Chapter 16
I couldn't contain the anguish any longer. Eda had always been an enigma, a mysterious figure I kept trying to decipher. But now that I'd discovered the truth, I was broken, desperate, desolate—and furious with myself.
That's why I destroyed the entire apartment we used for our meetings. I racked my brain, sifting through every memory, searching for any clue that she'd conspired with her father, that everything had been planned from the start just to deceive me—but all I found were more doubts and uncertainties.
I was furious, frustrated, and disoriented. I couldn't believe that Eda—the woman I thought was the love of my life—had hidden something so important from me. Every corner of our hideaway, which used to be our refuge, now felt like a prison of secrets and lies.
The apartment walls echoed with the sound of my punches as my rage exploded. Broken furniture and shattered glass scattered across the floor—a reflection of my pain and sense of betrayal.
How could she do this to me?
I thought I knew her so well, thought she was the most trustworthy person I'd ever known, but now I saw I was wrong. She lied to me, deceived me. She didn't care about my feelings at all.
I threw a cushion on the floor and kicked the coffee table.
I was still seething, but I also felt powerless.
I had no idea what to do—I felt lost. I loved Eda, but I couldn't forgive her for this or ever trust her again.
Everything was too complex, too confusing.
I sat on what remained of the broken sofa and sighed.
I closed my eyes and focused on taking deep breaths. The floor beneath my feet seemed to crumble, and the rage churned inside me like an uncontrollable whirlwind.
How could I have been so foolish, so blind?
The first woman I'd ever given my heart to, the one I believed I loved, had been hiding a truth I never could have imagined—deceiving me all this time.
She used me. The love she claimed to feel was a facade, a mask for her secrets and plans. How could I have been so naive, so stupid? The love I thought was real and eternal was nothing more than a farce.
I could barely believe that everything we shared—every moment, every laugh, every kiss—was a lie!? What did she use me for? What was the point of this cruel game she decided to play with me?
I would uncover the truth, whatever it took. Nothing could stay hidden from Ayaz the Cruel. I had my sources. I would move heaven and earth, but I wouldn't let her get away with this betrayal.
The apartment that used to be our refuge was now a battlefield. The destruction around me reflected the chaos within. I didn't know where to go or what to do next. My mind was clouded, my heart torn, my trust shattered.
I took a deep breath, trying to control my rage. One thing was certain: Eda had to get out of my life for good. I couldn't build a family alongside the enemy, couldn't live in fear of lies and betrayal.
Desperate, my heart heavy, I called the only man I could trust—my cousin, Murat.
I needed to tell him everything that had happened, to vent all my suspicions and fears.
To try to understand how I'd let myself fall for such a cruel scheme.
To make it clear that I no longer believed in Eda's love, that he'd been right in his suspicions, and that I thought she was using me to pull a con on me and the organization.
“Ayaz, what happened here?” he said when he arrived and found the apartment in ruins, his voice full of concern.
“Murat, I discovered something terrible about Eda,” I began to explain, my voice wavering. “You can't even imagine what secrets she was hiding from me. After what I discovered, I can't trust her anymore.”
“What did you discover that was so serious it left you like this and made you destroy the entire apartment?” He took a breath, looking at me with sympathetic eyes.
I told him in detail about everything I'd discovered through his revelations. My voice was thick with pain when I spoke about whose daughter Eda was.
“But Ayaz, why would she tell you everything that way if her plan was working so well? Do you think she was really deceiving you?”
“I don't know, Murat.” My anger grew as I shared my suspicions. “I just know I can't believe in her love anymore, or her words, or her good intentions. Something tells me I was being used, that she wanted to con me. And then she came up with this absurd story about being pregnant with my child.”
“You need to handle this calmly, Ayaz.” He looked at me, then around the apartment, with sadness. “Anger and destruction won't get you anywhere.”
I sighed, realizing he was right. But the betrayal I felt was overwhelming, and the pain of losing a love I'd believed was real was unbearable.
“Let's work together to uncover the truth about her and this child.
Put our men on investigating what they intended—or still intend.
And above all, increase the security around you.
That's the most important thing. If Hilal Aydin got this close to you, he might try to take your life.
He's capable of anything, and we know that after he murdered our baba.”
Murat's words echoed in my ears. I knew I needed to find answers, but my tumultuous emotions made me question whether I could ever trust anyone again. My heart was destroyed.
“I'm sorry, Ayaz.” He paused for a moment.
“But I need to be honest with you. Believe me: true love isn't based on lies and deception.
If she had the nerve to deceive you this way, she doesn't deserve your love—and she's far more dangerous than we can imagine.
We need to stay alert and be very careful.
We don't know what their next move will be, especially if this child she's expecting is really yours and she manages to prove it.”
Those words struck me right in the heart. I didn’t want to believe that everything we’d shared was a lie, but the truth was undeniable. My mind was a storm of confusion and anger.