Ece's Secret (Fazilet Hanim ve Kizlari Fanfiction)

Chapter 6: Fate Intertwined

Hazim called the doctor to inquire into his wife's death, wondering how she could have died so suddenly. The doctor explained it was a complication due to her menopause medicine. Pulmonary embolism was not common but not a completely rare side effect of the estrogen heavy medication.  He thought finding her cause of death would give him some closure but it just made him feel even worse. Because of a simple medicinal complication his wife had died. They could have easily gone to the doctor to find another solution to her menopause symptoms but Sevinc hated going to doctors. Hazim knew he should be downstairs to be with this children who had just lost their mother two days ago but he didn't want them to see him in this state. He wanted to remain strong for them.  He closed the door and cried silently on his bed holding a picture of his beautiful wife. He heard a soft tap on the door.

"Enter."

"Hazim bey, I've brought some camomile tea for you." Ece announced walking forward with the tray. 

"Thank you dear. That will be all." Hazim reached for the cup but his hands were full. Ece offered to take the picture frame from him and set it back on the nightstand. Before putting it down Ece looked at the photograph of Sevinc Egemen. She had a kind face. She didn't know her but could tell by that photo she was a woman who truly loved her family. 

"She's very beautiful." Ece commented.

"Was." Hazim corrected. Ece felt impolite for the mistake. 

Selin walked past her parents' room and saw the new maid holding her mother's picture. 

"How dare you! How dare you think you have the right to look at mother's picture!" Selin screamed out as she stomped into the room. "Take your filthy hands off her picture! And why are in my father's room?" she added accusingly. Selin had heard many times of young women preying or rich grieving men. And here this tart stood alone in the room with her father, practically ready to toss out her mother's picture. 

"Selin, that's enough." her father commanded. "She was just bringing up some tea."

"I'm sorry." Ece apologized not knowing what she did wrong. She grabbed the tray and headed back to the kitchen. She stood around the corner and muffled her cries with her sweater. Ece knew the household was in mourning but they all kept taking out their frustrations on her. 

Ece lied to her mother saying she was feeling ill so she could get out of the house and go back home. 

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Sinan  was back at the gym the next day. After his work he spotted Hazan and remembered the offer she made yesterday. He decided to take her up on it. 

"Hazan" he called out, "You said if needed to talk you would be there for me didn't you?"

"Yes of course. I can talk now. My shift ends in 10 minutes."

"Good. Then come to dinner with me so we can talk."

They drove out to a restaurant and shared memories of their departed loved ones. They laughed and cried the whole night. Sinan had to order some wine for him to open up to Hazan. Sinan had never felt this close to anyone else before. He felt like could tell her his innermost feelings and she wouldn't judge him. Maybe it was because she wasn't in his circle. She didn't place expectations and restrictions on him like his family or peers. She was there as a sympathetic ear.  Sinan had always been lashing out, hoping someone who hear what he wanted, what he felt. Tonight he felt as if someone had finally heard him. 

He offered to take Hazan home. Sinan was feeling tipsy and was having trouble focusing on the road.  He tried not to let Hazan notice. Fog was beginning to set over the road and an oncoming car suddenly turned on its highbeams. The bright light startled Sinan, momentarily blinding him, causing him to veere to the side of the road and crash into the rail.