The Wedding Night...

The origin of everything...

Baran's heart was beating fast as he instructed the others to scatter around the living room area. It was not because he was afraid for himself. He was afraid for everyone else, especially Dilan and the twins. 'Maybe I should have sent them away as soon as they were born, maybe...' He shook his head and tried to clear his mind. This was not the time to second-guess himself. If he was going to succeed against his enemies, he needed to be logical and govern his emotions, otherwise, everyone he loved would be in danger. Baran walked silently towards the glass doors. Per his instructions, the curtains had been moved to cover the inside of the house. He wanted to have every advantage possible. Taking a peek, he saw two men walking with guns ready near the swimming pool area. They signaled ahead. Baran followed their gaze and saw two more approaching from the opposite side. He leaned on his back, informed the others, and waited for them to make their move. He heard the external door of the study being opened. They were inside. He took his place, ready to shoot with Kerem close behind. From the door, the barrel of a gun appeared. Baran wrapped his hand around it and pulled hard. The man was caught off guard and stumbled forward, allowing Baran to hit his head. The man fell unconscious, but the one behind him opened fire. Baran ducked down, and Kerem shot. Before he knew it, the men he had seen around the pool entered the house and were firing at them. "Dad!" Baran ran towards his dad and used his body to cover him. He felt a sting on his left leg, but that didn't stop him. He pointed his gun and took one of the men out while Kerem took the other. His father got up from underneath him. "Son?" He looked at his leg. "I'm fine." Trusting him, his Dad got into motion helping Kerem immobilize the hands of the four men. More gunfire sounds. This time, they came from the entrance."Firat!" He had gone there to check. "Kerem, go to him," Baran instructed.

"Stay here," Baran said to his father. He looked out the window and saw no one. 'It could be a trap.' He thought to himself. But what other choice did he have? He needed to put an end to it. He went outside. As soon as he turned the corner, he spotted two of his men. One of them noticed Baran's presence and lifted his hand with four fingers up. Baran nodded, understanding what the security guard was trying to say, and signaled ahead. They moved together towards the entrance. That is where all hell broke loose. Bullets began to rain around them. Unable to take cover, they fired back at them. Among the commotion, Baran recognized Mr. Kartal. Next to him was an older man whose face seemed familiar. It was him. The puppeteer. He recognized him from the surveillance photos. "Baran!" Firat screamed as he tackled him down. His cousin fired above his head several times. Baran shot at the man approaching from the front. They nodded to each other in gratitude. When Baran looked back, the man and the lawyer had disappeared. "Yusuf is coming." His cousin announced. "Everything under control on our side. There is a small group on the hill." Firat walked forward. "Let's go," But Baran put his hand on his cousin's shoulder, stopping him. "Wait..." Firat was impatient. "Baran..." He raised his hand. "They were up there on the hill. They didn't look worried or upset. It was as if..." His cousin urged him. "Who was up there, Baran?" Kerem appeared. "Baran." He took a look at his friend. "Where is my dad?" Kerem looked back. "He was right behind me." It took a second before Baran ran inside. How could he be so stupid? That man was trying to distract him, and it worked. Reaching the basement, there was no sign of Cihan or his father. He ran towards the sauna door and then stopped, unable to turn the handle, fearing what he could find. Gathering the courage, Baran opened the door, and his fears came to fruition. Empty.

The sauna door was closed. Dilan was left inside with Gül, Ms. Kader, Dilara, Ms. Azade, and Defne. She tried to remain calm by focusing on the twins when Ms. Azade spoke. "What are you hiding in your pocket?" Dilan raised her head and realized she was talking to Defne. "Nothing." The girl answered her. "Empty your pockets." Defne backed down. "Why are you acting like this, Ma'am?" Ms. Azade ordered Gül. "Don't take your eyes away from her." Then she dropped her cane, went near Dilan, and moved one of the tiles from the wall. Inside, there were a couple of guns and bullets. Ms. Azade grabbed one and pointed it at Defne. "Empty your pockets." The girl shook her head. "Empty your pockets or I'll shoot." Gül attempted to do it herself. Defne fought her, but Gül succeeded. In her hand, her friend had a disposable cellphone. "Look through it, Gül. Last calls or text messages. Anything." Dilan was confused. "Ms. Azade, what is going on? Why are you acting this way?" The woman responded without taking her eyes from Defne. "Baran warned me there was an informant inside the house. He told me to be on the lookout. I should have known. It was right there in front of me." Gül interrupted. "She sent a text message a couple of minutes ago. 'All the women and children are in the basement. Including me.'" Defne launched towards Gül with a pocket knife in her hand. Ms. Kader screamed. "My child!" But before Defne could hurt her friend, Ms. Azade shot. The sound was so deafening inside those four walls that the babies began to cry. Next thing Dilan knew, Defne was on the floor holding her arm, and Ms. Kader was hugging Gül. "If you dare to make another move, the next bullet will go to your head." Dilan was doing her best to calm the babies while processing everything that was happening around them. "Dilan!" Dilara's hand on Dilan's shoulder surprised her. "Let me help you with Önder." She took Dilan's son in her hands while she focused on Dilay. Dilan recalled her conversation with Baran earlier that day. "Your job is to protect, first and foremost, our children, Dilan..." Then there was something else he told her just before he left her there. It was about Ms. Gözde, but Dilan was so stunned when he spoke that she could not remember.