The story was special. The legend was powerful.
There were moments or story lines I desperately wished for, and moments that at times seemed small but were so important to discover and delve into. This is a book of these moments that I wanted to ex...
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Sanem walked through the Fikri Harika agency toward the publishing house. The halls were quiet but held the warmth of the life she had built there. Her steps were light with confidence until she reached the bottom of the stairs, where the familiar comfort gave way to the chill of the empty publishing floor.
The publishing house was dark and silent, and suddenly the feeling of being alone settled in. Everyone was out of the office. It was Sunday, after all. Sanem imagined her coworkers rushing to the movies, strolling along the Bosphorus, spending an ordinary day with their families.
While they were out in the sun, she was choosing to be in the quiet dark of the office. Sanem wondered if coming here all alone was a good idea after all.
But like she had promised Yigit, and herself, she would start today. Writers don't take a day off when inspiration finally arrives — not when the risk of losing momentum is so great. She had craved this feeling of direction and confidence for months, trapped in a frozen state, never able to get the words right.
Now she understood her mission. Her journal would become her voice; a way to reach others who had felt misunderstood in love, to encourage them to follow their dreams, and to remind them that everyone has a destiny that needs to be found.
She turned on the light in the hallway, and started to walk to her cubicle. The walls were lined with framed book covers: Wuthering Heights, The Great Gatsby, and other great works she had devoured eagerly as a teenager. She paused at an intricate, detailed cover: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Jane was a rebel, believing in love over fortune, and staying true to herself even when her family expected otherwise. Sanem ached to do the same. To write bravely, to live bravely, to be true to herself.
"I'm doing my best, Jane," Sanem said to the framed cover. She wondered what advice Jane would give her. Sanem didn't know what Jane's own parents were truly like, but if Elizabeth Bennet was any indication, Jane understood.
Sanem continued down the empty hall and reached her quiet little cubicle, but she couldn't sit just yet. A familiar longing came over her. She wished she were back beside her father, sitting on the old stool in the back of their store, calculator and pad of paper between them.
She made herself some çay, not realizing until later that she had made enough for two.
The ache for her father's presence pressed against her ribs as she held herself tightly trying to ease the pain. He had always been the one Sanem turned to when she needed comfort, when the world misunderstood her, when she needed protection from her mother's temper.
It felt as if she were mourning her father while he was still alive. The thought made her shudder but Sanem couldn't shake the feeling she was losing precious time with him. How long could she keep living without her parents, without family dinners, without their advice, their hugs, even their exasperated sighs as she would tell them something new?
She missed her parents. It was as simple as that.
Sanem felt helpless. She wanted to take control, to have them accept her life, to sit at their table again. Even meet them halfway if that's what it took. But she couldn't bring herself to face them. Not yet.
When she finally settled at her desk, she didn't reach for her journal.
Instead, she pulled out a clean sheet of paper, took up the quill Can had given her, and did the only thing she could.
Thank you so much for reading! This chapter was so emotional for me to write. Sanem finally sitting down to put her heart on paper felt like a quiet but powerful turning point in her journey.
And as a little thank-you for being patient with me over the summer, I've also added a bonus chapter today! You'll get to see Can take action in his own way, and it sets the stage for some really emotional moments to come.
If you'd like to support me in creating more chapters (and help fuel those late-night writing sessions ☕), you can "buy me a coffee" here:
👉 buymeacoffee.com/414rl (Just copy and paste into your browser — Wattpad links aren't clickable!)
Never expected, always appreciated 💜 Your encouragement and kind messages mean the world to me and keep me inspired to keep sharing Sanem and Can's story with you. I look forward to reading your comments as well.
