Defne woke up in an unfamiliar room. Frightened, she rose to sit up, clutching the duvet tightly. She discreetly checked to see if she was wearing anything at all. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that she had fallen asleep in her dress. Then she looked around her more carefully. The room she was in was about twenty-five square metres. It consisted of two single beds. Next to each of them was a bedside table. A three-door wardrobe with a mirror stood on the wall where, she guessed by noticing the door, there was a bathroom. On the opposite side was a round table with two chairs and an rtv cabinet with a TV.

- Defne? - spoke up Çinar, in whose direction the girl looked. Seeing her friend, she recalled the events of a few hours before. She thought that what she had experienced had only been an unpleasant dream and not a waking one. - Did you wake up already?

- Literally just now - she replied with a sigh, weaving her fingers into her hair. - 'I'm trying to remember how I got here. I was scared when I opened my eyes, but I know now.

- I got scared when I saw you sitting on the stairs in the corridor,' he said, putting down the prepared breakfast on the table. - 'I've asked this before, but surely no one hurt you? You were distraught, you didn't want to say too much.

- 'Nobody hurt me,' she assured him, tossing the duvet aside. - And by no means in the sense you probably mean.

- Do you want to talk about it? - Çinar asked, looking at her.

- 'I'd rather not,' she replied, walking over to the table. She didn't feel like eating breakfast, but she didn't want to make her colleague uncomfortable. She decided to eat at least a little out of consideration for the barista, who had made an effort and organised everything. - Not just yet. I need to sort some things out in my head. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to stay with you tonight.

- Come on. - He waved his hand. - It just happened to be a good thing that Demir had the night shift at the hotel. However, the three of us would have fit in somehow, too. I gave you your own bed.

- Thank you," said Defne inwardly, glad to have met someone here whom she could count on in every situation. - For everything you have done for me so far.

- It's nothing,' he said modestly, sitting down at the table. Çinar had prepared scrambled eggs with chives for them. - I hope I managed to make you feel at least a little better.

After breakfast, Defne finally decided to turn on the phone, something she had been avoiding all the previous evening. She had been expecting calls from Selim, and didn't feel like talking to him. In fact, after she turned on her phone, she saw many calls from her relatives. Among them were also those from Korkmaz.

She had to call her boss and ask for time off. She couldn't imagine coming to work after everything she had found out. She didn't want to meet her boyfriend, and she assumed he would be looking for her at the hotel since she was ignoring his calls. Towards Onur, she decided to be honest. In a brief phone call, she asked for a day off and promised to catch up the next day. The elder Korkmaz, taking advantage of the fact that Turan had made contact with him, gently asked what had happened to her throughout the night. The girl explained that she had had an argument with Selim and was staying in the staff building, where Çinar received her.

Not taking advantage of the boy's hospitality any longer, she thanked him once again for the night and left the staff building. He had to prepare for the next day shift that awaited him. He expected it to be a tough day after the brawl that an unknown man had started.

Defne, on the other hand, arrived at the habitat about an hour after leaving her colleague. On the way back, she went for a quiet walk, where she thought about everything once more. The memories of last night came back to her like a boomerang, causing tears to flow into her eyes. She still couldn't believe that she hadn't guessed anything herself. In the three weeks they had been a couple, as well as before, Selim had not even stammered a word about having someone. This hurt her the most.

Janset greeted her, offering her his shoulder to cry on. The thirty-five-year-old noticed from the first moment that things were not good with Turan. Her intuition did not let her down. Quite quickly, Defne confessed to her what she had found out last night. The woman took care of her as best she could. Without asking any unnecessary questions, she sat her down on the sofa in the living room, sitting down next to her. Patiently and empathetically, she listened to what Turan was ready to tell her. She was not going to pressure her. She understood her, she knew what it meant when a person was heartbroken.

The moment Defne felt better and went to take a shower, Janset took advantage of her absence by texting her husband with a shopping list. The fridge was almost glowing empty. Both needed chocolate and ice cream to overcome their own sorrows.

Inside, the woman was experiencing her inner drama. Another pregnancy test came back negative. She didn't want to bother with the first one, knowing that you can't get pregnant right away. However, when she saw a single line on the test another month later, she began to wonder what could be the reason. She had even taken some steps to address this by making an appointment for a check-up with her gynaecologist.

Her musings were interrupted by the appearance of Defne. The girl was not wearing an ounce of make-up, which made her look bad. She was dressed in tracksuit shorts and a loose T-shirt. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail. In her hand she held sunglasses.

- 'This is in case you're expecting visitors,' she said, explaining why she was holding the glasses. - I don't want to scare people with my appearance.

- I cancelled today's clients,' she replied, sighing.

- Because of me?

- No, it's just... I need a rest. The last few days have left me a bit depressed and....

- I'm so sorry. - Defne quickly approached her. She immediately associated the facts. She hugged her with all her strength. She felt sorry for her that her attempts to get pregnant were failing. She knew perfectly well how Janset longed to become a mother. - Remember that you cannot give up at the start. Some couples need a little more time.

- I know, I'm trying not to panic, but I have thirty-five years on my hands. That's a bit late for a first child.

- Spit out those words! - shouted Defne, knocking on the wooden table top. She didn't want to jinx it. - You're young and beautiful. You're going to be a fantastic mum.

- And that's how I feel. However, I've made an appointment for a check-up just in case. I'd like the doctor to check that I'm definitely okay. It's been a few months since I was with him last.

- You did very well," Defne praised her decision.

The two girls soon went out into the garden to get some fresh air. They sat in the shade in the garden, doing some routine plant maintenance.

Defne felt good about it. She stopped constantly thinking about the fact that Selim had turned out to be a liar who had a wife for a long time. She put it out of her head and concentrated on looking after the flowers.

*

Around midday, Zeynep showed up at the habitat. The woman had warned Özge of her arrival. Defne said nothing, wanting to surprise her. The brunette was happy to see her sister. She threw herself into her arms, hugging her tightly.

The actress was concerned about her sister's condition, which did not look good. She had expected the brunette to not gush with joy, but the force with which she threw herself at her was an indication that something bad had happened.

- Senin için endişelendim (I was worried about you.)," she said, looking closely at Defne's face. Her eyelids were swollen from tears. - I called so many times yesterday, but you didn't answer. Özge couldn't get in touch with you either. I had to come and see you,' she said, embracing her sister once more. - What happened?

- 'Selim turned out to be as much of an asshole as my exes were,' Defne replied shortly, feeling more tears gather in her eyes. - 'Did you know he has a wife? He lied to me all the time.

- How did you find out? - Zeynep, following Defne's words, realised that not everything had gone according to plan. She automatically clenched her fingers out of anger. After all, this was not how they had agreed. Her sister was going to hear it from him.

- 'Yesterday, while we were eating dessert in the garden of his house, some unknown man appeared,' Defne said, wiping away her tears. - He immediately started shouting. He said he had just found out that his sister and he were getting a divorce. He was terribly angry. They even started fighting in front of me.

- Come on, dear, let's sit down and you can calmly tell me everything, okay? - Zeynep grabbed Defne's hand. She had been using this gesture since she was a child, because she knew that she was the older sister and had to be responsible for her siblings. It has stayed with her until now.

The actress was furious with Selim. She regretted that she had trusted him. She should have confessed everything to her herself, not wait for Korkmaz to do it. However, before speaking to him, she decided to find out what last night had been like from Defne's perspective.

The three of them, as Janset joined them, seeing that Zeynep had visited them again, sat at a table on the terrace. An umbrella spread over the table protected them from the sun's rays. On the tabletop were the snacks that Kemal had meanwhile delivered to them, as he had returned from the shop. The man, realising that a female discussion was brewing, moved out of sight, giving them an opportunity to confide. He busied himself unpacking the rest of the shopping and preparing dinner.

Defne, recounted the course of yesterday's events from the beginning, bringing herself to a renewed wave of tears. She didn't want to cry over another boy breaking her heart, but it was stronger than she was. She needed to shed all her tears. This was her way of trying to cope with her wounded heart.

- From the beginning I felt that something was wrong. I asked if something was wrong. I wanted him to spill out what was bothering him, but he successfully avoided the subject, stating that it was a problem in the restaurant that he didn't even remember anymore," sighed Defne, reaching for another tissue on the table.

- 'Apparently, remorse was keeping him up at night or he knew that brother, am I right? - spoke up Janset, sitting opposite Defne, who confirmed the homeowner's words with her head. - Well that's right, his wife's brother is due to turn up in Bodrum and he was afraid of a confrontation? He didn't tell you because then he would have had to mention his marriage.

- 'I don't know, but later he wanted to tell me something because he asked if we could talk,' Defne recalled. - Unfortunately, I didn't find out what he meant because that whole Ayaz thing barged in and interrupted us.

- Did he introduce himself to you? - Janset was surprised.

- Yes. I think he wanted me to know Selim's real face too.

- And he did very well! - spoke up Zeynep. - He took matters into his own hands and thanks to him you know what kind of man Selim really is. Otherwise he would have continued to deceive you.

- That's what hurt me the most,' admitted Defne, sighing. - He lied to my eyes all the time. And it was enough to say. We all have a past. I can't blame him for what he did before we started being together, but he could have told me he was in the process of getting a divorce.

- Maybe he didn't want the divorce to be ruled his fault? - wondered Janset aloud. - In any case, I think it can be explained somehow. Have you spoken to him?

- Hayır (No.) - Defne replied, rejecting another call from Selim. - 'I don't want to talk to him for now. I need to put it together in my head calmly first. Talking under the influence of emotion won't do any good. I've been through this several times before. Every relationship has taught me something.

- A wise approach. - Janset praised her, grabbing her hand for encouragement. - Making any decision under the influence of emotion is not a good thing. You need to talk calmly and explain everything between you.

- And have you thoroughly checked his social media, websites? - Zeynep asked. - There is definitely a trace there.

- I looked, but it's hard to find anything,' stated Defne, pulling her nose. It was hard for her to talk about it, but she promised herself not to break down. Maybe this was how it was meant to be. A brief holiday acquaintance and it was over. Anyway, she hadn't expected much when she made acquaintance with Selim. They didn't promise each other anything. They lived each day. It wasn't until yesterday that Selim confessed to her that he was in love with her, which made her feel hot and awoke the butterflies in her stomach, speaking more and more. - On social media, he is not very active. In the press, he only gives information about his company. About his private life I found nothing in particular.

- Give me the laptop, I'll look," offered Zeynep, determined to find proof. There must have been some photos, since, he told her, he had been married for five years.

Some time later, Defne's sister came across some articles. She looked into it at home in her spare time. She had to see if he had sometimes deceived her too. Indeed, he had told her the truth. In pictures from events for architects, Selim was shown next to a girl confusingly similar to Turan. In one of the few photos, she noticed rings on the finger of both of them. In the others, it was usually the woman who had it on her finger and Korkmaz either hid it by covering her left hand with the right pose or did not wear it, at the expense of other men's jewellery.

- 'You have to admit he has a taste for curly-haired brunettes,' Janset said, leaning over Zeynep's left shoulder, looking at the photos.

Defne looked at the photographs with regret, but at least she had proof that if she had checked him out herself earlier, she might have realised that he had a wife. It just hadn't occurred to her. Until now, she had thought that Korkmaz was different from the rest of the rich people.

- And it looks like their paths have actually diverged, because the last photo of them together that I came across is from January two thousand eighteen,' Zeyno added, closing the laptop flap. - 'They've probably been separated since then,' she put her arm around her sister's shoulder. - 'I'm so sorry, abla.

A short time later, Kemal surprised the girls by serving them homemade pizza. Janset was surprised by her husband's initiative, as she had not mentioned anything to him. What's more, she had completely forgotten that she should prepare something to eat. She was grateful to him for taking care of it. Especially as they had a guest to take care of.

In the afternoon Özge returned from work and took Defne for a walk, promising not to mention Selim. She only let the girls know what state the man was in when he turned up at work accompanied by Ayaz. They both explained to the staff the situation that had taken place the previous day, without admitting to the forum what kind of relationship they actually had.

At that time, Zeynep intended to meet Korkmaz without giving him any prior notice.

*

Selim really wanted to talk to Defne and explain everything to her. However, he was prevented from doing so by Özge and Zeynep. The cousins effectively had a conversation with him, although each at a separate time.

The first was the manager of his restaurant, who came to talk to the boss just after he had finished the meeting with the staff where he explained the situation caused by Ayaz last evening. At the time, Özge had no idea what exactly had happened, but she didn't need many words to put all the facts together. It was with him that Defne had made an appointment for the evening, and in the end she was lost without a trace. She could not be contacted or found anywhere. Nor did she return home for the night. As a result, the blonde was certain that Selim was behind it. She decided to have an honest conversation with him, just like she had a few weeks earlier on the day of the class reunion.

- 'I don't know yet what happened between you two, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about,' she began, trying to remain calm. - I asked her not to suffer because of you and what? You have made Defne cry because of you and Janset finds it hard to calm her down. This is not the way we agreed.

- I'm really sorry it's come to this. I had no bad intentions,' he sighed with sadness in his voice, leaning his buttocks against the desk. - I would like to talk to her calmly and explain everything.

- The problem is that she doesn't want to see you,' she announced firmly, as this was the news Janset had given her in a telephone conversation. - Lütfen ısrar etmeyin. (Please do not insist).

- Couldn't you convince her? - Selim asked full of hope.

- 'I hope you are able to separate private and professional matters. I wouldn't want what you hear to affect my work,' Özge replied, breathing deeply. She cared about this job. She enjoyed doing her job and valued the atmosphere between the rest of the employees.

- 'Of course I can,' he assured her. - 'Then how will it be?

- To answer your question, I say no. I'm not going to convince Defne to have a meeting because I don't think bey deserve it,' she replied, putting her fingers on the door handle. - 'If that's all, I'd like to get back to work.

- Sure, you can go back to your duties,' he said, circling the desk.

When he was left alone, he knocked off whatever was on the tabletop with a flick of his wrist. He had expected Özge not to make things easy for him. From the moment he started appearing around Defne, she had treated him with aloofness. It was as if she knew automatically that he was the wrong choice. However, she never admitted it outright.

Later that afternoon he turned up outside Janset's house. He barely had time to get out of the car and Zeynep appeared in front of him out of nowhere. At first they both stopped motionless, but after a few seconds the brunette spoke up.

- 'I was just going to see you,' she announced, seeing a taxi approaching from a distance. - 'We need to talk.

Before she did, she paid the driver of the yellow vehicle for a free ride. She did not want the man to lose out because she had made up her mind at the last minute.

They went for a walk in the neighbourhood, obviously in the opposite direction to Defne and Özge, because the girl had let herself be dragged out by her cousin for a stroll. Janset and Kemal had gone to a doctor's appointment, so there was no one in the habitat.

- 'You didn't keep your word,' Zeynep began reproachfully. - I shouldn't have trusted you!

- I didn't keep it, but only because I literally ran out of minutes,' corrected Selim. - 'I know that's no excuse, but if my brother-in-law had turned up a moment later, Defne would have found out everything from me. I was ready to confess the whole truth to her. She had tried to get it out of me about two hours earlier, but I didn't dare confess. I preferred to wait for a better moment. Today I regret it very much. I shouldn't have put anything off.

- You had enough opportunities to tell about your past. I'm sorry you didn't take the chance you were given,' Zeynep said, looking ahead. - Unfortunately you will have to suffer the consequences of your actions. I, too, am remorseful for having gone along with you on any deal. When Defne finds out that I knew about your marriage and didn't say anything to her, she will be angry with me.

- 'In that case, let me talk to her and then I'll explain everything to her and we can consider that there was no deal between us,' Selim suggested, putting his hands in his trouser pockets.

- It crossed my mind, but when I found out that it wasn't from you that she knows you have a wife, I changed my mind. I don't want to hide anything from her any longer.

- Tell me, at least, how she is feeling,' Selim asked, glancing at her.

- 'It was very bad this morning, but every hour is better,' sighed Zeynep, looking around. She preferred not to run into Defne and Özge. - You weren't the first to break her heart.

It hurt him. He never wanted to hurt her. And yet he failed to do so. And it was because he had made a mistake. He didn't listen to anyone, even though almost everyone warned him, so that sometimes it wasn't too late. So now he's getting his due. Not only does he suffer himself for the decision he made, but he also resents the fact that a blameless girl is crying because of him.

Continuing the conversation, Zeynep asked the brunet to give her sister a break and not torment her with phone calls and messages. She threw out to him in the process what she thought of him.

Selim was very anxious to see Defne. To look her in the eye, while everyone was effectively separating him from her. He waited with great impatience for Friday to come - a new day on which he hoped to see Defne. Onur had mentioned to him that she had only taken one day off.

Nevertheless, he couldn't stand to be in his house. He thought about Turan all the time. He recalled their moments together. He regretted not telling her everything when they were having dinner in the restaurant.

When it was dark, he reappeared outside Janset's house. Standing leaning against the bonnet of the car, he stared into the window belonging to the girl's room. He had hoped to at least see her in the window, but nothing of the sort happened.

He didn't know how much he had lulled in front of the gate like that, but it didn't matter to him in the least.

At one point, he caught sight of Janset's figure. The woman was dressed in pyjamas. She was wearing a satin dressing gown and her hair was pinned up with a buckle. In her hand she was carrying a rubbish bag. She was unable to sleep, worrying about the tests her gynaecologist had ordered. She was due to have them the very next day. So as not to wake anyone, she got out of bed, taking the rubbish. She hoped that being outdoors would help her sleep. She did not expect to see Selim at the gate of the house.

Even at the mere sight she felt sorry for him. A few scratches on his face, a patch on his nose and his knuckles scraped off. It all didn't look good.

She took pity on him and, after talking to him for a while, let him look into Defne's bedroom. The man was very grateful to her for allowing him, at least that much. He quietly snuck into the indicated room. On the first bed he spotted Özge sleeping. He had misgivings about whether he should go in further, but he took the risk.

He took a few steps forward and found himself next to his beloved's bed. He sat down on the edge of the furniture so as not to wake her. The brunette slept unaware that Korkmaz was right beside her. Her curly hair was scattered on the pillow. Her face was turned towards him. She was breathing calmly and steadily.

Selim stared at her like a picture, afraid to make any movement. He did not want to wake her. The fact that he could look at her while she was sleeping was reward enough for him after a hard day.

With the fingertip of his left hand, he touched her cheek and then her hair. He couldn't stop himself from touching her. It had to be enough for him. The moment the skin of one body touched the other, Defne moved her head as if she wanted more, smiling gently.

- 'I'm so sorry,' he whispered, leaning over her to leave a butterfly kiss on her forehead.

A short time later, he left the room. He thanked Janset again for the opportunity to see Defne. Completely calm, he returned to his house. He fought sleep for a very long time, having the image of the sleeping girl before his eyes.

___________________

Black clouds have gathered over Defne and Selim. I don't know who of them is more hurt. I found it very difficult to write the scenes for this chapter, so I'm curious to see how you guys perceive them.

All the love!