The Heart of The Monster

CHAPTER ONE

With my red wine in my hand, sitting on the one-man seat next to the fireplace, with smile in my face, I was watching the view in front of me.

Yasemin.

I had never seen her as my cousin. She was always my sister. My beautiful, smart, brave sister. And i was very happy to see that she had now achieved the happiness she deserve. With her beautiful children and her husband, who always looked at her as if she were a precious diamond.

Rosso, who is only one year old, laughing and talking excitedly in her own language in her daddy's lap, Yasemin and Antonio were eagerly listening to Enrico's speech. Enrico stood somewhere in the story he was telling and and looked at Yasemin. It was impossible not to see the love in this little boy's eyes. He loved Yasemin like real mother. This was good, because his real mother was an epic bitch. And she was dead now, but this was another story.

Enrico continued to speak after a kiss on Yasemin's cheek. Yasemin continued to listen to him while her eyes full with tears.

With a big sip of wine, I sighed and tried the forget that I was alone on the New Year's Eve. For the first time in four years, I was entering the beginning of the year without Serkan. After our last fight, I had not answered any of his texts and calls. And, well, I packed all my things and left Turkey.

I hadn't let him know. I couldn't. For me, our relationship was completely over. I couldn't take back the last words i said to him. Even if it was cruel, I didn't want to take back. I shuddered when I remembered those moments..

Serkan and I were eating our meals quietly in a nice restaurant.

We sat across from each other but our souls were definitely elsewhere. At least mine wasn't there. I couldn't help but think about the offer Professor Adler had made me a few days earlier. I completed my master degree in Londra. I also interned there for a year. I did not stop talking with my professor, who helped me a lot and loved Turkish people very much. A few days ago, he called me and offered me to work in the office he had just opened and to be an his assistant at the school. I didn't say anything but... I really wanted to do that.

It was a once-in-lifetime offer. But this offer was in London. My eyes stuck on Serkan.

Why I didn't tell him about the offer? Or why my first thought to pack up everything and run away? I didn't even think about Serkan's coming with me. Our relationship was what it used to be. We don't spend our weekends together like we used to, we weren't going crazy to go newfound places together. Usually I was hanging out with my friends or he was working late. When we met and had dinner together, our conversation didn't go beyond a few dialogues. Whereas I used to go crazy to tell him everything I went through during the day. Even our sex didn't taste like it used to, no passion, no excitement. And even worse, we weren't even talking about it.

What happened to us?

"Shall i put another glass?" Said Serkan, who distracted my thoughts.

He was holding a bottle of wine in his hand, looking at me with a questioning look. "Yeah, sure." I said. After filling my glass, he filled his own and looked at me.

"Merve, I need to talk to you about something."

I got a little upright where I was sitting. I could tell from the tone of his voice and the way he looked that he was serious.