The only sound echoing in the pitch-black room after the phone line was cut was Aylin's rapidly beating heart. Murat's words, "Selim is a dangerous man," hung in the air, ringing in the young woman's mind like an alarm.
"What do you mean, dangerous?" she asked, her voice trembling. She tried to make out Murat's silhouette as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
She heard Murat take a deep breath. "Aylin, we can't talk about this here. It's not safe."
"Not safe? Why? What do you know?" Aylin's patience was wearing thin. The anger and desire for revenge she had harbored for years were now mixed with fear. The thought of another obstacle emerging when the truth behind her mother's death was so close was infuriating.
Murat took a step towards Aylin. Even in the darkness, he could sense the young woman's tension. "Calm down. I want to protect you. But you need to trust me."
"How can I trust you? Just yesterday you were questioning me, and now you want to protect me?" Aylin's voice rose with anger. She was struggling with the complex emotions within her. She was both drawn to Murat and suspicious of him. She couldn't tell if the darkness she saw in this man's eyes reflected the darkness within her, or if he was trying to pull her into it.
Murat gently took Aylin's arm. "I know, you're right. I haven't given you a reason to trust me. But believe me, everyone involved in this is dangerous. Selim Demir is one of them."
"What should we do then? I need to reach him. I need to avenge my mother's death." Aylin's eyes filled with tears. The plan she had been building for years was about to shatter.
"You will reach him. But we shouldn't rush. We need to make a plan." Murat's voice was soothing. When Aylin felt Murat's hand on her arm, the turmoil within her seemed to subside for a moment. This man's touch both comforted her and made her even more tense.
"What plan? Tell me." Aylin looked into Murat's eyes. Even in the darkness, she could make out his ocean-deep and mysterious gaze.
"First, we need to investigate who Selim Demir is and what he does. The more we know about him, the safer we'll be." Murat let go of Aylin's arm and sat down on one of the chairs in the room. "We also need to find something about Leyla's disappearance. Maybe there's a connection between the two events."
Aylin also sat down on a chair. Her mind was a mess. Leyla, Selim Demir, her mother's death, Murat... Everything was mixed up. "Okay, where do we start?"
Murat thought for a moment. "Go to the faculty tomorrow. Talk to Leyla's friends. Try to find out who last saw her. I'll try to gather information about Selim Demir."
"What if something happens to you? What if Selim Demir targets you too?" Aylin's voice was filled with worry. She couldn't bear the thought of something happening to Murat.
Murat smiled. "Don't worry. I'll take care of myself. But you need to be careful too. Don't trust anyone. Especially..." Murat paused. "Especially me."
Aylin understood what Murat meant. She shouldn't trust him. But her heart couldn't control her brain. The attraction she felt towards Murat was growing stronger with each passing minute.
That night, Aylin and Murat talked for hours in the dark room. They shared their pasts, fears, and hopes. They grew closer to each other. But the obstacles between them were more evident than ever.
The next morning, Aylin went to the faculty. She started talking to Leyla's friends. But no one knew anything about Leyla. Everyone said that Leyla had been depressed for a while and wanted to be alone.
Aylin found Elif, Leyla's closest friend. Elif told Aylin that Leyla had been constantly receiving messages from someone lately and was very nervous.
"Who was she getting messages from? Do you know?" Aylin asked, excitedly.
Elif shrugged. "I don't know. But Leyla was very afraid of that person."
The first name that came to Aylin's mind was Selim Demir. Could he be behind Leyla's disappearance as well?
At that moment, Aylin's phone rang. It was Murat. "Aylin, we need to meet immediately. I learned something important about Selim Demir."
Aylin's heart started beating fast. "What did you learn? Tell me right away."
"I can't talk on the phone right now. Come to the back garden of the faculty. I'm waiting for you." Murat hung up.
Aylin said goodbye to Elif and started running towards the back garden of the faculty. She had a bad feeling in her gut. Something felt wrong.
When she arrived at the back garden, she couldn't see Murat. There was only a body lying on the ground. As Aylin approached, she realized who that body belonged to. Her eyes widened in horror.
Lying on the ground was Elif. And on Elif's chest, there was a red rose that Murat always brought her as a gift.