CHAPTER/20

From the Author

"Esma, my dear, bring the tea so we can start our breakfast."

Days had passed since Furkan's confession. Furkan had done nothing since Esma told him to leave the girl alone. Even though he wanted to act sooner, he trusted that Esma knew better and followed her advice. After all, he had promised her he would act according to her guidance. The truth was, Furkan's only concern was not losing Merve. If waiting was necessary to have her in his life, he would endure it.

"I'm coming, sister-in-law, I'm coming." While pouring the tea, Esma glanced at the unparalleled beauty of the garden and reflected silently.

"To think, no matter how much I racked my brain, I never imagined Furkan would be the one to fix up this garden."

Knowing she was teasing him, Furkan ignored it, said "Bismillah," and started his breakfast.

"My daughter, this good-for-nothing won't tell me anything, but I feel like you know everything. You've been sneaking around for days now. Just tell me already so I can have peace of mind."

Zehra Hanım clearly sensed something was going on. Realizing they had no intention of telling her, she decided to confront them.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear the term 'good-for-nothing,' my queen." Furkan pinched his mother's cheek lightly and sipped his tea.

"So, you're admitting to the rest?" His mother's remark made him choke on his tea, and he started coughing. Zehra Hanım had struck exactly where it hurt. Esma giggled more as Furkan grew tense. Eventually, his mother would find out anyway, but he was curious about her reaction.

"Come on, son, it's clear something's been going on for a while now. You're always at the shop, you look so preoccupied, and there's a restlessness in you I've never seen before. Even though I can guess the reason, I want you to say it. So, spill it."

Esma laughed again, and Furkan turned to her, raising his hands as if to say, "I'm innocent," and pouting playfully.

"Mom, I could have told you this before, but as you know, I don't like rushing things."

Esma shot him a knowing glance, and Furkan caught her meaning.

"Of course, sister-in-law, you hate rushing," Esma teased. She seemed thoroughly entertained, though Furkan clearly wasn't.

"Esma!" Esma mimed zipping her lips shut.

"For the first time in my life, I want something to happen quickly. If you're wondering why I'm in such a hurry, it's because…" His mother cut him off, anticipating where he was heading.

"Son, it seems like you're just going to keep beating around the bush. Let me ask you directly. Who is this girl?"

Furkan scratched his beard and took a deep breath.

"Merve."

His mother didn't look the least bit surprised.

"I see."

Furkan was startled by her lack of reaction.

"Aren't you surprised?" Esma asked.

"No, dear. Why would I be? Even though my son denied it at first, I knew this would happen."

Furkan listened to every word his mother said with astonishment. Was it really that obvious?

"Well, sister-in-law, look at you! Furkan, if I were you, I'd stay away from sneaky business. She's like an intelligence agent, Mashallah."

"Mom, let's not drag this out. I want your blessing too. What's your decision?"

Since Zehra Hanım had already weighed her options, it was impossible for her not to accept Merve.

"Son, what can I say? I don't know Merve well, but she seems like a beautiful, modest, well-mannered girl. And she dresses in accordance with Islam. If you've chosen her, I have nothing to say against it. If you want to know my decision: May Allah grant you both what's best."

Furkan's eyes sparkled. His mother's positive reaction made him even happier.

"Actually, as you said, she doesn't fully dress in accordance with Islam."

This time, it was Zehra Hanım's turn to be surprised.

"What do you mean, son?"

Sensing Furkan's hesitation, Esma stepped in.

"Sister-in-law, Furkan's words may have confused you. Let me explain. Merve doesn't dress in accordance with Islam right now. I haven't seen it myself, but Furkan told me that she changed after he met her. Instead of being judgmental, he chose to pray for her. As you can imagine, making such a decision is very difficult, but I believe it's not an insurmountable issue."

Zehra Hanım felt deeply saddened for Merve and prayed for her to find guidance.

"I don't know what to say. She's such a precious girl, and I feel sorry for her. May Allah guide her back to the right path. Son, if you care enough to pray for her, there's no need to drag this out. I want to see my daughter-in-law where she belongs as soon as possible."

Furkan silently thanked Allah once more for blessing him with such an understanding and merciful mother.

"Inshallah, my queen, inshallah."

After finishing breakfast, they prepared to leave. Esma and Furkan got into the car and headed toward the bookstore.

"When are you planning to tell her?" Esma asked, turning to him.

"First, I need to talk to her and clear up any misunderstandings. I'm not sure how to go about it. I have her address, but I don't know if going to her house is the right move."

Esma adjusted her scarf in the rearview mirror and grabbed Furkan's phone.

"Do you have her phone number? Actually, I doubt you do."

Furkan thought for a moment before replying.

"I don't, but Büşra messaged me online. You could ask her."

Esma opened the app, found Büşra's name, and typed a message.

Sent: Büşra Duman

"Peace be upon you, I'm Esma, Furkan's cousin. I wanted to talk to you about Merve. If you're free, can we meet?"

They got out of the car and walked into the bookstore. Esma loved this place.

"Come on, recommend me a book," she said, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the shelves.

…

Hearing the notification sound, Büşra set her glass aside and began reading the message. Seeing her friend so distraught these past few days had worried her, but this message made her happy. She quickly replied.

Sent: Furkan Solmaz

"Alright. Where shall we meet?"

She went to her room to get ready.

Received: Furkan Solmaz

"There's a café called Rainbow Café on Magnolia Street. If you know it, let's meet there."

Sent: Furkan Solmaz

"Alright, I know it. I'm on my way. Let's meet in half an hour."

Esma told Furkan she was heading out. Furkan, who was as excited as a child, couldn't contain himself even though he told her to take her time.

Received: Furkan Solmaz

"Okay…"

Esma said goodbye to Furkan and left the bookstore. Since the café was nearby, she arrived quickly and sat at a table she had chosen. A waiter approached, left the menu, and walked away. Esma decided not to look at the menu until Büşra arrived. After waiting a bit more, a girl appeared at the door, glancing around. Recognizing her from the photos she'd seen, Esma raised her hand, which the girl noticed and approached her table.

"Esma?" the girl asked, pointing at herself. Esma nodded affirmatively.

"Yes, and you must be Büşra," she said. They shook hands and sat down.

"The one and only," Büşra said, her warm demeanor putting Esma at ease.

"What will you have to drink?" Esma asked politely.

"I'll have a plain coffee," Büşra said, hanging her bag on the chair and adjusting her hair.

"Sure. Excuse me? Two plain coffees, please." After the waiter left, Esma decided not to beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

"You must know why I wanted to talk to you. Furkan is experiencing something like this for the first time, and his feelings are anything but simple. He insists that Merve loves him too, but I'm not so sure."

Büşra nodded in agreement and took over the conversation.

"Merve loves him too, so much so that she distanced herself from him just to protect him. She's under a serious threat and sacrificed herself to keep her loved ones safe."

Esma had not heard these details from Furkan before.

"Could you elaborate, if it's not too personal?" Büşra took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair.

"Of course." Once their coffees arrived, they began talking. Büşra shared everything with Esma, who listened with her mouth agape, occasionally muttering prayers. No one deserved to go through such hardships.

"What you're telling me is beyond belief. I understand Merve's actions, but the problem is, Furkan doesn't want to stay away from her. Between us, he's even thinking about proposing to her. It's all so confusing, but everything happens as it's meant to. I honestly don't know what to say."

Büşra was surprised at the idea of a proposal but also believed it would be good for Merve. She deserved happiness.

"I really want Merve to be happy, and I have no doubt Furkan can give her that happiness. But Merve is trying to handle things in her own way."

As the conversation progressed, Esma felt more at ease. Although she trusted Furkan, she wanted to be completely certain of Merve's feelings.

"Where is she now? Does she know you're here?" Büşra shook her head and took another sip of her coffee.

"No, she doesn't. We don't see each other much anymore. And, well… how can I put this?" Esma wasn't a fan of Büşra's hesitant demeanor.

"Did something bad happen?" Esma started to feel anxious.

"No, not exactly. She did tell me not to tell anyone, but I think it's for the best if I do." Esma shifted uncomfortably in her chair, unsure of what she was about to hear.

"You're scaring me!" Even though Büşra had promised Merve she wouldn't tell, she knew revealing the truth was the right thing to do.

"She left!" Esma immediately thought about how upset Furkan would be.

"Left? Where?" Her voice trembled with concern.

"She went to her hometown—Rize. She plans to hide there, thinking she can figure things out on her own. I tried to convince her otherwise, but I couldn't."

Esma nodded sadly.

"I see. But I have to tell Furkan about this." Both of them looked somber.

"That's exactly why I told you. Like I said, I care deeply about Merve and just want her to be happy now."

Büşra held onto hope for Merve. She believed that one day, Merve would find the happiness she deserved.

"God willing, dear. God willing." Esma offered a heartfelt prayer for Furkan, believing that all his suffering would come to an end with Merve.

"Shall we go now?" They looked at each other with a glimmer of hope, their efforts driven by their love for two people they deeply cared about.

"Alright, let's." They stood up, paid the bill, and said their goodbyes before parting ways.

What they didn't know was that Emre had been following them. Having not heard from Merve for a while, Emre had asked Büşra about her whereabouts but received no answers. So, he decided to follow her, confident they would meet eventually. Finding out that Merve had left was bad enough. But the idea that Furkan planned to propose to her? And that Merve reciprocated his feelings? That infuriated him.

He grabbed his phone and dialed a number, pressing it to his ear.

"Hello." Aslı answered without delay.

"Merve's gone." Emre's voice dripped with rage.

"Gone where?" Aslı, though reluctant to get involved, was in love with Emre and would do whatever he asked.

"To her father's hometown." Emre was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals.

"What are you planning to do?" His grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles turning white with fury.

"What do you think?" Aslı understood what he meant without him having to say it.

"Got it. What time should I book the ticket for?"

"We're leaving today, on the earliest flight."

"We?"

"You're coming with me."

"Alright, whatever you want." Emre ended the call and got into his car. It was time to head to Rize. He could feel that he was close to achieving his goal. A smirk formed on his face as he started the car and drove home.

…

Esma went straight to the bookstore and pulled Furkan aside to talk.

"Listen to me carefully: Merve's gone." He froze in shock and fear.

"Gone where?" Esma placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"To Rize." Furkan raised his eyebrows in confusion, stroking his beard as he muttered a prayer.

"Rize? For God's sake, Esma, explain this properly." Realizing she had dropped the news too suddenly, Esma began explaining.

"Look, Merve was afraid you'd get hurt, so she decided to run away." Furkan, feeling too weak to stand, sat down on a nearby stool.

"But why Rize?" Esma joined him on the adjacent stool.

"It's her hometown."

"I see." Furkan fell silent for a while, and Esma mirrored his quietness.

"What are you thinking?"

"What needs to be done." There was a spark in Furkan's eyes, and Esma knew exactly what he meant. She smiled and looked at him, jumping in before he could say anything.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Furkan chuckled.

"Where do you think you're going?" Esma raised a mischievous eyebrow, looking down at Furkan.

"What do you mean, where? To Rize, of course!"