Can Yaman International Presents: Our Love... After Forgiveness

Chapter 17.

At the end of Chapter 16:  Sanem happily told Can that Luca was at the Forum. They had met at lunchtime and Luca had invited her for dinner that evening. Can knew the relationship between the two was strictly a friendship, like the one Sanem has with CeyCey. Just knowing that Luca was in Athens with Sanem put Can's mind at ease. Luca had been totally honest with him in Chania, and Can had the upmost respect for him. They said good night and Can told her he would see her first thing in the morning. Can's phone pinged with an incoming message alert. "What is this? Hmmm.... pictures. Ah, Polen, what are you doing?"

(Author's Note: Please read to the end of the chapter and leave a comment. Are you enjoying the storyline? Don't forget to vote too. Thank you!)

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The pictures kept coming, some twenty of them. Now Can knew why Yigit was there at the Writers' Forum. Polen had enlisted her brother to follow Sanem. Can had to ask himself, "What would have happened if Luca had not been there? Would Yigit have taken it upon himself to try and discredit Sanem?"

Can tried to call Polen but her phone was unavailable. She had really crossed the line with her latest actions. Learning from Victor about Polen's current mental condition, he feared for Sanem. "Was Polen capable of harming her?"

He tried to reach Sanem but his call went to voicemail. He left her a message. "Sanem, please stay with Luca as long as you can this evening. Also, make sure he takes you to your hotel room door. Please, my love, do as I ask."

Can prayed Sanem would listen to her voicemail before leaving for dinner with Luca. After trying to reach Polen again and again with no answer, he knew she was probably already in Athens. If she was still in Istanbul, she would have brought the pictures for him to see in person. There was only one other thing to do.

Polen and Yigit were sitting at a table in the back of the restaurant, near the rear exit door. They watched Sanem and Luca intently, snapping picture after picture. Polen was nearing her fuming point. How dare Sanem make a mockery of Can by flouting herself around with another man? She was such a simple village girl, without morals. She would make Can see how she was the best one for him. How she had always been loyal and faithful to him. With all this damning evidence, there was no way Sanem could beg her way out of this one. She knew Sanem would not leave Can by choice; this was the only other way.

Sanem and Luca agreed to get together again the next day after Luca's fiancé arrived. Can would arrive sometime during the morning so they could plan to have lunch. She was thrilled that Can was on his way.

After they ate dinner, Sanem and Luca decided to call it a night and return to their respective hotel rooms. As they were leaving the restaurant, Sanem checked her phone and saw that she had a voicemail from Can. She listened to it and upon hearing the desperation in his voice, she relayed his message to Luca. He was immediately alarmed by what he heard and took Sanem's arm as they walked back to the hotel. Sanem filled him in on the bizarre actions of Polen, Can's ex-girlfriend. She also told him about Yigit, her strange brother, and that she had seen him that day at the Forum.

She called Can to tell him she had safely arrived to her hotel room. Luca would be staying with her until the next morning. Can was relieved and said his plane would land in Athens the next morning at 7:30 am and he would be coming straight to her hotel.

Polen watched as Luca and Sanem took the elevator together up to her hotel room. Sanem had done the unthinkable. She had taken this man to her room. Can would never forgive her for this. As they got into the elevator, she recorded them on her phone. Polen decided to wait in the lobby to see what time this man came back down. Yigit had decided to abandon the whole plan, for reasons of his own, and left Polen on her own. Despite this, she was still determined to get all the evidence she could.

"He called me crazy. Can you believe it? He is such a jerk. I never could depend on him for anything," she spewed to herself. " I will show him crazy when I have Can back and he has nothing."

The hours dragged by as Polen paced back and forth in the hotel lobby. She could not believe that Sanem was entertaining this man all night in her room. Hüma had been so right about Sanem. She was nothing but village trash. As morning began to creep in, Polen was tired and running on pure adrenaline. Sanem's game was about to come to an end. Polen finally had the proof she needed. She would go right up to Sanem's hotel room and when she opened the door, there would be no turning back.

Luca was stretched out on the sofa. Sanem had taken the bed but was still in her clothes from the night before. The knock on the door startled her out of her semi-state of sleep. She rushed to open the door and cringed at the sight of Polen standing on the other side. She tried to shut the door but Polen was too quick for her and burst through the door.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" She smirked. " Sanem, my dear, you really made this too easy."

Hearing voices, Luca woke up and sat up on the sofa. He was confused as to who this woman was, and why she kept taking pictures with her phone.

Sanem yelled at her. "Polen, get out of my room before I call Security. How did you find me anyway?"

Polen laughed. The same laugh that Sanem always heard in her dreams. "You just need to be smarter than the average, naive girl from the district. That's how." She screamed, "You do not deserve Can. You never did and you never will. You are no more than..."

Polen heard a very loud voice behind her. "POLENCIA!! That is enough!"

She jerked around to face her father who was standing right next to Can. Polen's face turned ashen. She smiled weakly and she stuttered, "Babacim, what are you doing here? This is a total surprise. Have you come to celebrate the reconciliation of Can and me?" Then she started to cry and pointed her finger at Sanem. "Babacim, this awful girl stole my Can away, and now she is cheating on him. How can anyone do that?"

Everyone looked on in shock as Polen broke down and crumbled in her father's arms. He wrapped his daughter in his arms with his heart breaking for her. He apologized to Sanem and Can. The troubles that plagued Polen had left her unable to cope with her everyday life. The medical attention she needed had been ordered by the foundation she worked for. They were under the impression she had gone to the hospital for treatment, and her father had been looking for her for weeks. Now that he had found her, he would check her into the hospital. He thanked Can for contacting him to let him know what Polen was up to because it had probably saved her life. He led his daughter out the door.

A trembling Polen turned to Can and cried, "You know I will always be waiting for you, don't you? She does not deserve you..." She continued babbling as her father ushered her out of Sanem's room and down the hall to the elevator.

Can scooped Sanem up in his arms, hugging her so tight she could hardly breathe. This nightmare was finally over and Can felt an immense sense of relief. He was able to breath now being able to touch and hold his Sanem. This had been a torturous ordeal, not just for Can and Sanem but for Polen as well. Sanem was sincerely sorry that Polen was so sick and hoped she would be able to recover.

Can hugged Luca too and thanked him profusely for keeping his Sanem safe when he was not able to be with her.

This day would be forever etched in the minds of Can and Sanem. They were happy that their lives would finally become one without any more obstacles in their way. But Can was sad to have witnessed the mental destruction of Polen, someone he had known so well. "What had caused all of this unbalance in her?" he wondered. Sanem was safe now though, and that was the most important thing. If anything had happened to her, he knew he would not have been able to bear it.

With a huge smile on his face, Can declared, "Now, let's get the rest of this book tour over and get back to Istanbul. We have a very special wedding to attend!"

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This is a work of Fan Fiction inspired by the characters of "Erkenci Kus". All photos, videos and characters belong to their rightful owners.

Written for Can Yaman International by Virginia Dewberry; @grannydew on Wattpad.

Edited by Mary Bloyd, Resident Editor for Can Yaman International.