Together Again

Chapter 20

Eda's dreams had always been vivid, a strange mix of memories, longings, and fragmented visions. But tonight, they were different. There was a whisper, soft at first, like a breeze brushing through her hair. She couldn’t quite make out the words, but she knew who it was. Serkan. His voice, carrying through the wind, barely audible yet unmistakable.

“I’m coming, Eda.”

The words seemed to wrap around her, curling into the silence of the forest, filling the empty space inside her heart. The sound of his voice was like a wave crashing over her, filling her with an energy she hadn’t felt in months. Her pulse quickened, and she could feel her heart thudding in her chest, beating faster and faster as if it were trying to escape the confines of her ribcage.

For a moment, she wasn’t sure if she was still asleep or awake. She had been lost in her own thoughts for so long, trapped in the vast silence of the wild, that she had forgotten what it felt like to feel so deeply, so suddenly.

“I’m coming for you.”

The voice echoed through her mind again, clearer this time, like it was right beside her. Her eyes snapped open, the night air cool against her skin, and for a heartbeat, she wasn’t alone. She felt him. She felt the presence of him, even though he wasn’t there. Her hands trembled slightly, as if the world had shifted and brought something that had been lost back into focus.

Was it a dream? The question floated in her mind, but it didn’t matter. The sensation lingered, a thread that tugged at her very soul. He’s out there. He’s looking for me.

She sat up in the darkness, her heart still pounding, her breath uneven as she tried to steady herself. The forest around her was still, the only sound the rustling of leaves in the night wind. But something had changed. The air felt different, charged with the weight of what could be.

Eda looked around the small clearing she had made her camp, the fire from earlier still flickering weakly in the distance. She rose to her feet, her body stiff from hours of lying still. Her thoughts swirled, disorienting and frantic. Was it just her mind playing tricks on her? Could it be possible that Serkan was out there, searching for her?

The idea of him finding her, of him hearing her—of him coming for her—made her heart race, a strange hope bubbling to the surface. But the fear, too, was there, lurking at the edges of her thoughts. What if she had waited too long? What if he had moved on? What if, after a year of silence, he had given up on her altogether?

But in that moment, none of that mattered. All that mattered was that somehow, in some way, he was still out there. Still looking.

Without thinking, she grabbed the small knife from her bag once more. Her hands were steady as she moved toward a tree not far from her camp. The blade sliced easily into the bark, leaving a mark that felt both defiant and vulnerable all at once. E.Y. she carved, the familiar shape of her initials appearing like a quiet declaration of hope.

For the first time in what felt like forever, Eda allowed herself to believe. She believed that maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t given up on her. That he hadn’t forgotten her. That he was still searching, still trying to find her, despite the long months apart.

The wind rustled through the trees, as if carrying with it a promise—an unspoken agreement that she would never be alone in the silence again. She stepped back, her eyes lingering on the tree, watching the way the moonlight kissed the edges of the carved letters.

“I’m coming, Eda.”

She whispered the words to herself, like a prayer, like a promise she would hold onto, even if it was just in her heart. She didn’t know when or how Serkan would find her. But she had to believe he would. She had to believe that the message she had left was more than just a trace—it was a way forward. For him. For her.