She was a nucleus of light

inquiry

Narin didn't waste any time. "I'm ready. Ask your questions," she said, trying not to look at Ismail. She didn't want her weakness for Ismail to soften and weaken her. Suddenly, her icy green eyes met Cemal's chestnut-colored eyes. She was like a live bomb, ready to face anything, having turned her back on the world. Her lips, trembling as if caught in the cold of midwinter, slowly parted, and words began to spill out, joining one after another:

"Come on, ask your questions, Corporal Cemal! Ask! Push me! I'm ready! I'm used to torture, don't pity me! That's when you'll kill me. I promised an honorable man I would tell the truth. I want to live! Because I have scores to settle with my executioner, I have revenge to take!"

Cemal didn't mind the icy green atmosphere that filled the room after this entrance. He met Narin's icy green eyes with stern, yellow-tinged glances from his chestnut eyes. "Tell me, Miss Narin, who was the man whose tool you cut off last night?"

"My husband!"

The three men in the room (two soldiers and the Poet) were shocked as if struck by electricity. The astonished look in their wide-open eyes was expressed with a long "Whaaat!" Cemal was the first to pull himself together. With a contemptuous expression on his face, he said, "I told you she wasn't trustworthy, didn't I? Do you understand now?"

"How perceptive and insightful of you, and you immediately put the noose around my neck, Specialist. Of course, you're an expert. God bless your expertise!"

These words were spoken so fearlessly, mockingly, with a tone and attitude that belittled the other. Cemal thought to himself, 'She deserves a good slap, but it wouldn't be right for me to hit a defenseless woman,' yet he admired her bold and fearless character. He needed to push her further to provoke her. Her reactions would reveal more about her personality, and as she got angrier, she would make mistakes and expose herself.

The Poet wrote in his notebook, "That's it... What makes this woman so convincing and beautiful is her unyielding, proud demeanor."

"Of course, you're an innocent lamb, not responsible for what happened to you, everything is someone else's fault, you're innocent. I've seen many like you. You're a worthless, treacherous, cheap woman!"

This insult was unbearable, especially for someone like Narin. Her eyebrows furrowed, her nostrils flared, her face reddened with anger. Her pupils narrowed into slits, and with a fixed gaze and a head held high like a cobra ready to strike, she hurled the stick in her hand at Cemal, shouting, "Damn you!"

Cemal caught the stick flying towards him in mid-air. Narin, in a rage, was shouting:

"You! How much are you worth, Specialist? How much are you worth! I'd like to see you without your gun, without your ranks and soldiers under your command. That's when we'd see what kind of man you are, whether you're a real man or a pathetic excuse for one! But of course... I should have known... You're a coward who meekly obeys orders from superiors without questioning whether they're right or wrong, roaring like a lion at subordinates. You're an expert in that, a despicable coward!"

Cemal was pleased with the situation. The woman had reached the state he wanted. She was a rebellious person who couldn't stand injustice. She wasn't the type to lie, beg for her interests, or betray others. He had realized this when they first met in the cave. Once again, his gaze lingered on Narin's face for a long time; what her eyes were saying matched what her mouth was saying. Her eyes were filled with the pain of humiliation and the anger of helplessness, and tears filled them. Tears, especially in a woman's eyes, softened hearts. It happened again. Cemal was now curious about her story. He needed to calm her down, gain her trust, and make her tell everything sincerely...

"I'm a soldier, that's my job. And I'm good at it, one of the best. You're right, I know how to fight, I don't know much else. But my job is tough. Because lives are at stake. The life I give and the life I take. For this country, I'd give my life without blinking, and I'd take lives too. I don't betray, like you and others who think they know everything. I've never been ruthless, and I do my best to ensure I never will be. If I wanted to..." He didn't finish the sentence. It wasn't like Cemal to brag about his good deeds.