Together Again

Chapter 22

The flower shop was a peaceful escape for Eda, a place where she could immerse herself in beauty and simplicity, far removed from the turbulence of her past. Once a week, she devoted herself to tending to the blooms, arranging bouquets, and welcoming customers with a smile. Today had been like any other, with the soft scent of roses and lilies filling the air and the hum of gentle music in the background.

It was a chilly morning, and as she was jotting down an order for a customer, the bell over the door chimed. Eda looked up, expecting another local dropping by for fresh flowers, but instead, she saw someone dressed head-to-toe in black. They wore a loose sweatshirt, track pants, and a cap pulled low over their face. She felt a fleeting pang of curiosity—there was something oddly familiar about the figure, but she quickly dismissed it as nothing more than a passing thought.

She finished up with the customer, her hands moving deftly as she wrapped a bouquet, but she felt an uneasy chill prickle her skin. When the shop was empty again, the figure approached the counter, and Eda prepared her usual warm greeting. As she looked up, the figure raised their head slightly, and Eda’s heart stopped.

It was Selin.

Shock rendered Eda speechless for a split second, but she quickly recovered, setting her face into a mask of calm. “Selin,” she greeted her coolly, her tone carefully neutral. “What are you doing here?”

A faint, twisted smile played on Selin’s lips as she looked around the shop, her eyes settling on Eda with an unsettling intensity. “I came to see you, Eda,” she said quietly, her voice laced with a bitterness that sent a shiver down Eda’s spine.

Eda kept her stance firm. “Whatever you have to say, I think it’s best left in the past. There’s nothing here for you anymore, Selin.”

Selin’s gaze hardened. “Maybe not for me,” she replied, “but you don’t get to live happily ever after while I’m left with nothing.”

Eda took a small step back, feeling an instinctive urge to keep her distance. “Selin, I don’t know what you’re hoping to achieve here, but I think it’s best if you leave.”

But Selin didn’t move. Her eyes flickered with a strange light, a look Eda hadn’t seen before—one that held both anger and desperation. Before Eda could react, Selin stepped forward, and in one swift motion, she covered Eda’s mouth with a cloth soaked in something sweet and chemical. Eda struggled, trying to resist, but her vision began to blur, and within seconds, darkness claimed her.

When Eda came to, the world around her was dim and disorienting. She was in a small, enclosed space with bare, windowless walls, her hands bound and her head pounding. She took a shaky breath, forcing herself to stay calm as her senses adjusted. Her heart raced as she remembered the flower shop, the figure in black, and then Selin’s face.

The harsh realization hit her: she had been kidnapped.

A low, mocking voice echoed from somewhere nearby. “You’re awake.”

Eda twisted her head to see Selin standing by the door, watching her with a cold smile. Eda’s pulse quickened, but she forced herself to keep her fear in check. She wouldn’t give Selin the satisfaction of seeing her panic.

“What do you want, Selin?” Eda asked, her voice steady despite the tremor she felt inside.

Selin laughed, a bitter sound. “What do I want? I want my life back, Eda,” she spat. “You took everything from me—Serkan, my career, my future. And you just walked away with it all like you were entitled to it.”

Eda’s jaw tightened. “You did that to yourself, Selin. Serkan chose to move on. You had no right to interfere in our lives.”

Selin’s face twisted with rage. “Is that what you tell yourself to feel better? That it was my fault?” She shook her head, taking a step closer. “No, Eda, it was you. You made him choose. You’re the reason I was cast aside.”

Eda could see the madness in Selin’s eyes, the desperation that had twisted her thoughts into something dark and dangerous. “This won’t bring you happiness, Selin,” Eda said, trying to reason with her. “You’re only going to hurt yourself more by doing this.”

Selin’s expression hardened. “I don’t need happiness. I need justice.”

Eda felt a wave of hopelessness, realizing that Selin was beyond reason. Her mind raced, searching for any possible way out, any way to signal for help. But her hands were bound, and she was alone in this desolate place with only Selin, who seemed determined to make her suffer.

Back in Spain, Serkan had wrapped up his meetings ahead of schedule. His mind was already on the flight back to Istanbul, where he couldn’t wait to see Eda again. He had texted her that morning to let her know he’d be home sooner than expected, but she hadn’t replied. He brushed it off, figuring she was busy at the flower shop.

But as he landed in Istanbul and still hadn’t heard from her, an uneasy feeling crept over him. He called her, but it went straight to voicemail. Serkan tried to reassure himself that everything was fine, but the silence felt ominous.

Arriving home to an empty apartment only heightened his concern. After reaching out to friends and family to see if anyone had seen her, he finally called the flower shop. The owner’s voice was strained with worry.

“Mr. Bolat, Eda left hours ago, and she never came back… we thought maybe she had something urgent come up, but it’s not like her.”

Serkan’s heart pounded. He knew Eda wouldn’t disappear without a word. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

Calling his contacts, he quickly set up a search and informed the authorities. Every second that passed only intensified his worry. He couldn’t believe this was happening again. After everything they had been through, the thought of losing her was unthinkable.

As the night wore on, he combed through any place she might have gone, calling friends and visiting familiar spots. It was in the early hours of the morning, after exhausting every option, that a possibility struck him—a terrifying one.

Selin.

The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. Could she have come back for Eda, determined to finish what she had started years ago? He knew he couldn’t waste another momen