The Wedding Night...

Aunt Berivan...

"Aunt Berivan." Baran watched as everyone rushed to meet her. "Since you refused to go visit me, I had to come to you." Baran approached the woman. "Thank you for agreeing to come." She winked at him. "I could not have missed it... Now, tell me. Where are the new members of the Karabey clan?" She looked past all of them, trying to find the twins. "Come with me, Aunt Berivan." Dilan offered her arm, and they walked together. Baran's dad and Ms. Gözde stood with the babies in their arms. Dilan grabbed Dilay's hand. "This is Dilay." Baran took his son from his father. "And this little man is Önder." Her aunt admired them both. "Mashallah! Mashallah! They are the most beautiful babies I've ever seen. May they grow old with their parents by their side!" Everyone replied. "Amen." Aunt Berivan turned to his Dad. "How does it feel to be a grandfather, Kudret?" Gazing at one baby and then the other, "I can't describe it." Baran looked at his father's eyes, and they were filled with emotions. Sadness was one of them. He made a mental note to have a conversation with his Dad soon. "I'm kind of hungry. Should we take a break?" Cihan suggested. The walked to the picnic area, and they all sat around to eat. Dilay and Önder were together playing with some toys, the rest were submerged in conversations. All of a sudden, Firat, with his mouth full, screamed. "They are crawling. They are crawling." All eyes turned to the twins, who in turn were looking at them with startled expressions. Instantly, the crying began. "You scared them, Firat." Dilan picked up Önder, and Baran picked Dilay. "Shhh! Shhh! There is nothing to be scared of. Shhh!" He repeated as he soothed his daughter. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was just excited to see them crawl for the first time." Baran chanted while using little Dilay's hand to point at his cousin, "Bad uncle, bad uncle." After they calmed down, the little man continued playing while Dilay sat on Baran's lap, playing with his watch.

"She is his daddy's girl." Aunt Berivan pointed out. "She is. She is constantly searching for him. And when they are together. They see no one else." Dilan answered for him. He leaned to the side and whispered. "Is that jealousy I hear, dear wife?" She was giving him attitude. "Not at all. Why would I?" He shrugged. "So are you saying you are not?" She straightened herself. "Not at all." He raised his eyebrows and nodded. "If you say so." They placed the babies in the center of the group. "You should give the babies some space. Maybe they will try to crawl again." Aunt Berivan advised them. They were all pretending to be doing their own thing when, in reality, no one took their gaze from the twins. Baran laughed to himself. They had all the Karabeys and the Demirs wrapped in their little fingers. Dilan pulled at his shirt. "There they go." She whispered. He watched with the corner of his eye. Önder was the first. His sister followed. They crawled together towards the fruits. They had recently begun to eat solids, and fruits were their favorites. They grabbed an apple at the same time and started nipping at it. Everyone observed the scene with smiles on their faces. "You will have your hands full now. They won't sit still anymore." Aunt Berivan commented. Baran exchanged looks with his wife. There was so much happiness on her face. He knew they were up for the challenge. He walked away from the group. Secretly, he began to collect flowers. Kerem walked up to him. "What are you doing?" He hid the flowers away. "Walking around to help with the digestion of the food." His friend appeared preoccupied. "Did something happen? I saw you walking away with Dilara a little while ago. Did you fight?" Kerem stared at the woman. "I asked her to marry me." Baran was shocked. "You did what?" His friend was quick to defend himself. "I don't know what came over me. But we were walking, and she looked so beautiful. It just came out. It had never crossed my mind until a few minutes ago." Baran shook his head. "So what did she reply?" Kerem sighted. "She said it was too soon."

Dilan was observing Baran as he walked away. It was the perfect opportunity to talk with Aunt Berivan without upsetting him. "How is Ms. Azade?" Following the assault at the mansion, the woman decided to leave. She took refuge in Aunt Berivan's home. Dilan didn't oppose, but she didn't necessarily feel comfortable about it. She was the eldest of the Karabeys. The mansion was her home. She had led the family for so long and yet... "She is doing better... She has always acted according to her beliefs. She did so when she told on me, and she did the same with her son. In both cases, her decisions were wrong, and the consequences were life-changing. If I'm being honest, forgiving her has not been easy for me, but I have. It took me years to get here. So, I only imagine what it would take for all of you to do the same. Especially for Kudret and the boys. The lives that were lost, the pain that was caused... And you, my child." She brushed Dilan's hair as she spoke. "You have suffered as well." She thought about it. "When I look at Baran and my beautiful babies... What felt like a curse at the beginning became my biggest blessing in life... Something positive emerged from this whole mess. Others were involved; they could have chosen a different path, but they didn't. And their sins were greater... I think I already forgave Ms. Azade. I don't want to live with resentment in my heart. I just want to focus on my family and move forward." Aunt Berivan smiled sweetly. "I would not have expected another answer from you, my child." She looked back at her husband. "But I know Baran needs time. Not only him, but all of them do." The woman grabbed her hand. "He will heal. You and the babies will heal his and the family's wounds, just like you did before. I have no doubts about that." Dilan nodded with determination. "I can't believe those two. Maybe I should reconsider the whole marriage idea." An upset Gül said while sitting next to her.