Together Again

Chapter 16

It had been a year.

Eda didn’t need to count the days anymore; her body had long since adjusted to the rhythm of the wild, the endless expanse of nature her only constant. Every new sunrise was a reminder that she had survived another day. The thought that kept her going now, more than ever, was that she had made it this far. A year of walking, a year of surviving. But it was starting to feel like something inside her had worn thin. The wilderness, once her refuge, now felt vast and empty, its beauty cold in its isolation.

Eda sat on a rock overlooking a stretch of the dense forest, her hand resting lightly on the rough bark of a tree. She had spent hours walking in circles, her thoughts echoing as they bounced off the silence. The wind whispered through the leaves, but her mind was louder, filled with doubts she couldn’t silence.

Maybe it’s time to turn back.

The thought was so simple, so quiet, but it resonated deep within her chest. She had never allowed herself to entertain it before, not in the way she was now. The idea of going back was terrifying—what would she even be going back to? She hadn’t just left Serkan, she had left everything. Her old life, her regrets, the pieces of herself she’d abandoned along the way. But there was something different now. She had nothing left to lose.

She picked up a small stone from the ground and tossed it into the clearing below, watching as it skittered away. A year of walking further and further. Maybe it’s time to walk in the opposite direction.

The idea felt foreign to her. She had always been so sure of herself, of the choices she made, but now, doubt clouded every thought. What if she hadn’t made the right choice? What if Serkan had been looking for her, all this time, and she had never given him the chance to find her? What if he thought she was lost forever, and her absence only deepened the chasm between them?

Would he have been searching? The thought lingered, haunting. She couldn’t imagine him just giving up on her. He was stubborn, determined, and relentless—just like her. But where would he have looked? Could he have found her?

Her fingers trembled as she traced a line in the dirt, a pattern without purpose. Could he have followed the same path she had taken?

Eda let out a long breath, her gaze drifting to the horizon. She had always found solace in nature, but now, it felt like a suffocating cage. It’s not just the wilderness that’s isolating me—it’s the loneliness of never knowing if he’s even looking.

Her eyes flickered to the trees around her, a sudden urge overtaking her. Maybe I should leave a sign. A hint. A trace.

A fleeting thought, but one she couldn’t shake. Maybe it was foolish, but what if it worked? What if Serkan had been searching, and by some miracle, he reached this part of the world, found himself where she stood now, in the silence of a forest that felt more like a grave than a sanctuary.

Eda rose to her feet, her legs stiff from hours of walking. She glanced around, looking for something—a tree, a rock, any surface that could carry her message. She moved to a nearby tree, the rough bark standing as a silent witness to her decisions.

Taking a deep breath, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small knife she had found along the way. She’d used it to carve shelter, to gather wood, but today, it would serve a different purpose. She pressed it into the bark, the blade slicing cleanly through the surface as she carefully etched her initials into the tree.

E.Y.

She stood back, studying her work. The letters weren’t perfect, but they were there. A mark. A sign. A trace of herself in this vast, silent world. If Serkan ever reached this part of the forest, he would see it, and maybe, just maybe, it would be enough for him to understand. It was a clue, a way for him to know she was still out here, still alive, and still thinking of him.