A silence sharper than a knife's edge fell over me as Demir's breath burned like a flame on my neck while Murat's dark gaze held my soul captive. "Fake doctor," I hissed inwardly, "The devil in the guise of the man who stole my mother's life." My hands trembled, rage and fear coiling through my veins like a poisonous vine.
"Aylin, are you okay?" Murat's voice was icy, but I could detect a hint of concern within it. He pushed Demir's arm away roughly and pulled me towards himself. "I won't let this man get near you."
Demir let out a mocking laugh. "What's wrong, Murat, have you fallen in love with your little student? Don't forget, the love of a monster like you is also dark."
"Shut up!" Murat's eyes blazed. "It's none of your business."
"Everything concerns me," Demir said with a sly smile. "Especially your dirty secrets..."
At that moment, it felt like time stood still. Everything around me blurred as my mother's final moments flashed through my mind. I was burning with the fire of revenge. "Enough!" I shouted. "I'm sick and tired of your games. I want to know the truth!"
Murat's gaze softened as if he could sense the storm raging inside me. "Aylin, this isn't the time. We'll talk later."
"No, we'll talk now!" My voice rose so loud that everyone in the hallway turned to look at us. "What caused my mother's death? What happened that night? Who is to blame?"
Demir took a step closer. "Are you sure you want to know the truth, beauty? Sometimes the darkness is so dense that you can never reach the light."
"I'm not afraid of your darkness," I said defiantly. "I'm Aylin Şahin, and I won't stop until I find my mother's killer."
Just then, Leyla's voice was heard. "Aylin, are you okay? What's going on here?" She ran to my side and looked at my face with concern. "Who are these men?"
"Leyla, I need you," I said, without taking my eyes off her. "Help me."
Leyla nodded without hesitation. "I'll do whatever it takes."
Murat had an ambiguous expression on his face. It was as if Leyla's arrival had upset his plans. "Aylin, this is very complicated. I want to protect you."
"Protect me?" I scoffed. "Or are you afraid of the truth coming out?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Murat said in a harsh voice. "I'm just worried about you."
"I'm worried about you too," I whispered inwardly. "Because soon I will expose you."
***
That night, Leyla and I went down to the faculty library. We had to do a secret investigation. We had to find all the records related to my mother's death. Leyla was better at computers than me, so I trusted her.
"Aylin, this is very dangerous," Leyla said as her fingers moved quickly on the keyboard. "What if we get caught?"
"We won't get caught," I said resolutely. "I have to do this for my mother."
After hours of research, we finally found something. There were some inconsistencies in my mother's death report. The dosage of some medications was much higher than it should have been. Also, I had never heard of the doctor's name on the report before.
"This is very strange," Leyla said, frowning. "This doctor has no connection to the faculty."
"Maybe they arranged someone from outside," I said anxiously. "To cover everything up."
Just then, the lights in the library went out. We were left in pitch darkness. My heart started beating wildly.
"Aylin, what's going on?" Leyla whispered, fearfully.
"I don't know," I said, looking around. "But something is going on here."
Suddenly, a shadow appeared. It was approaching us with quick steps. There was a knife in his hand.
"Aylin, watch out!" Leyla shouted.
I instinctively bent down. The knife passed over my head. In the blink of an eye, he caught Leyla and covered her mouth.
"Be quiet," the shadow hissed. "Or you'll die."
The shadow dragged Leyla into the darkness. I wanted to scream and cry in despair, but I couldn't. I was frozen.
"Leyla!" I whispered. "Please hold on..."
At that moment, a hand touched my shoulder. When I turned around, I saw Murat. There was a complex expression on his face.
"Aylin, what happened?" he asked. "Why are you shouting?"
"Leyla has been kidnapped," I said, sobbing. "A shadow... A knife..."
Murat frowned. "Calm down. No one has been kidnapped. You just had a bad dream."
"No, it wasn't a dream," I said insistently. "It was real. Leyla was kidnapped! We have to find her!"
Murat pulled me to himself and hugged me tightly. "Don't worry, Aylin. We'll find her. I promise."
But at that moment, I had a bad feeling inside. It was as if Murat was hiding something. As if he would lift the veil of secrecy behind Leyla's kidnapping.
When I woke up the next morning, Leyla was still missing. Despite Murat's words, nothing had been done to find her. The faculty administration was trying to cover up the incident. It was as if Leyla had never existed.
In desperation, I called Kemal amca, an old friend of my mother's who now worked as a private detective. I asked him for help.
"Kemal amca, please help me," I said imploringly. "I need to find Leyla. And my mother's killer..."
Kemal amca paused for a moment. "Aylin, these things are dangerous. I don't want you to get involved."
"I have to get involved," I said resolutely. "For my mother and Leyla. I will do anything to learn the truth."
"Alright," Kemal amca said with a sigh. "I will help you. But be careful. Everyone in this game could be guilty."
At that moment, I became even more ambitious with the fire of revenge. I would do anything to reveal the truth. No matter the cost...