The roar of the waterfall echoed in my ears as I wondered how close I was to unveiling Rüzgar's mask. Demir was alive, I was sure of it. And Rüzgar knew something. That momentary hesitation in his eyes, that brief moment when he parted his lips to lie... That told me everything.
"Rüzgar, be honest with me," I whispered, my voice trembling with anxiety. "Demir is alive, isn't he? You're protecting him."
Rüzgar frowned. "Don't talk nonsense, Lale. Demir died three years ago. You know that best."
"I know," I replied, the irony in my voice like poison. "But what I saw, what I felt... Don't lie to me." Something was breaking inside me. I had wanted to trust him. Maybe it was my stupidity.
"I'm not lying to you," Rüzgar said, his tone icy. His eyes narrowed, as if he had turned into a hunter. "I'm protecting you. Don't you realize there are dangers lurking around us?"
"Danger?" I mocked. "Maybe the danger is you, Rüzgar. Maybe you don't want to protect me, but to silence me."
Rüzgar paused for a moment. I saw something change in his eyes. Regret? Sadness? Or just an effort to hide the lie better?
"Don't talk like that," he hissed, his voice hoarse. "You're slandering me."
"Slander?" I wanted to laugh, but it caught in my throat. "You killed my fiancé, didn't you? That night, in that dark street, you pulled the trigger."
Rüzgar's face turned white as a sheet. His muscles tensed, as if he was struggling to keep the beast inside him from being released.
"How do you know?" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"It doesn't matter," I replied, my heart pounding wildly. "What matters is that you are a murderer. And I won't be able to fall in love with a murderer."
At that moment, we heard a rustling sound from the depths of the forest. We both turned in that direction at the same time. A dark silhouette appeared among the trees. His eyes were shining in the darkness.
Rüzgar pulled me behind him. "Hide," he ordered, his voice filled with anxiety. "Now!"
"Who is it?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"It doesn't matter," he replied. "Just hide."
But I didn't hide. A curiosity mixed with fear gnawed at me. Who was that silhouette? And why was he watching us?
The silhouette took another step. When the moonlight hit his face, I recognized him. My eyes widened in shock. This... This was impossible.
Because that silhouette was my fiancé Demir, whom I thought had died three years ago.