanted to dump all their pain onto me.
Crying, I ran to my room. My heart was pounding as if it would burst out of my chest. I quickly shut the door and threw myself into the bathroom. My hands were shaking as I turned on the faucet and splashed cold water onto my face.
I was trying to pull myself together, but it was impossible… The pain that had built up inside me would not ease, no matter how cold the water was. That woman, whose name I had not even learned yet, would go on treating me like this for as long as I stayed in this house—or until she herself died…
But there was nothing I could do about it. I was not going to fight with her, after all… She was a sick woman with little time left to live. Besides, I had no intention whatsoever of fighting over Fırat. I did not want him anyway. His wife could take him and hold him close for all I cared. He meant absolutely nothing to me.
If I stayed in that room all day, I would lose my mind. So after pulling myself together, I took a deep breath and stepped out. I headed for the stairs and went down one floor. My wet hair fell over my shoulders as I walked leisurely into the living room. But the moment I stepped inside, I was met with an unexpected reaction.
My would-be mother-in-law, Mevan Hanım, frowned the instant she saw me. At the same time, Fırat's brother Azad jumped to his feet and snapped in a harsh voice, "Mom, what is the state of this girl? Why is she coming down here?"
I was stunned. What was wrong with the way I looked? Besides, was I supposed to stay in my room all day? Was this place a prison for me? At least I could help with the work and keep my mind occupied…
Still, I suppressed the anger rising inside me and remained silent. When I turned my eyes to Mevan Hanım, she looked at Azad and said sharply, "Be quiet, Azad." Then she turned to me, passed by my side, and said, "Come with me," before walking toward a room. Without hesitation, I followed her, and once I entered, I closed the door behind me. Joining my hands in front of me awkwardly, I asked in a low voice, "What happened, my lady? Did I do something wrong?"
Mevan Hanım took out a scarf from the wardrobe, came up to me, and folded it into a triangle. Then she placed it over my head and tied the ends beneath my hair. Looking straight into my eyes with her gray ones, she spoke in a gentle yet authoritative voice.
"First, in our family it is considered shameful for anyone other than your husband to see you with wet hair. Second, as of yesterday, you are my daughter. And I am your mother. You will call me 'mother.' Not aunt, not lady, not madam… Is that understood?"
A strange warmth spread through me. For some reason, I suddenly felt very happy… Because she was the only person in this house who did not treat me badly.
Smiling, I said, "All right, Mother."
Mevan Hanım gently cupped my chin and said with a smile, "Good girl. Now go help prepare the table. Fırat was in the garden; he'll be coming in for breakfast now."
I looked at her in surprise. I had thought Fırat had left the house and gone somewhere, but apparently he was still here.
Mevan Hanım leaned slightly toward my ear and spoke as though sharing a secret.
"He loves cheese omelet for breakfast. Let that be my little secret to you. Make him a cheese omelet with your own hands."
I smiled. "Thank you so much, Mother. Of course, I'll make it right away. Is there anything you would like from me?" I asked respectfully.
She smiled as well. "No, my daughter. It is enough that you do what Fırat wants. My children are what matter to me; if they are happy and their stomachs are full, then I am happy too. Now off you go."
I bowed my head slightly and left the room respectfully.
As I walked toward the kitchen, there was a strange excitement inside me. Maybe I did not want to do anything for Fırat, but Mevan Hanım's warm approach had done me good. I did not want to let her trust go to waste.
When I entered the kitchen, the women working there were preparing things around the table. One of them looked at me in surprise, then lowered her head and went back to her work. I quietly moved to the counter and began taking out the ingredients to make cheese omelet. I put butter in the pan and let it melt, crumbled the cheese, and mixed it with the eggs I had beaten. As I poured it into the pan, I caught myself thinking, I hope he does not dislike it and throw it in my face, but remembering what Mevan Hanım had said, I quickly drove that ridiculous thought from my mind.
I placed the omelet on a plate and carried it to the table. Everyone had already taken their seats. Fırat was sitting at the head of the table, and his mother at the other end. After setting the omelet in front of Fırat, I pulled out the chair beside him and sat down. He looked at me with obvious irritation, then began to eat.
He was staring at me as though he had seen a dinosaur wearing a belly dancer's costume.
I wanted to say, What are you staring at? Eat it, you brute! but I kept it to myself. He stuck his fork into the plate, took a bite of the cheese omelet, and put it into his mouth. After chewing for a few seconds, he stopped. His eyes narrowed. Then he suddenly lifted his head and turned to his mother.
"This is really good. Who made it?"
With a strange excitement inside me, I said, "I did."
And in that instant… there was a deathly silence.
Fırat looked at my face blankly, then shoved the plate aside with the back of his hand. As the plate crashed to the floor and shattered, my breath caught for a moment. Then he spoke in an icy voice.
"Don't ever make it again."
He wiped his lips with a napkin, then got up from the table and walked away quickly. I was shocked. I had been humiliated in front of everyone. Even the servants were looking at me with sly little smiles.
But I was not going to give up.
After casting a brief glance at everyone, I said, "Enjoy your meal," then stood up from the table and went after Fırat. I was going to deal with him. No matter what, I would not stop dealing with him. I was determined to make him pay for what he had put me through from the very first day.
"Fırat!" I called as I ran after him.
He had gone out into the garden. I quickened my pace. While he was walking toward his car, I kept calling after him.
"Fırat!"
I reached for his arm, wanting to stop him, but he stopped abruptly on his own and turned around. Looking straight into my eyes, he yanked his arm out of my hand with a rough motion.
"What?"
I breathed in and out angrily. "Why are you doing this?"
A mocking smile spread across his face. "You certainly seem eager to play house already. Looks like you were more than ready to become the wife of an agha."
My insides flared with anger. I frowned. "Your mother said you liked cheese omelet and told me to make it for you. Otherwise, do you think I am dying to fill the stomach of a bear like you?"
All at once, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me toward him. When he leaned down close to my face, my breath caught.
"Listen to me, feisty girl. Don't get on my nerves. I'll take all my anger out on you, or else…"
I tried to say something, but no sound came out. We were so close our bodies were pressed together. I was uncomfortable, but I also knew very well that Fırat was doing this only to annoy me.
"Ugh! Let go of me!" I cried, shoving him away.
As I turned my back and hurried away from him, I started muttering under my breath.
"Ox! Bear! Beast! It's not your fault—it's the fault of the one who bothers with you! You deserve nothing!"
And trying to suppress my anger, I went back into the house. But my heart was still pounding wildly.
I stood in the corridor for a while, catching my breath. I could still feel my heart beating fast, but I had to pull myself together. Taking a deep breath, I went back inside and sat down at the dining table again. My stomach was growling with hunger.
I took a slice of bread from the basket beside me and spread some clotted cream and honey from the dish in front of me onto it with the tip of my fork. When I took the first bite, the sweet taste melting in my mouth eased me at least a little. Then I took a sip from my cup.
When I raised my head, I saw Mevan Hanım smiling at me. I suppose my acting so comfortable pleased her. The same could not be said for Azad, though. Fırat's brother was glaring at me angrily. He made me feel as though I had done something wrong, but I could not understand why he was looking at me that way.
Just then, another girl came to the table. She was young and truly very beautiful. Saying, "Enjoy your meal," to everyone, she sat down. When her eyes found me, she tilted her head slightly.
"You're our new bride, aren't you?" she asked with a warm smile.
Just as I was about to answer, Azad muttered through a full mouth, "Mm-hmm, that's her." His half-hearted way of saying it bothered me a little, but I did not show it.
The girl asked curiously, "What's your name?"
"Zerda," I said.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Rojda," she said without taking her eyes off me. "I'm the youngest daughter of this house."
"Ah, I see," I said with a smile. "It's very nice to meet you too."
Rojda's face soured a little. "I was so bored too. No one hangs out with me. It's good that you came."
Azad immediately cut in, frowning. "What do you mean, hang out? What kind of way is that to talk?"
This boy was literally the embodiment of an aggressive teenager.
"Oh, shut up, what's it to you?" Rojda snapped back.
Grinding his teeth, Azad threatened, "I'll smack you right in the mouth!"
Rojda rolled her eyes and rested her arm on the table. "Go ahead and try! Mom's sitting right there, can't you see? Are you blind?"
Azad gritted his teeth. "Once I jab these two fingers into your eyes, let's see who ends up blind!"
As the two of them glared at each other, Mevan Hanım lifted her brows slightly. "That's enough bickering," she warned.
As for me, I leaned back in my chair, eating my meal while watching them. It was like watching a play. When Mevan Hanım silenced them, a little of my entertainment vanished, but I knew I would laugh a lot when she was not around. At least now I had learned that not everyone in this house was as sour-faced as Fırat.
The relationship between Azad and Rojda was exactly like that of real siblings. Siblings could do anything to each other, but when it came to someone else, they would defend one another to the last drop of their blood. That was the strange thing about siblinghood.
Speaking of siblings…
Kemal came to mind. Where was he now, I wondered, and what was he doing? Was he happy with Hafize? If only they were happy…
At least then, what had happened to me would not have been for nothing.
While I was lost in thought, Azad's phone suddenly began to ring. The moment he answered with, "Yes, brother," I realized it was Fırat calling, and I became alert. When Azad suddenly jumped to his feet in alarm and said, "Did you find them?" I first wondered, Find what? But then Azad ended the call with "I'm coming right away," turned to his mother, and said, "Mom, they found them. They found Hafize."
I got up too. "What? Where did they find her? How did they find her? Did they find her alone? And where was my brother?" I asked, though inside I was praying, Please, don't let them have found my brother. But Azad looked into my eyes, a triumphant expression on his face, and said, "They found that dog you call your brother too. My brother's on his way there now. He'll teach him a lesson, don't you worry! He'll show him what it means to kidnap my sister." And my world collapsed.
No! I could not stay here! Fırat had said he would do terrible things if he ever caught him, and now something beyond him was at stake—I had to stop them from hurting my brother and Hafize… But what could I possibly do? Azad said, "I'm going, Mom," and left the living room. After a short while, I left too and followed him. While he was talking to the men in the garden, I went straight to the garage. The door was open and there was only one car inside. As I tried to open the trunk, I prayed it would be unlocked, but at that very moment Azad must have hit the unlock button, because the doors opened. I immediately slipped in from the side, threw myself into the back seat, and shut the door. Azad got into the car, started it, and we drove off together.
I did not know where I was going or what would happen to me there, but I knew one thing: no matter what happened, I would resist, and if necessary I would stand right in front of Fırat and tell him to do to me whatever he intended to do...