Until I Found You

Part 13

"You... you're saying she's my daughter--" Omer stammered, his voice faltering as he struggled to find the right words after hearing the truth again.

"Yes," Kivilcim affirmed, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her own heart. "Doga is your daughter, Omer. I'm so sorry for keeping it from you, but I also had to think about Doga here. It wouldn't be easy for her to learn the truth. She's just a child. She's fragile. These moments in her life really affect her development. I was thinking about her."

"I... I don't know what to say," Omer admitted, his voice choked with emotion. He began to chuckle in disbelief. "I-I have a daughter?"

Kivilcim: I understand you must have so many question... We are both adults here. I can answer any question you have. But Omer... I just wanted to say that that first night with you... it was sudden and we didn't know each other, but I don't regret it at all. At first I blamed myself for being so irresponsible. How stupid I was for sleeping with someone I didn't know.... You were... the first person I was ever with and, in hindsight, it was so nice. We made something so beautiful, Omer. And when we... made love again... it meant a lot to me." Kivilcim said, her voice coming close to a whisper.

Omer stood there, trying to process everything Kivilcim was saying, but his mind kept drifting back to the revelation about Doga. The voice that he could listen to all day was suddenly background noise. He was in shock, struggling to reconcile the idea that he had a daughter he hadn't known about.

"I... I let down my walls and allowed myself to be vulnerable with you. That's a big step for me, Omer. It was very difficult and it was scary but also... freeing. I felt a connection with you that I haven't felt with anyone else, and I was hoping... well... I don't know anything anymore. I know this isn't about us only, we have a daughter together... but that's the whole truth. All of the truth."

He tried to focus on her words, on the depth of emotion she was sharing, but his mind kept circling back to Doga. The fact that he had a daughter, and that Kivilcim had kept this from him, was overwhelming. He felt a mix of emotions—shock, anger, confusion, and a strange sense of elation at the thought of being a father again.

"O-Omer... won't you say anything?" Kivilcim's voice trembled as she spoke, the fear in her eyes making her unable to meet his gaze. She was terrified of being heartbroken again, of being let down. He was the first man she had opened up to since Kayhan, and now she waited, hoping for a reaction, a sign, anything.

Omer nodded absently, his thoughts racing. After what seemed like a lifetime, he began. "Kivilcim... I... I need some time to process this. I-I'm in shock right now. My hands are shaking. My chest feels... tight." He says as he rubbed his chest.

She stepped closer, asking "are you okay?." Omer finally looked up and put his hand up, telling her not to come any closer.

Omer: "You... How... how could you hide something like this from me? Did you plan on hiding this forever?

Kivilcim: "No, Omer. I--"

"Kivilcim, we've known each other for months. I have been in the same room as Doga more than a dozen times. I have a daughter that I don't know about, didn't you think I had the right to know?? You-- You know, I've been trying so hard to win over your heart, to get closer to you, to show you how much I love you. I didn't sell the school after finding you, even though my brothers pressured me to. I just wanted to make you happy, to see you smile." Omer confessed.

Omer laughed bitterly: The crazy thing is that every time I invested in a school... it was only in hopes of running into you one day because you told me that night, 8 years ago, that you wanted to be a teacher. It was my crazy way of keeping the memories of our first night alive... And when fate brought us together and I finally did see you, I tried to do anything in my power to show you how much I love you. And... Knowing this was a bad business decision, I spent more time at the school than at my actual job. I became a coach... all just to be near you. And now you're telling me you lied to me. That I have an 8-year-old daughter?"