Wherever You Go

Chapter 15

If Hazan was worried about her family questioning her whereabouts it was immediately clear that it will not be so. The tragic events at the mansion had made sure of that. Hazan marveled at how Yagiz had predicted about catastrophic events but even he could not have predicted the mayhem that unfolded in the several days after his departure. Celin's suicide had the high society tongues wagging. Celine was, in Hazan's opinion, a neurotic bomb waiting to go off just like Sinan. She felt sheer terror when she thought of the danger Celine has subjected everyone, specially the tiny Ozuger. 

Mr. Hazim remained in hospital due to the stroke he suffered and the Egemen empire was well and truly coming to an end. The investors who were already withdrawing after Sinan's antics at the gala dinner, immediately disappeared following the recent events. The end was swift and brutal. Hazan tried to stay away from it as much as she could, but it was inevitable that she was dragged on to it due to the fact that her sister, nephew and mother were still living in the mansion.

 Some media people were still following her around trying to get her to talk about Sinan and Yagiz. It did not help matters that Sinan was again living in the streets. Nearly four days after his departure and Yagiz has still not called her. His lawyer did however contacted her and gave her his new number. As Yagiz said, the local representatives of his legal firm were very swift in starting the visa application procedure.

It was an exhaustingly stressful time for Hazan who was dealing with many things at once and she was basically alone in everything. Ece, baby and her mother moved out from the mansion and was temporarily staying with her in the plaza until they moved to the house Mr. Hazim has gifted Ozgur, even before his birth. Whilst Hazan disliked Hazim's and Ece's marriage and the very deception they carried out by getting married, she could not help but feeling relieved that when she was gone, at least Ece and baby will have a house to stay and means to live. However she steadfastly refused to move in with them to that house. 

Her apartment at the Plaza had two months remaining in the lease and she just prayed that it will be long enough until she moved. Though she did not feel any guilt, the secret of her marriage was weighing on her mind like lead. Yagiz's silence was bothering her, even though his lawyers have contacted her and the passing on the number could not have happened without his knowledge. She fretted daily whether to call him, even if to tell him about Celin's death and every time she remembered his plea to her to not tell him anything. She also missed him terribly amidst all chaos.

If Hazan imagined living without him would be difficult before, the reality was a million times difficult. She found herself wandering near his apartment and jumped everytime her phone rang foolishly thinking it was him. She also began to understand just how much she had started to depend on him. Yagiz was the reason for every good thing that happened to her. In that assertive but gentle way of his, Yagiz has managed to steer her life towards a more productive, confident and calmer path. She was absolutely miserable without him and could not feel happier about the sudden decision she took before he slipped through her fingers. Even if he never accepts her again, it will be a blessing to be able to even see him, Hazan thinks as she sits with Ozgur by the window of the apartment, whilst her mother and Ece did the final packing before moving houses.

"Abla, abla.." Ece comes rushing into the room, her phone in the hand. Ece has aged quite a lot for the past week and the stress she was feeling was evident in her face. She is still refusing to speak to Yasin and is distraught about Mr. Hazim's condition, visiting him daily, his only visitor most days. With Gokhan trying to salvage some of the business empire and being evicted from the mansion, Sinan being usual Sinan, Celine being dead and Yagiz gone, only Ece remained by his side. 

Now that the mansion is no longer available, she plans to bring Hazim to the new house to look after him, if and when he is discharged from the hospital. All these and handling their mother is quite a daunting task for a girl who is not yet 20 years old. Yet now when she is running to her across the living room, she is the same girl that Hazan played mother to for so many years. Ece was starting to tell something pointing at the phone, however bent down to play with Ozuger, probably because their mother happened to walk across the room, with some cloths in her hand.

"What is Ece?" Hazan ask quietly when Mrs. Fazilet is safely away from them. Ece turns her aquamarine eyes on to her, worry written all over them.

"Abla, please do not get upset ok? I saw this and wanted to show this to you" Ece says, in a hushed tone. Hazan takes the phone to her hand, seeing from where she is that it was a gossip site, her heart feels like it's in her throat. "Going Back" it says in big red headline. Below was a photograph of Yagiz at the airport with his luggage, the photo was obviously taken from a distance but focused enough for anyone to recognize him. Hazan recognizes the suit he was wearing when he flew to US exactly a week ago. She also recognizes with whom he seems to be in conversation, his head bent and an unreadable expression in his face. Farah's face however, is not unreadable. She is looking up to him with a look of tenderness and concern, her own luggage by her side. A second photo shows them walking together through departure gates. 

The story reads that after finding out he is adopted and going through many scandals of his own, Yagiz Egemen flew out of the country with his long time girlfriend. It then goes on to explain in the detail the numerous scandals and tragic events that plagued Egemen family that started with Sevinc Egemen's death and finally the bankruptcy that made them lose everything.

Hazan tried to control herself as best she could, conscious that Ece was looking at her and her mother is walking around the apartment. But she could not stop the palpitations nor the whooshing inside her ears or the instant tears that came to her eyes seeing the photographs.