Ceyda examined the things she had found in Zerrin's closet again. She was very confused. How could such a thing happen? Her mind couldn't comprehend it. She wondered what would happen if she talked to her father, or whether she could even trust him. She thought a lot about what she should do. If she asked Sarp for help, would he, in his injured state, also have to deal with her problems? With the idea that came to her mind, she called her friends. She explained the situation and asked if they would help. Her friends loved Ceyda very much; they would risk everything for her. They made a plan together and hung up. Kaya and Elif got into his car and set off for the address Ceyda had given them. The address was in the Çerkezköy district of Tekirdağ. Kaya was a bit uneasy because he didn't know what they would encounter. "Elif," said Kaya, letting out a deep breath. "What are you thinking? Do you think there's any truth to this situation?" "I don't know," Elif said, shrugging. "Actually, I'm a little nervous," said Kaya. "We don't know what kind of surprise awaits us there. We're heading into the unknown." "It's worth it for Ceyda. Besides, a little adventure and action wouldn't be bad, right?" Kaya opened his eyes in surprise and looked Elif over. He started laughing. "Has courage gotten into you, girl?" he said, reaching out and pinching Elif's cheek. ****** Sarp was on his feet and making plans to reunite with his Ceyda. In his study, sitting across from Aytaç, he was listening to his father.
"Son, if only you had recovered a bit more, your wound is still fresh. You should rest for a while. Then we could go together and get your wife," said Aslan Bey. "I can't wait any longer, Father. This ends today. I want my wife by my side now." "Then, no matter what, you are not to put yourself on the front line. Bulletproof vests will be worn." Sarp nodded in agreement to his father. Then he turned to Aytaç. "Keep the team large, Aytaç. I don't want any mishaps. We will get Ceyda and come back without harming anyone or getting harmed." "If it were up to me, that Atlas bastard deserves to die, but..." "Aytaç," said Aslan Bey, as if warning him. Aytaç stood up, frowning. "I'm leaving then, if the meeting is over. I need to check on the men and have a meeting," he said, leaving the room. He was muttering to himself. "They're protecting that Atlas bastard. They won't even let me blow his brains out." Aytaç gathered all the men and talked about what needed to be done, scrutinizing each one in turn. "I don't want a single mistake, understood?" he said. ****** Yasemin was dressed in a stylish, thick-strapped white dress that reached just above her knees. She let her blonde hair fall over her dress. Her white high-heeled shoes completed her elegance. When she arrived at the Doğan mansion, she got out of the taxi. The two men standing at the door were staring intently at Yasemin.
Yasemin approached the men and said, "I came to see Ceyda." "Ceyda Hanım cannot see anyone. Aziz Bey has given strict orders. I'm sorry, you can't see her, ma'am," said one of the men. "Then I want to speak with Atlas Bey. I hope you won't say no to that either." The man took out his phone and called Atlas. "Brother, a lady friend of Ceyda Hanım is at the door; she wants to see you." "Send her in, Arif. Let her come," said Atlas. Yasemin entered the garden through the opened gate. Swishing her hair as she walked through the garden, Atlas was standing in front of the house, his dark eyes narrowed, watching Yasemin's approach. He sighed deeply and looked at the girl gliding like a swan. When Yasemin approached Atlas, she stopped in front of him. Smiling, she extended her hand. "Hello, Atlas Bey." "Hello, Yasemin Hanım," said Atlas. He also extended his hand and shook hers. "I wanted to see Ceyda, but I was told I can't see her. So I wanted to talk to you. If you have time, of course." Atlas smiled and gestured inside with his hand. "Please, Yasemin Hanım."
They went out to the back garden together and sat in the chairs by the pool. Yasemin looked around; she really liked it. She thought to herself, "We can only see such houses in our dreams." "Do you like it?" said Atlas. "Pardon?..." "You seemed to like the garden a lot; you zoned out." "Yes, it's nice. But why do you have so many men? Isn't it a bit much?" "For security reasons," said Atlas. His eyes were still narrowed, examining Yasemin. "Can I really not see Ceyda? Okay, I don't approve of the marriage she made either, but after all, this girl was kidnapped," she said, and Atlas's eyebrows furrowed. Yasemin continued without paying attention. "Maybe she was forced into a difficult situation to get married? Could that be?" "How do you know Ceyda got married?" "From whom else? Sevil Anne told me. You haven't even let them see her. They're upset; it's a shame, after all, they were a family to Ceyda for twenty years." "It wasn't a forced marriage like you think. She shamelessly said she loves Sarp and married him of her own free will. She won't leave that room until she divorces that vile man." Atlas took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. Otherwise, he would have started cursing in front of this beautiful girl. "What would you like to drink?" he asked Yasemin. "If you have it, I'll have cherry juice." Atlas called one of the men and asked for cherry juice and unsweetened coffee. Yasemin swished her hair with her hand.
Your tone of voice sounded so angry that I thought for a moment you were going to take your anger out on me. I was surprised when you asked what I wanted to drink," she said. Atlas smiled and asked, "Why would I take it out on you?" "I don't know, that's how it seemed to me. Anyway, do you think Ceyda will agree to the divorce? Also, I think a year has to pass before they can divorce." "First, are we going to consider the lady's wishes in this matter? Second, don't you worry about the rest. They will divorce due to irreconcilable differences, or if not, Ceyda Hanım will stay in her room for a year." "You talk as if you don't like your sister at all? But it hasn't been long since you met, right? How much can you love someone in such a short time? Besides, Ceyda had really taken to you. She became very attached to you in a short time. She loved you the most in this family. She thought you would support her in everything." "On the contrary, it's because I love my sister very much that I'm distancing her from that family. Believe me, I would do anything for her own good." Yasemin was starting to get irritated by the man in front of her, but for the sake of her dear friend, she would put up with him today. She thought to herself, "How did I ever find a man like him attractive?" ****** Kaya and Elif had arrived in Tekirdağ. They had found the address but couldn't get into the house. They decided to try their luck one more time. They entered the garden, went to the door, and rang the bell. The door was opened by an angry, burly man who pointed the gun in his hand at them. "Didn't I tell you to get lost?"
Elif's pupils dilated with fear. Kaya, nervously raising his hand, said, "Okay, sir, we don't mean to disturb you. As I said earlier, we've come a long way. Our car broke down; we left it at the nearest repair shop. Since my wife is pregnant, we just wanted to rest a bit and ask for a glass of water." The man, who seemed to be in his sixties, frowned and scrutinized both of them. Expressing his anger, he said, "Either you go to another door now, or I'll have to shoot you." Kaya, realizing it wouldn't work this time either, took Elif's hand. "Come on, dear wife, humanity is dead," he said. They moved a little away from the house and got into their car. Elif took the pillow she had stuffed under her thin sweater and threw it into the back seat. "We're not getting into that house. What are we going to do now? What will we tell Ceyda? You even stuffed a pillow in my stomach to make it convincing. And it still didn't work." Kaya's morale was also low. His dear friend had asked for his help, but he couldn't do anything. He took his phone and called Ceyda. She answered on the first ring. "Kaya, please tell me you found something?" "We found the house, Ceyda, but no matter what we did, we couldn't get inside. But don't be upset; I'll find a way. If necessary, I'll climb in through the window at night." "Your heads will get into trouble because of me. You come back; I'm going to report it to the police." "No, Ceyda, no police. If there's nothing suspicious in the house, it won't work. Although the man did look very suspicious." "What do you mean?"
"I said, 'Our car broke down; we left it at the nearest repair shop. My wife is pregnant; can we rest and ask for some water?' But the man pointed a gun at us. He said, 'Either you leave immediately, or I'll kill you.'" "Ceyda, we even put a pillow in my stomach to make it convincing; you should have seen it," said Elif. "A pillow?" "Quiet," said Kaya. He was carefully watching the house. Elif also turned to where Kaya was looking. "What's happening?" said Ceyda. "Ceyda, three armed men came to the house. I knew there was something up with this man. They've started patrolling the garden." "Come back, Kaya, don't stay there. I'll call Sarp and talk to him too." "So you're going to ask your husband for help?" "I don't see any other option, Kaya. I'll let you know right away," she said, hanging up. ****** All preparations were complete, and bulletproof vests were worn. They didn't want anyone to get hurt anymore. Sarp went out to the garden with his father, Aslan Bey. "Is everything ready?" he said to Aytaç, scrutinizing his men. "Ready, Sarp. But as we discussed before, it would be better if you stayed back and rested. With Aslan Amca leading us, we'll return with Ceyda without any problems, you can be sure of that." "I thought we discussed this. Let's not drag it out," said Sarp, turning to the men.
"I don't want any mistakes. You will not shoot anyone unless absolutely necessary," he said. Just then, his phone rang. He took the phone out of his pocket and looked at it; it was Ceyda calling. Smiling, he answered the phone. "Yes, my beautiful wife." "Sarp, how are you?" Ceyda's voice sounded very excited. This excitement was because she missed Sarp terribly and also because of what she had to tell him. "I'm fine, my beauty. I'm coming to get you." "Don't come." Sarp frowned. "What do you mean, don't come?" "Well, I didn't mean it like that. There's a situation. Actually, I wasn't going to ask for your help because you're injured, but only you can resolve this situation." "My beauty, will you tell me now? Did someone do something to you?" "No. I saw old and new photos of my mother in Zerrin's closet, some intact, some torn. I'm very confused." Sarp raised his eyebrows. Those around him, including his father, looked at Sarp curiously. "I'm not sure, of course, but the woman I saw in the photo looks exactly like my mother. Also, there's a deed showing she bought a house for someone in Tekirdağ. She sends a large amount of money to the same person every month. I sent Kaya and Elif to the address. No matter what they did, they couldn't get into the house. The homeowner is a very grumpy person. When he pointed a gun at Kaya and Elif, they left the house and started watching. Then three armed men came and started standing guard in the garden." Ceyda had explained everything excitedly in one breath. "My Ceyda, why are you telling me this now? Is that fool Kaya going to solve the situation? Anyway, are they still there?" "Yes," said Ceyda.
"Tell them to go back." "Okay. Sarp, are you angry with me? I just thought because you're injured..." Sarp cut off Ceyda's words. "My beauty, how could I ever be angry with you?" he said with a sigh. "My beautiful wife. Send me the address and tell them to return immediately." After hanging up, he turned to his father. "The plan has changed; we're going to Tekirdağ." Aslan Bey frowned. "What business do we have in Tekirdağ?" "Ceyda found something about her mother. I'll explain on the way," he said, and they set off. While on the road, Ceyda sent Sarp the address and pictures of what she had found in the drawer. If Melek Hanım was alive, as they suspected, this situation would also clear Aslan Bey's name in the eyes of the Doğans. ****** Yasemin and Atlas had been spending time together for hours, laughing and joking. Both were pleased with the situation. Atlas was clearly captivated by Yasemin's charm. He didn't want to let her go, and this suited Yasemin's plans. "Yasemin, stay for dinner. I'll drive you home." Yasemin, in a flirtatious manner, swished her hair again and fixed her green eyes on Atlas. "I'll stay," she said with a smile, "but I have a request. Ceyda will join us for dinner." Atlas immediately frowned. "But I miss her so much, please. Just this once, could you talk to your father?"
Atlas smiled and said, "Okay." There was no trace of his earlier attitude left. Yasemin, overjoyed, shouted, "Thank you!" and jumped up from her seat, hugging Atlas's neck. Atlas was surprised at first but pulled himself together and reciprocated, hugging the beautiful girl sitting on his lap. He smiled and hugged Yasemin. Just then, they heard a man clearing his throat. At the same time, a woman's voice. "Oh, what's going on here?" she shouted. Yasemin quickly got up from Atlas's lap and looked at the newcomers. It was Kaya and Elif. Atlas said, "Where did you two come from?" "Sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt, but we miss Ceyda very much; we came to see her," said Kaya. Yasemin, with flushed cheeks, said, "You misunderstood; we're not what you think." Elif was still looking at Yasemin in surprise. "What we think isn't important. Are we going to see Ceyda?" Elif said, looking at Atlas. "Of course, let's get the key from Kader and see my sister," said Atlas, standing up. Kaya, Elif, and Yasemin looked at each other. Wouldn't they be able to speak alone with Ceyda? Ceyda was pacing around her room, phone in hand. She was waiting excitedly for news from Sarp. Suddenly, she heard the door lock. She quickly put her phone under her pillow. When the door opened and she saw her friends, she ran to them happily and hugged them. "How did they let you into my room? Who gave permission?" she said, then saw her brother leaning against the doorframe, watching her. "Brother, come in."
"I'm leaving. Spend time with your friends. You probably have things to talk about. Come down for dinner all together at mealtime," said Atlas. Ceyda smiled at her brother with tear-filled eyes. "Thank you, brother," she said. After Atlas left, they sat in the chairs in the room. "Guys, thank you so much." "No need for thanks. The operation was a failure. We couldn't manage to do anything," said Kaya. "Just going there and investigating was enough for me." "My operation is complete, God willing," said Yasemin, smiling. "Yeah, she completed it so well, you should have seen it. I'm so sorry for what you missed, Ceyda," said Elif. "What do you mean? What did I miss?" said Ceyda with great curiosity. "Hugging and cuddling," said Kaya. Yasemin threw the cushion she was holding at Kaya. They all laughed together. "Girl, we told you to distract him with a little chat, and you made him fall in love with you." "Apparently, no one can resist my charm." "How is Aslı? I wish you had brought her too." "That one had to fill in for us at the cafe. Also, she's been a bit down lately," said Yasemin.
"Why? What happened?" "You know Alp has been going out of town for work constantly, so he can't spend time with Aslı. Aslı says she can't take it anymore. They're fighting, basically." "Anyway, forget that. Is there any news from the guy who's supposed to be your husband now?" "No, I don't want to call constantly; I'm waiting for him to call." "Do you think our suspicions are correct?" "I don't know. The possibility that my mother might be alive excites me very much. But on the other hand, I don't want to get my hopes up too much. What if it's an illusion? After all, everyone says she's dead. I've been sad enough; from now on, I want to be happy with my loved ones. And I want to be reunited with my husband," said Ceyda. "Wow, we've been friends for years, and I couldn't make you fall in love with me, but some guy comes along and makes you fall in love in two days. Good for him." Ceyda laughed and lightly hit Kaya's head with her hand. ****** Sarp, his father, and their men arrived at the address. They parked their cars a little away from the house and got out. Sarp signaled Aytaç and a few men to go to the back of the house. He signaled Cem and a few men to go right, and Erdem and a few others to go left. Sarp, his father, and the rest would enter through the front door. "Be careful, son. You're injured, and we don't know what's waiting for us. Don't put yourself on the front line." "Don't worry, Father. We will all get out of here safely," said Sarp. It was starting to get dark. Two men were visible in the garden. When Sarp said "Begin," everyone heard his voice through their earpieces. With cautious steps, they quietly entered the garden. Cem hit one of the men he saw in the garden on the back of the head with his gun, knocking him out, since his back was turned.
They had to shoot another one in the foot. Just then, gunshots started. They were both protecting themselves and returning fire. Aslan Bey quickly approached the injured man on the ground, grabbed his fallen gun before he could, and hit him with the butt of the gun, knocking him out. They would avoid killing anyone as much as possible. Sarp approached the house door. He kicked the door open with all his strength and burst in. In the living room, he faced a man pointing a gun at him. The others also burst in behind Sarp. "Who are you?" said the man. His hand was trembling with fear. Aslan Bey said, "We won't hurt you. Lower your weapon." The man, terrified, opened his eyes wide and was examining the crowd in his house. "What do you want? Get out of my house," said the man. "Look, if you don't lower your weapon, we'll have to shoot you. You can't handle this many men alone," said Sarp. "I won't lower my gun until you tell me what you want." "We're looking for a woman named Melek," said Sarp. The man suddenly started shouting. "There's no woman here! Leave my house immediately!" The man was giving himself away. Erdem, who had entered through one of the windows, quietly approached the man from behind and grabbed his gun with one hand and his other arm with his other hand. Just then, a gun went off. One of the men collapsed to the ground. While everyone was looking at the shot man, a woman's scream was heard from one of the rooms. Sarp ran towards the source of the sound, with his father behind him. They approached the room. Sarp opened the door and entered. Two women were hugging each other, crouched on the floor. Sarp approached the women. He sat on the floor like them. He couldn't make out their faces clearly. He reached out his hands and touched them.
"Don't be afraid; I won't hurt you," he said. One of the women lifted her head, which was buried in the other's shoulder, and looked at Sarp. He thought this must be the wife of the man outside. He turned the other woman towards him. The moment he saw the woman's face, he was shocked. This woman looked so much like his Ceyda. "This can't be," he said, lifting his head and looking at his father, who was also staring at the woman with shocked eyes.