A-Game ✔

midnight / episode fifty / orhan

The halls of the harem were quiet tonight, the usual bustle replaced by a solemn stillness. Sultan Orhan walked slowly, his steps light, as though each movement echoed with the weight of his thoughts. The air carried a gentle breeze, filtering through the open windows and carrying with it the faint scent of roses from the palace gardens.

He had sent for Sophia earlier, hoping she would come to him, just as she had once done with such grace and devotion. But now, he found himself alone in the harem halls, waiting, wondering if she would ever return. His mind drifted back to the nights they had shared, the soft laughter, the quiet conversations, the way her eyes always shone with an unspoken strength, even in her darkest moments.

Suddenly, something caught his eye—a figure standing at the edge of a balcony ahead. The soft moonlight illuminated her, the wind teasing her long hair, making her seem like a fragile wisp against the darkened sky. As Orhan moved closer, his heart lurched.

It was Sophia.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, glistening like pearls in the moonlight, her shoulders trembling slightly in the night air. She stood dangerously close to the edge, her hands resting on the railing as though she were contemplating the vastness of the world beyond.

Orhan's pulse quickened. Without a second thought, he rushed forward, his voice breaking the silence.

"Sophia!" he called, fear tightening in his chest.

Sophia didn't turn, but her posture shifted, the weight of her sadness almost palpable in the cool breeze. Orhan reached her just in time, gently pulling her away from the edge and into the safety of his arms.

"Sophia... what are you doing?" he whispered, his voice raw with concern.

For a moment, she didn't speak. Her eyes were cast downward, her hands shaking slightly as she clutched at his robe. Finally, she looked up at him, her gaze distant, lost in a sea of pain he could barely fathom.

"I'm so tired, Orhan," she murmured, her voice trembling. "I've tried. I've fought... but I'm not sure I can anymore."

Orhan felt his heart clench painfully. He had seen her endure so much—the betrayals, the rise and fall of power in the harem, the endless struggle for survival in a world that demanded too much from someone as kind and gentle as her.

Sophia's voice cracked as she continued, her eyes filled with sorrow. "I've spent years trying to be strong, trying to hold on to something... but I can't keep up. I'm not like the others. I was never meant to be in a place like this."

Her words pierced through him, and Orhan, the Sultan who was supposed to be the strength of an empire, felt utterly powerless in that moment. He cupped her face in his hands, brushing away the tears that wouldn't stop falling.

"You are strong, Sophia," he said quietly. "You've always been strong. More than anyone I've known."

Sophia shook her head softly, her lips quivering as she looked up at him with a sad smile. "No, Orhan. I'm not. I'm tired of pretending... of being something I'm not." She paused, her gaze drifting to the midnight sky, her voice barely a whisper. "Alexandria was right. I'm like a water lily, floating on the surface, always trying to stay above the water... but I'm so tired of fighting the current."

Orhan felt a lump form in his throat. "A water lily..." he whispered, recalling how Alexandria had described her—beautiful, pure, unique.

He took a deep breath, his chest tightening as he looked at the woman before him. "Nilufer," he said softly, naming her after the flower. "You're Nilufer... my water lily. Graceful, resilient, untouched by the darkness that surrounds you."

For a brief moment, a spark of something—perhaps hope—flickered in her eyes. But it quickly faded, replaced by the same aching sadness that had been consuming her for so long. Sophia turned her gaze back to the night sky, her voice breaking the silence with a soft, almost dreamlike tone.

"See those stars?" she whispered, pointing to the heavens above. "Someday... I will be beside them. I... don't want to be alone..."

Orhan's heart shattered as he watched her crumble. Her body went limp in his arms, collapsing against him with a softness that felt too final, too real. His breath caught in his throat as a small glass bottle slipped from under her dress and rolled onto the floor, clinking softly as it landed.

Poison.

"Sophia... no, no..." Orhan's voice cracked, tears spilling down his face as he cradled her lifeless body in his arms. "You weren't alone. I—I—I was always here for you..."

But his words were met with nothing but silence.

Sophia's eyes, once so full of life and hope, were now closed, her expression peaceful in a way that made Orhan's heart ache even more. He held her tightly, rocking her gently as he whispered her name over and over, as though his words alone could bring her back.

"Nilufer... my Nilufer," he sobbed, pressing his forehead against hers. "You were never alone. I should have told you... I should have fought harder for you..."

But it was too late.

The stars above seemed to shine brighter, twinkling in the vast midnight sky as Orhan held his water lily for the last time.

✧ The End ✧