The Price of Pride

Chapter 36

The trip home was delayed by a few days because it was necessary to speak to the police about the kidnapping and then to wait for Cemre's mother to arrive. No one wanted to risk the woman somehow managing to convince the authorities to release Cemre. No one wanted to risk Cemre escaping the consequences of her actions. And thanks to Barış adding his own professional inputs, Cemre won't be going anywhere for a long, long time.

The more distance they put between themselves and Cemre, the more at peace Reyhan becomes. She still needs to have Emir close enough to touch at all times. And she still wakes up the minute Emir leaves her side, the fear of opening her eyes and finding him still gone very real to her. But her fears and nightmares aren't nearly as bad as when they were still in Greece. Still near Cemre. But Reyhan has settled some now that Cemre will no longer be a problem.

The problem now is Cavidan.

"She's tried to take away everything I love. Everyone I care about," Reyhan had said one night when they were in bed. Ayla had been lying between them, the little girl also reluctant to let Emir be too far away from her. She's been sleeping with them since they returned home. "What if she never stops? How will we live like that?"

It was the first time Emir had ever heard her sound so hopeless. It was the straw that broke the camel's back for him. Mother or not, Cavidan Tarhun needed to be handled. For the sake of his family, Emir simply cannot allow the woman to continue to torment Reyhan. What she did to him, allowing Cemre to take him and lock him in that place, was bad enough. It hurt to know his mother would do that to him. But it hurts more to know she did it purely to harass and humiliate Reyhan.

Maybe it's time for Cavidan Tarhun to get a taste of her own medicine.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Reyhan is sitting by the pool, watching Emir and Ayla play and splash. The indoor pool is heated and allows for year round swimming, a fact for which Reyhan is grateful. The weather these days can go from cold to hot in the blink of an eye. And at her stage of pregnancy, her body does the same. She's more comfortable in a temperature controlled environment. The sun still shines through the glass walls and ceilings. But the internal thermostat is set to be just right.

"Reyhan?"

She looks up and smiles shyly when Barış comes to stand next to her. He had also come with them from Greece, wanting to spend time in his childhood home again and reconnect with his family. She offers him the seat next to her and is relieved when he accepts. Barış has been kind of ... tentative with her. Like he doesn't really know what to make of her. She has to admit that she doesn't exactly know what to make of him either. Of all the things in the world, she never expected to have a brother. Sure, she knew Emine had older children. But they lived other lives in another world practically. They were more an abstract idea than reality. But having Barış here has brought that reality to the forefront. And it's taken some getting used to. But her parents are so much happier with Barış here. And while Barış has seemed unsure around her, he's also been protective at the same time. It's been strange, but also comforting.

"Still trying to figure me out?" she asks him when he just stares. "Wondering if I'm taking advantage of your parents?"

"No, actually," he says. "And it's our parents. You know that by now. You know how much they love you. They don't treat you any differently than they treated my brother or me. I mean, aside from the fact that you're a girl. They always did want a daughter."

"And what about you?" she asks hesitantly. "Did you always want a sister?"

"Not at all," he laughs. "But in my defense, I never wanted a brother, either. Not until I got one. I was perfectly happy being an only child. But then my brother came along and things were good. They were better than good. We had a great childhood. But things got a little ... difficult between my mother and I as I got older. That's why I had to leave. But she's a good mother."