I don't know how my peaceful life got into such a dead end, or what sin I was paying for.
Frowning at the man in front of me, I said, "Who are you? Are you bandits? And what nonsense are you talking? My mother is clear, my father is clear. Now take your men and get out of here." "Look, my daughter, let's go to our house. I will explain everything to you." "What are you going to explain? Tell your men to lower their guns, or I'll raise the whole neighborhood." I was furious; what I was going through was too much for me. "Lower your guns." At his command, the men lowered their weapons. I hugged my mom, breathing in her familiar scent. "Mom, are you okay?" "I'm fine, my daughter, don't worry," she said, taking my face in her hands. Her eyes were red from crying. Seeing her like this, I couldn't hold back my tears either. "My dear daughter, no matter what happens, never forget that you are our darling." "Mom, do you know this man? What nonsense is he talking?" When I said this, she closed her eyes and lowered her head. This tightened my heart; I felt suffocated. I let go of my mom, knelt in front of my dad, and took his hands. "Dad, you tell me, please. What is all this nonsense about?" He looked into my eyes with his reddened eyes for a while. "Tell me, Dad. Whatever I hear from you, you are my father. No truth can change that," I said. "My dear daughter, I needed to talk to you about this for years, but your mother and I didn't want to upset you." His voice was strained; he was struggling to speak. The outcome of this conversation didn't look good. "For years, your mother and I always prayed for a child, but God didn't grant it. One night, myarmy friend came to my door holding a baby. 'This beautiful baby is motherless and fatherless. From now on, she is your child, my brother. Take care of her; she is entrusted to you. Don't question the rest,' he said and left. She was only a few hours old. At that moment, God answered my prayers and sent me a beautiful baby girl." I didn't want to believe what I was hearing. I couldn't think or feel anything. I closed my eyes. "God, let it all be a dream. What I've been through lately is too heavy." "Let's go, my daughter. Come on, get up." The man claiming to be my father had spoken, touching my shoulder. I pushed his hand away, stood up, and turned to him loudly. "What nonsense are you talking? I'm not going anywhere with you. Maybe you could be my father, but I don't know you. You're not in any part of my twenty-year life. Now take your men and get out of here." "It's not that simple, my daughter. I've been looking for you for years. You can't know how painful this situation is for a father. I saw your face for a very short time when you were born," he said. He was looking at me with compassion. "Okay, then. You've seen me. Now get out of here. I have only one family, and it's not you," I said. The compassionate look in his eyes darkened. "I will take the pain of being deprived of you for all these years out on these people you call your family. If you don't want any harm to come to them, you will accept me as your father and come to where you belong." My eyes widened in fear at these words. I couldn't bear it if something happened to my mom and dad. I turned to them. First, I hugged my mom, wiped her tears, kissed her. "Mom, please don't be upset. I wish you had told me everything in time. I'm not angry with you. I will come to you. Don't worry about me," I said, kissing her again. I also kissed and hugged my dad and, reluctantly, said goodbye to them and left the house with the man who was supposedly my biological father. The two of us got into the back of one of the cars. When the men got in too, the two cars moved one after the other. I turned my head to the right, wiping my flowing tears, and watched outside. I didn't want to turn and look at him. I had millions of questions I wanted to ask, but I didn't want to talk. It was as if someone was playing a camera prank. For years, my family, my mom and dad, turned out not to be real.
"I loved your mother very much," he said, taking a deep breath. "You look just like her. When she was seven months pregnant with you, she was poisoned by something she ate and gave birth prematurely. She passed away right after you were born." Involuntarily, I turned to him. He was watching me with bloodshot eyes. "I never believed I lost her. It's as if she's still alive somewhere, just like you. I saw you for a very short time while I was dealing with my mother's grief. While I was attending to her, someone kidnapped you. The agony I've lived with for all these years will end now that I've found you, my daughter." What he told me had affected me deeply. I felt sorry for him. Was I really his daughter? "I am your father, my daughter. This is a very difficult situation for you too. I understand you. In time, everything will fall into place. I will find those who made us live through this and punish them with my own hands as soon as possible." The cars stopped in front of a large, ostentatious house, protected like a fortress with walls all around. When the large garden gate opened, we entered and stopped in front of the house. When I got out of the car, there were a few people at the door to greet us. One of the men said, "Welcome, Mr. Aziz. Everyone is waiting for you in the living room." When we entered the living room, those inside looked at me in surprise. "Let me introduce you to my beautiful daughter, Ceyda," said Mr. Aziz. Everyone stood up and stood in front of me. An older man with gray hair and a slight beard hugged me tightly. "My granddaughter, my dear girl," he said, starting to cry. I hesitated whether to hug him back or not, but I hugged him anyway. Ceyda felt embarrassed and uncomfortable in front of these people she didn't know; she didn't know how to act. Aziz pointed to his father, who was hugging Ceyda. "Your grandfather, Ahmet Doğanlar," he said, then introduced her to his mother, Mrs. Zümrüt. Mrs. Zümrüt also hugged Ceyda with tearful eyes. "Longing has tormented us, my sweet-smelling one. You look just like your mother," she said.
Ceyda turned her gaze to another woman in the room. A woman in her fifties with black hair, blue eyes, and a cold expression was watching Ceyda. Her father, holding the hand of the woman who had caught Ceyda's attention, said, "My wife, Zerrin." Zerrin approached Ceyda with a cold smile. "Welcome, Ceyda," she said, hugging her. And finally, there remained her tall, handsome, dark-skinned brother with dark eyes, just like her father's. Without his father introducing them, he approached Ceyda. "My dear sister, I am your brother, Atlas," he said, hugging her sincerely. "I searched for you so much; I scoured all of Istanbul but couldn't find you," he said, looking into her eyes. "From now on, you are under my protection, princess," he said, smiling. Sarp went to the cafe where Ceyda worked with a few of his men and told the men, "You keep watch around," he said, entering the cafe, looking around for Ceyda, but couldn't see her. He approached Firuze's table, where she was reading fortunes for customers, put his hands on the table, and leaned towards her. Firuze, lifting her head from the cards, flinched when she suddenly saw Sarp in front of her. "I can't see Ceyda. If she's in the kitchen area, tell her her future husband is here," he said. Firuze shook off her surprise. "Future husband? Ceyda's?" "Ceyda left." Sarp frowned. "She left? Where to?" "Yes, her mother called, she asked for permission and left in a panic," she said. Yasemin, seeing Sarp, shouted, "Excuse me, why are you looking for Ceyda? You held the girl against her will for so long, what more do you want? Are you a bandit?"
Before Sarp could answer, Kaya and her other friends also came to their side. "What do you want from Ceyda? Leave the girl alone!" Kaya shouted. Sarp said, "Calm down. I understand you love Ceyda very much." Kaya shouted angrily, raising her hand. "Since when is she 'your Ceyda'? You're starting to go too far." Sarp put his hands on his hips and smiled. "As Ceyda's future husband, I can do whatever I want. You can be her friend, but I don't want to see you around her again," he said. Everyone was surprised by what they heard and looked at each other. Elif said, "What do you mean? Ceyda never mentioned it to us. You're not trying to force the girl to marry you, are you?" Without answering them, Sarp's phone rang. He took the phone from his pocket and answered. The caller was the man Sarp had placed in the Doğanlar house. "Tell me." "Bro, they found the girl and brought her here." "How did they find her, man?" he said, cursing. "What is the girl doing now?" "They're in the living room, in the introduction phase." "Keep me informed of every step Ceyda takes," he said, cursing as he left the cafe. He ignored the shouts of Ceyda's friends from behind and walked away from there. After meeting the whole family, we sat at the table prepared for us by the servants working in the house. I had little appetite left, but I tried to eat a little anyway. Everyone was very happy with my arrival; they were eating cheerfully and talking to me. "My beautiful daughter, God sent you to us. For years, longing burned us inside, but today the longing is over," said Mrs. Zümrüt, sitting opposite me with moist eyes. "We know it's very difficult for you to learn that the family you thought was yours is actually your adoptive family, and to leave them. But you can go see them whenever you want, my beautiful girl."
"Don't tire my beautiful granddaughter any further. From now on, we are always together; we will talk and chat more," Mr. Ahmet said cheerfully, looking at my face. I was watching them with an indifferent expression. "Well, after years, I've found my sister. Nothing can spoil my mood from now on," said Atlas, sitting next to me. I looked at him. "Look, princess, you're very lucky to have a brother like me," he said. "But, princess, one thing bothers me. Where do you know our archenemy Sarp from? What were you doing at his house?" So this was why Sarp had held me against my will. But where did he know me from? What Aytaç had said that day was true. Everyone was waiting curiously for my answer. "My friends and I had gone to a mountain house for a few days. I somehow got separated from my friends and got lost. That house appeared in front of me. I went into the house to ask for help. Sarp held me there against my will for over a week." Atlas said, cursing, "He held you against your will? ...So he knew you?" With an angry tone, he said, "Did he touch you?" frowning. "No, he didn't," I said quietly. Mrs. Zümrüt took me upstairs to the room she had prepared for me in advance. The house was two stories; my room was on the upper floor. My room was so big it was almost the size of our house. It was decorated in white and pink tones, just like a princess's room, but I wasn't happy. My mom and dad, whom I would never consider as step-parents, were not with me. I opened the large white wardrobe; it was full of various clothes, all of which fit my size. I took a pink pajama set from inside and changed into it. I threw the clothes I took off into the laundry basket in the bathroom and threw myself onto the large double bed. I was sleepy, but I couldn't sleep because I was thinking. I constantly felt like crying. What was I going through?
Something was tickling my nose. I moved my hand over it, but a short while later, it tickled again. The sleep was so sweet; I couldn't open my eyes. A soft laugh filled my ears. I immediately opened my eyes. Atlas's dark eyes were right in front of me. I flinched and sat up straight in bed. "I was trying to wake you up, princess. Don't be scared," he said, laughing. "You could have called me instead of tickling my nose," I said, frowning. "I know my way of waking you up is a bit strange, but I don't even know what I'm doing out of happiness. Come on, get up and get ready, come down for breakfast. We have a lot of work to do today." "What kind of work?" "Our family doctor came. He will take a blood sample from you for a DNA test. Actually, we all know you are our girl, but it's taken as a procedure. You will get your real surname." "Okay, there's something I'm curious about," I said. Curiously, he fixed his dark eyes on mine. "Was your father married to your mother while he was in a relationship with my mother? I mean, did he never marry my mother?" He paused thoughtfully at my hesitantly asked question, then laughed. "It looks that way from there, doesn't it? But it's not like that, princess." "My father and mother were in a relationship when I was born. They couldn't get along and separated. Then he met your mother, married her, and you were born." "After your mother died, my father and my mother married after a while. So it's a bit of a complicated relationship." "Come on, I'm leaving. You get ready and come downstairs. By the way," he said, lightly tapping my nose with his finger. "From now on, you will call me 'brother'. I've waited for this moment for so long, my beautiful one," he said, smiling, and left my room. I got dressed and went down to the living room. The whole family was in the living room. Mr. Aziz saw me, came to me, hugged me, and said, "Let me introduce you to our family doctor, Koray." The doctor also stood up. "Nice to meet you," he said, extending his hand. I smiled and extended my hand too. Just as I thought we would shake hands, he fixed his green eyes on mine, held my hand, and kissed it. I quickly pulled my hand back. What was this man doing?
"Ms. Ceyda, please sit down. I need to take your blood. Don't worry, I won't hurt you," he said. After the doctor took the blood, he said, "Young lady, I would like to sit down and get to know you better some other time." Atlas said, "Hey, hey, Koray, stay away from my sister." They smiled at each other. After the doctor left, we sat at the table and started our breakfast. Mr. Aziz said, "My daughter, go shopping with your brother. Buy whatever you need." "Actually, I only need a phone. I already miss my mom and dad so much. If I could at least hear their voices... I've been wondering how they are since yesterday," I said. "Your brother will get you a nice phone. You can talk to them whenever you want. But it would be good for you to get used to this situation, my daughter. We are your family now." "Okay, your brother will take you to visit them sometimes. But I am your father," he said. My eyes filled with tears; my nerves were frayed. I said loudly, "It's not that simple. For years, I knew them as my mom and dad. Years later, a man appears and says, 'I am your father.' I used to work to support my dad; his single pension isn't enough. I can't live in luxury here, not thinking about them, and just enjoy myself." With a stern expression on his face, he said, "Okay." "I will think of something for them, but I have one condition," he said. I waited curiously for what he would say. The others, like me, looked at him, waiting for his condition. "From now on, you will call me 'Dad'. "This would be difficult for me, but for my family's sake, I would call him Dad. I nodded and said, "Okay." Atlas and I got into his car. Two of his men were following us in the car behind. Atlas was in a good mood; he made jokes the whole way. Since I hadn't gotten used to what had happened yet, I didn't feel much like laughing. "Pssst, look at me, princess. I've been trying to make you laugh, and the only thing left is for me to become a clown, but you're not laughing at all." "Laughing doesn't come easily to me. I'm trying to get used to you. You suddenly entered my life; this isn't a simple situation," I said.
"You're right, princess. I will do whatever I can to help you get used to it. I'm doing it for my sister," he said, and as he turned forward, he hit the brakes. We stopped suddenly, and I lurched forward. Since my seatbelt was on, I wasn't hurt. Atlas anxiously grabbed my arm. "Are you okay, sis? You're not hurt, are you?" I shook my head. "No, I'm fine," I said. Then I looked ahead and saw the black car stopped in front of us. Atlas cursed as he got out of the car. "You stay in the car; don't get out," he said. Four people got out of the opposite car, and Atlas and his men started arguing. I was anxiously watching them when suddenly my door opened. When I turned to my right, Sarp was there. He leaned in, closing the distance between us, looked into my eyes, and said, "How are you, my future wife?" I was looking at him in surprise, my eyes wide. He laughed and continued speaking. "You look happy to see me," he said, pressing his lips to mine. I pulled myself together, put my hands on his chest, and pushed him away. He pulled back and said, "Come with me." "I'm not going anywhere with you," I said. "I see you've already gotten used to your new family." "That's none of your business, and I am not your future wife." "You'll see soon," he said, and Atlas's voice was heard. "Hey, stay away from my sister!" he shouted, aiming a gun at Sarp. The men intervened, stepping in front of Sarp. For some reason, a feeling inside me said I didn't want anything to happen to him. Sarp laughed. "Do I have to ask you when I'm getting close to the woman I'm going to marry?" he said. "What nonsense are you talking? What marriage? I'll kill you! You won't get close to Ceyda again!" he said, and at that moment, Sarp also drew his gun from his waist and aimed it at Atlas. Fearful that they would hurt each other, I got out of the car and ran in front of Atlas. "Brother, don't do it! Lower your gun!" I said, turning to Sarp. "Please, lower your gun. Don't do it," I said. As he lowered his gun, Sarp looked into my eyes and said, "I'm not causing problems for you, my Ceyda. I will come to get you. Wait for me," and winked.
Atlas got even angrier at this, cursing and attacking Sarp, throwing a punch. Sarp also threw a punch at Atlas. "Don't!" I shouted, but they didn't listen to me. I shouted at the men, "Separate them!" but they lowered their heads and ignored me. I didn't know what to do; the best thing was to leave them. I turned my back and started walking. Why was I so worried about people I had just met? I heard footsteps behind me. I ignored them and continued walking quickly. "Ceyda, stop! Where are you going?" It was Atlas's voice. As soon as I turned around, Atlas hugged me. "I'm sorry, sis. I shouldn't have fought in front of you," he said, starting to walk me towards the car. Sarp, with a bruise on his cheek, hands on his hips, was watching me. Without paying attention to him, I got into the car, and we drove away from there. "Are you in love with Sarp?" I turned to him at Atlas's question. "Where did that come from?" "He's dreaming of marrying you, look." "Don't talk nonsense. I don't know what's between you. He knew I was your sister, so that's why he held me in the mountain house. He says he'll marry me to spite you." "So nothing happened between you?" "No, nothing happened. He didn't touch me. But he held me in that house against my will. I tried to escape many times but couldn't get away from him," I said. "I will make him pay for all of this," he shouted, hitting the steering wheel. "No, you won't. You will stay away from him," I said. "Wow, look at that pickled face, all bruised up," I said. It had actually slipped out of my mouth. He paused for a moment, looking at my face as if in shock. Just as I was waiting for him to yell, he suddenly started laughing...