Together Again

Chapter 24

The city was quieter than usual, or at least it felt that way to Serkan. He sat at a café near his office, stirring his coffee absentmindedly as he replayed last night over and over in his mind. Since Eda’s return, life had been slowly moving toward normalcy. Yet after that night, something shifted, an unsettling feeling that clawed at his thoughts. He couldn’t shake the sensation that someone had been in his room. Maybe even Selin.

The doubt gnawed at him, threatening to unravel the peace he and Eda had fought so hard to rebuild. He glanced at his phone, waiting for Eda’s reply to his earlier text. They needed to talk. He needed her reassurance as much as she needed his.

Finally, his phone buzzed. Eda’s message was short: Yes, I’ll meet you at the park later.

Serkan let out a breath, realizing he’d been holding it in. Even now, after everything, Eda’s presence was his anchor. He quickly typed back, See you soon.

Eda arrived at the park just as the sun began to set, casting a warm, golden light across the trees. She spotted Serkan immediately, sitting on a bench, looking out at the horizon with a faraway expression. She took a moment to watch him, her heart swelling with a mixture of love and fear. Despite everything, Serkan was still her constant, her safe harbor. But the events of the past few days had unearthed a buried unease in her heart.

She walked over, and he turned as she approached, a faint, tired smile breaking across his face. “Eda,” he said softly, reaching out to take her hand. She sat down beside him, their fingers intertwining naturally.

For a moment, they sat in silence, each gathering the courage to speak.

“Serkan,” Eda began, breaking the quiet. “There’s something you’re not telling me. I can feel it. What happened last night?”

He looked down, his jaw clenching as he fought to find the right words. “Eda, I don’t know how to explain it. But I think… I think someone was in my room. I’m almost certain it was Selin.”

Eda’s heart raced. “What? But how? She shouldn’t even know where we live.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” he said, his voice low and strained. “But the scent in the room, Eda… it was your perfume. I thought it was you. At first, I didn’t question it. But now… I think she’s trying to mess with me, with us. She knows us too well, knows how to manipulate even the smallest things.”

Eda shivered, a sense of foreboding washing over her. The mere idea of Selin lurking in the shadows, sowing seeds of doubt, made her skin crawl. She thought they were finally free of Selin’s influence, finally on solid ground. But now it felt like the foundation they’d rebuilt was cracking beneath them.

“Serkan, if she’s really doing this, we need to be careful,” she whispered, gripping his hand tightly. “She’s trying to create distance between us, to make us doubt each other.”

Serkan nodded, his gaze unwavering. “I know. But the thing is, Eda, I don’t doubt you. Not for a second.” He cupped her face gently, his thumb tracing her cheek. “She can try all she wants, but she can’t take this from us. I won’t let her.”

Eda smiled, a tear slipping down her cheek. “I know, Serkan. But it’s hard… It’s hard to shake the feeling that she’s always just a step behind, waiting to pounce. I thought we were free of her, that we could move on.”

“We are moving on,” he assured her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “We just need to outlast her one more time. And this time, we’re going to be stronger. We’ll be smarter.”

Eda looked into his eyes, a glimmer of hope sparking in her heart. “Then we’ll face her together.”

Over the next few days, Serkan and Eda worked hard to regain their sense of normalcy. Eda returned to her flower shop, welcoming the quiet routine of arranging blooms and taking orders, while Serkan focused on his projects at the firm, where he was greeted with warm support from colleagues who’d worried about him during the search for Eda.

But even amid the normalcy, Selin’s shadow lingered.

One afternoon, Eda was in the middle of organizing her workspace when a customer walked in. She greeted them with her usual bright smile but paused as she took in the person standing before her—a woman in dark clothes, sunglasses, and a cap pulled low over her face. Something about the figure seemed familiar, a prickling sensation running up Eda’s spine.

The woman didn’t say a word as she stepped closer. It was only when she took off her sunglasses, revealing an all-too-familiar face, that Eda felt her heart drop.

“Hello, Eda,” Selin said smoothly, her lips curling into a smug smile.

Eda clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay calm. She couldn’t let Selin see her rattled. “What are you doing here, Selin?”

Selin’s eyes glinted with mischief. “Just checking in, seeing how you’ve been. It’s been, what, three years?”

“Three years too short,” Eda replied coldly. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Oh, Eda, don’t be so harsh.” Selin’s voice was sickly sweet, laced with mock sympathy. “I only came to say hello. To see what kind of life you’ve built for yourself. Though I must say, it’s a bit… ordinary, isn’t it? Working in a flower shop? Hardly the life I imagined for you.”

Eda’s heart pounded, but she kept her expression steady. “I don’t owe you an explanation. And you don’t get to comment on my life. Not anymore.”

Selin smirked. “Fair enough. But you should know, Eda, I’m not one to give up easily. You think you’ve won, that you and Serkan are untouchable? Life doesn’t work that way. One little mistake, one crack, and everything you’ve built can come crumbling down.”

Eda took a deep breath, her anger simmering. “If you’re trying to scare me, it won’t work. Serkan and I have been through too much to let you break us. So, if you’re done, you can leave.”

But Selin didn’t move. Instead, she leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Do you really think Serkan would stand by you if he knew everything?”

Eda felt her stomach twist. Selin’s words hit her like a punch, reigniting old insecurities she thought she’d put to rest. But she refused to give Selin the satisfaction of seeing her shaken. “Whatever game you’re playing, it ends here. You don’t scare me.”

Selin’s smile faded, her gaze hardening. “We’ll see about that.”

And with that, Selin turned on her heel and walked out of the shop, leaving Eda alone, her hands trembling. She took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to stay grounded, to push aside the lingering fear that Selin’s words had stirred.

She picked up her phone, dialing Serkan’s number. After a few rings, he answered.

“Eda?”

She took a steadying breath. “Selin came to the shop. She… she said some things.”

There was a pause, then Serkan’s voice grew firm. “Are you okay? Did she do anything?”

“No, nothing physical,” Eda replied, her voice soft. “But she said things to get under my skin, things that made me… doubt myself.”

“Eda, listen to me,” Serkan said, his tone unwavering. “Selin’s trying to manipulate you, to make you question yourself. Don’t let her get to you. I’m coming over. We’ll get through this together.”

Eda nodded, grateful for his reassurance. “Thank you, Serkan.”

That night, they sat together, talking through every word Selin had said, every insecurity and fear she’d tried to plant. They went over their shared journey, every hurdle they’d overcome, reminding themselves of the strength of their bond. The conversation stretched late into the night, a quiet reaffirmation of their love and resilience.

As dawn broke, Serkan took Eda’s hand in his, looking into her eyes. “Selin may think she can tear us apart, but she doesn’t know us, not really. We’re stronger than her schemes.”

Eda smiled, her heart swelling with gratitude and love. “Together,” she said softly, feeling the weight of her fears begin to lift. “We’re unstoppable.”

And as they sat there, bathed in the light of a new day, Eda felt something shift inside her. The shadows that Selin had tried to cast over their lives began to recede, replaced by a fierce determination. They would face whatever came next, side by side, their love stronger than any force that tried to pull them apart.