Eriza's P.O.V.

Anne tried to force-feed me some weird soup that the hospital provided me but I pushed her hand gently not wanting it. I wanted to see Baba, it has been over three hours since I regained consciousness, and over 6 hours since the accident happened. "Anne," I say stubbornly, "I do not want to eat, I want to see Baba." About an hour ago Ferit Baba had come in and said that he was out of surgery. Anne and Emara had gone to see him, but no one would take me.

"Not yet," That is what she kept saying, "He needs to rest-"

"What are you hiding from me?" I snap at her annoyed, "Anne,"

"I would eat up," Mazhar said walking into the room annoyingly slumping down on the chair on the other side of the room, "You need strenght to meet him."

"Was I talking to you?" I ask annoyed,

"Izzie!" Anne explained, "He is just trying to-"

"I want to see Baba!" I said just as loud back, "I do not feel good, and I want to see him." Something wasnt sitting right, I do not understand why they had to behave so suspiciously when I knew that I was going to take the brunt of the hit, "Take me now."

"Fuck this," Mazhar mumbled storming over to me, "Excuse me," He said to Anne, pushed the food tray away from my bed, and lifted me up bridal style, shocking me.

"What-"

"Sh," He hushed me, as he carried me over to the wheelchair sitting in the corner of my room. Mazhar gently sat me down, took my hijab that was lying on the edge of the bed, and gently wrapped it around my head, careful of the bandages. Anne, and Emara. watched us quietly, as he rolled me out of the room, to another room a door down from mine. "Don't cry." He said firmly, as he pushed me through the door, not even giving me the chance to ask why I gasped unintentionally as the scene unrevealed infront of me. . .

"Baba?" I whispered painfully to see him lying awake, with his eyes glued down to where his legs used to be. . .my hands shook as Mazhar rolled me to sit right beside him as Baba was lost in a daze, not realizing I had come into the room. "Baba?" I called him gently placing my hand on his arm, Baba flinched quickly meeting my gaze. My bottom lips began to quiver as his eyes filled with tears. "It's okay." I try to comfort him.

"My legs," He managed to say, "T-They-"

I shook my head holding onto his hand tighter, "It's okay Baba." I try to force a smile on my face, "it will be okay."

"How will it be okay!" Baba broke down, "Eriza, my legs are gone." My gaze dropped not knowing what to say, "They cut them off because the damage was so extensive. I had thought that I would be able to walk if they had just put me through physiotherapy but- no."

"He was feeling phantom limbs." Mazhar pipped in softly, "He woke up thinking that his legs were still there, but. . "He hesitated, "That was not the case."

"Eriza, everything is going to slip from our hands." He began, "The debt, we had barely scratched the surface, and now with the bills of this hospital and our house." I saw the panic clear in his body, eyes, and voice, "Your Anne does not make half-"

"Baba." I say softly, "What am I here for?" I will work instead of him, I will. help Anne run the house, "Baba, I can do your job."

"No." He shook his head It was not that simple Izzie."

"Baba, it is that simple." I say firmly, "Anne makes enough to run the day-to-day expenses and for the bigger ones-"

"Marry Mazhar." Baba interrupted me,

My smile fell. "What?" The room fell silent, "No." Mazhar awakrdly cleared his throat, "That is not possible Baba, he has a girlfriend, we barely can stand each other and how does marriage even play a role in this situation right now!" I can barely comprehend everything due to my own injuries, and now he wants to do this. "We have bigger matters to deal with other than our fucking marriage!"

"Those matters-"

"Baba!" I accidentally raised my voice, "I am not getting married to him." My hands began to shake, "You said that it would just be an engagement nothing else." I felt the same anxiousness I had felt 12 years ago when they asked me to be more than friends with him, "I, am not marrying him."

"Eriza, marriage will clear the debt." Baba's voice dropped to a whisper, "Ferit promised, it will be forgiven." He is selling me, just like before. . .I didnt want to admit it, when I was little but now it was so obvious. "For the sake of our family's future Eriza, please."

Why was the fate of our family always put on my shoulders? I look over at Mazhar, "And you are okay with this?" I hated the fact that he was quiet at these moments, "Mazhar, I am asking you something!"

"Whatever helps." He said robotically.

"Izzie," Baba gently shook my hand, "If the debt is clear, then the money I have saved up can keep our family going for a few more months, and then Emara can begin to work alongside me. Meryem." Why was Ferit Baba feeling so empathetic now? Why wouldnt he give this proposal before? Is the debt even going to be cleared or is this- "Kizim?" (My daughter?)

"Fine," I say defeated, "If that is what the new deal you two whipped up in our absence, then why not?"

"Izzie,"

"I was always just something for you to trade. to give. Emara a better future anyways." I say angrily, "You love her more than you love me, because I know for a face that you would never. ask her to do the things you ask me to do Baba."

"Eriza, that isnt fair." Mazhar spoke up, "He had just lost his legs, he is just trying to"

"stay out of it." I snapped as all the fear, and grief turned into anger in my heart, "I am talking to my Baba."

"Yeah, and he is my father-in-law." He snapped back, "I am in the same boat as you Eriza, but I do not lash out on someone who has given me life."

"Right," I scoff, "You are such a fucking suck up infront of him." I wasnt going to mention this to Baba but now he was really getting on my nerves. "Baba, do you have any idea what he did at-"

"He," Mazhar interrupted me, "Does not need to know that." Baba looked back and forth between us confused, "Stop trying to change the topic Eriza,"

I rolled my eyes, "Kizim," Baba whispered, "I do not love you more or less than Emara," Yeah right, "Infact, I cherish you the most because as soon as you were. born, I knew I would do anything to provide you with a good life." Failed at that, "I know I have not been good at providing that, now I know that I won't be able to at all, with the loss of my limbs, so I am handing you to someone I know will be able to provide that." Mazhar? "You will not understand it now, but one day you will. . .just, please beleive me, one last time."

I breathe out shakily, as I look over at him, his eyes hold hope, the same hope he had six years. . .

"Okay," I said defeated, "I'll marry him."

Mazhar inhaled sharply as soon as I said those words, it was so clear to me that he didnt want this, so what was holding him back, to say yes?

Why was he ruining his life, alongside mine. . .

Why?

. .  .   Two Days Later . . .

Mazhar and I sat beside each other reluctantly as our family surrounded us. we stared down at a piece of paper that was solidifying a connection between the two of us for the rest of our lives. The imam sat on the other side of Baba's hospital bed as we had the marriage certificate sitting infront of us, on his serving table. "So, who will sign first?" Ozan said boldly as we had been sitting in silence for the past fifteen minutes. 

"Ozan," Asiye Anne scolded him, "Sh," 

I hesitantly picked up the pen first and scribbled down my signature on the piece of paper, sliding it toward him as soon as I was. done with it.  Mazhar exhaled heavily and did the same, neither of us expected applause but there was some, from two people, 

Asiye Anne and Baba. The room fell silent, as Baba signed under my name, as a witness, and Ferit Baba signed under Mazhar's signature. "This marriage is under the consent of you two right?" The imam asked as he noticed the tension in the room. 

"Yes," I say not making eye contact with him, 

"Yes," Mazhar replied sounding absolutely miserable, 

"Well, the rings then." Asiye Anne said, I looked down at my necklace, and quickly unhooked it, sliding the ring off of the chain, and handed it to Mazhar. He cleared his throat took out a small rung out of his bracelet, and handed it to me. I kept my gaze down as he slide the ring on my finger, feeling immediately trapped in some sort of invivle jail.  Taking Mazhar's hand in mine gently I slide his ring on as well, this time there were no applause. 

The room was quiet, the Imam took the certificate and signed it underneath for authentication, and said, "Tebrikler" (Congratulations)

Mazhar and I didnt want a congratulation, we didnt want this. "Teşekkür ederim,"  (Thank you) Mazhar said uncomfortably. As soon as the Imam walked out, I stood up wanting to gain distance from him. Mazhar looked up at me taken back, "Eriza,"

"I need air," I say quickly, and rush off out of the room, to find some sort of peace away. from the chaos that I had begun to feel. Tears burned in the corner of my eyes, and my chest tightened. I pushed open the door to the back of the hospital, allowing the cold air to fill my lungs as I felt as if I was on fire. "Ah!" I screamed as loud as I could, falling to my knees, "Why?" I cried out, "Why me!" 

No one had the answer to that question. . .

No one. 

. . .

Mazhar's P.O.V.

Shoving clothes in my small carry-on, I ignored the knock on my door, "Mazhar?" I heard Baba say roughly, "I know that you are in there." I rolled my eyes, "Mazhar."

Blowing out air I pull open. the door roughly, and go back to packing my things, as I had my acceptance letter to NYU laying infront of me, an escape root from all the shit show that was happening here. "I did everything you asked Baba." I said quickly, "You cannot stop me, from following my dreams anymore." I quickly pulled out more clothes from my closet, "I cannot stand that girl and you know that."

"That girl is now your wife Mazhar." Baba corrected me, 

I stopped packing, "Yeah?" I tilt my head to the side, "And whose fucking fault is that?"  I was done with being a pawn in one of his fucking games, "I do not give a fuck about her." I didnt want anything to do with this anymore, or Eriza. "I have made that more than enough clear Baba." 

I look down at my ring and take it off shoving it in his hand, "I have no responsibility towards her, you do. You are the one pretending to forgive the debt, to keep them as your fucking slaves. You are going to keep them working in that hotel, not me. I am going to New York and I are going to have a different future than those poor fucks." Baba always wanted to keep Adam Baba lower than him, I never understood the animosity he had held towards him, but he always used me as a pawn in his stupid fucking mind games. 

Not anymore. 

"I am leaving." I do not care what he says anymore, "I have helped enough."

"Yeah, and who the fuck is paying for your fees?" He always held that over my head,  "I just need two more months of your life."

"No!" I exclaim, "No, I do not have any more time or energy for this Baba." I had some money saved up on the side if he refused to pay for the first semester I had it covered, and then I would find a job, "Keep that family as your problem, because they are for sure not my fucking problem anymore." Zipping up my suitcases, I push them into the corner of the room. "Why do you hate Adam Baba so much?"

Baba's posture changed, "I do not hate him."

"Yeah," I say in disbelief, "Of course you dont." I knew I wasnt going to get out of him, "Just leave me alone Baba." I storm out of the room and rush downstairs to see Ozan and Anne standing infront of the door, "What?" I snap at them. 

"Adam called asking when you will be going over there to pick Eriza up." Anne said softly, "What should I say?" Anger boiled in my veins. 

"Fucking never." I say firmly, "The debt is clear, there is no need for her to come here because I won't be here." I shrug on a leather jacket. "My flight is tonight, and I do not need any of this shit to come in between my education."

"There is one more month-"

"I talked. to the advisor at my school a day ago before all this shit went down. I could graduate early because of my grades, and my diploma will be delivered here." I cut her off, "I am leaving Anne, and there is nothing you can do to keep me here now."

I push past Ozan who said something that flattered my steps, "Your wife isn't enough?" He asked softly, "Mazhar, she is waiting for you." Please she's probably happy that I am not going over there right now. 

"I don't care," I say coldly, before walking out of the house, into the cold air of Istanbul. I needed to clear my head because there was utter chaos in there right now. 

This marriage was a sham, she knew not to expect anything from it, and I do too. . .

We are not meant to be. . . 

That's it.