CHAPTER/14

When I saw the grave, I froze in place. I felt death whispering in my ear, seeping into every fiber of my being. I knew there was no point in running anymore because I could already predict the scene that awaited me when I turned around. Seeing my grandfather standing there with a gun in his hand didn't surprise me at all. Strangely, there was an inexplicable smile on my face.

"Well, Merve! Have you decided to greet death with a smile?" His merciless gaze hadn't changed a bit—it was as sharp as the first day.

"I can't believe you. You've waited for this day, but do you know what the problem is? Don't do it! I don't care if you kill me anymore, but don't do it here! Not by my mother's grave! Can you imagine how heartbroken she must be if she's watching us?"

Though tears accompanied my last words, it was clear he didn't care. My grandfather stared at me with pure hatred. How absurd, right? Despite everything, I could still call him my grandfather.

"Don't talk nonsense! What do you even know? What did you expect me to do when you were the cause of everything? Go on, tell me! Speak up! You took my daughter away from me, you wretch!" Hearing him call my mother "my daughter" made me furious.

"Don't you dare call her your daughter! You killed my mother and father—" He didn't let me finish.

"You're all to blame! You took my daughter from me! Your stupid beliefs took her away! All of you deserve to die! I swore there wouldn't be a single breath left in the world that belonged to Selçuk. Look, my daughter, do you see? First Selçuk was gone, then his parents, then I killed his sister."

What could I say? Here was a man standing by my mother's grave with a smile, listing the people he had killed—people he had murdered in cold blood. It was impossible not to feel your blood run cold.

"And now it's your turn, little brat. I'll take revenge on all of you for my daughter!" The fear inside me vanished like a knife cutting through it.

"You're a fool. Do you know that? I pity you! It's obvious why you wanted to kill my father—it drove you mad that my mother loved him. You're such a psychopath that you wanted to imprison your own daughter in your life. You think you've won, don't you? All I can do is laugh at you. You've never won, MURAT DEMİRKAN… You've always lost and you're still losing."

Seeing that I had angered him brought me indescribable satisfaction.

"Shut up! I said shut up!" I let out a derisive laugh; he had clearly realized he had lost.

"Why? Tell me, why?"

Our argument—no, our fight—was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Both of us turned our heads toward the source of the noise. I wasn't expecting to see Furkan and Büşra standing there. The moment I saw him, I felt like I had been pulled away from the graveyard and into the depths of his eyes. I clung to what I considered the greatest gift of my last breath. Why wasn't he looking away? I wondered if he understood that this was what I wanted from him in my final moments.

"You vile man! Drop the gun right now, or I'll call the police!" Büşra's voice was stern, but the disgusting smirk on his face made it clear that he didn't take her seriously.

"I don't care if you witness this. In fact, you can make her suffer even more before she takes her last breath!"

When he pointed the gun at Büşra, I let out a piercing scream and took a couple of steps forward.

"Don't, Grandpa! Don't do it! It's me you want. Leave them alone."

Furkan's gaze never left me for even a moment. Büşra didn't seem to care about being at gunpoint; in fact, her eyes held a defiant expression as if to say, "I'm not afraid of you."

"I'm not afraid of you. You're a pathetic coward who thinks killing everyone will bring you peace. How pitiful!" Büşra was determined not to give in, but I didn't have the courage to withstand this any longer.

"Oh, you're making me emotional now. I might just cry," he mocked. I struggled to breathe as if a knife had been plunged into my chest, twisting deeper with every breath.

"Shut up!" Furkan's voice cut through his words sharply, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"What did you say?" His eyes carried the same fearless expression. I wondered how they could not be afraid of death.

"I said, shut up."

I could see the flames of rage in my grandfather's eyes. He could pull the trigger at any moment. I tried to communicate with Furkan through my gaze, pleading for him to stop, but he showed no signs of backing down.

"Don't worry; your turn will come too. But first, let's deal with this girl." I had to do something. I couldn't stand by and witness their deaths—not this time. How much longer would I be forced to watch the loss of those I loved?

"You're so pathetic that you point guns at women. Look at yourself—you're a coward, a wretched excuse for a man!"

Furkan shouted the truth about him to my grandfather's face, and the flames in his eyes burned even brighter. He now aimed the gun at Furkan.

"Enough! I'll silence you first!"

Everything happened in an instant—the gunshot, the sharp pain in my abdomen. I didn't know how or when it happened, but I suddenly found myself shielding Furkan. My grandfather hadn't expected this and was momentarily stunned. Furkan seized the opportunity, kicking the gun away and knocking him unconscious with an elbow to the neck. As he collapsed before my eyes, the pain in my abdomen grew more intense. Unable to bear the weight pressing down on my legs, I slowly sank to the ground. I heard Furkan's footsteps approaching me, though my vision was already blurred. I could hear Büşra sobbing as she struggled to hold a trembling phone in her hand.

"Hello! My friend has been shot! We're at Şahmeran Cemetery! Hurry!" I wanted to reach out and touch her, but my body refused to move. Her tears fell onto my face.

"Büş…" Furkan removed his shirt and handed it to Büşra without saying a word. She took it and pressed it against my wound.

"Don't speak, my love. Save your strength. Furkan, do something! Don't let anything happen to her, please."

Through blurred vision, I could just barely make out Furkan kneeling beside me. He clenched and unclenched his fingers as though debating whether or not to touch me. I felt his shaky breath as my own began to falter. Tears streamed down his face as he tilted his head toward the sky.

"As long as I draw breath, I won't let anything happen to her." A single tear fell directly into the center of my palm. I wanted to close my hand around it and feel it before I died, but my efforts were futile—I couldn't move a single part of my body. Then, as the agonizing sound of an ambulance drew closer, I surrendered to the darkness.