Price of Passion

Chapter 4: Hard Choices

The black Jeep cruised along the Bosphorus and came to a halt at the side of the road. Ayhan wind the windows down as she felt a dull, throbbing sensation at her temples. After having a long meeting with her stubbornly demanding client Cesur Alemdaroğlu, she desperately needed a breath of fresh air. She reached for the case file on the passenger's seat and flipped to the surgeon's form. She recognised the name at the bottom of the paper, and it felt like a stab to the gut every single time she saw Aslı's signature. Nasıl yaptınız ya, she thought. She remembered the last time she spoke with her. Aslı Çinar Aslan. A true woman of integrity with a beautiful soul. The courageous, fearless woman who changed the lives of the Aslan family...

Speaking of the Aslans. Ayhan wasn't sure what she felt about them.

Growing up as the only daughter of a casino owner was never an easy task. She'd only had a few close friends, the boys in school were scared shitless whenever she tried to talk to them. Her teachers were the strong burly men her father hired. They were the ones that taught her to live life the rough way. They taught her to hold guns instead of toys. They taught her how to fight like a man. She actually liked it that way. She remembered her excitement when she unwrapped the brand new rifle for her 21st birthday. She'd practise sharpshooting in the backyard every evening. Her father had always stood next to her. He'd burst out laughing whenever she'd missed the bullseye. Azad Dağistanlı, the man who stood like a mountain. The enigma of a man. The only stronghold in her entire life whom she held immense respect for. Until that night when the note landed in her hands. Her entire world was shattered by Sevgi Hanım's words. He was in Bolu when your mother died. She couldn't believe, no, she doesn't want to believe those words. She doesn't want to see him as a weak, hopeless romantic who only cared for other people because they are the relatives of the woman he had a massive crush on. Sometimes she'd even wondered if he ever loved his wife. Whether he loved her as a daughter. Whenever she confronted him, the most she'd got was a simple "I'll tell you when the right time comes". She felt cheated. Betrayed. 

I studied hard and became a lawyer. I'd do everything you ask. Ama ben niye sevmedin, Baba...? Am I merely a pawn on your chessboard?

She was furious, until the day she saw those CCTV recordings. She'd remembered every single detail she saw in that video. Standing next to her father was a stranger with greying hair and a bruise on his face. Ayhan was certain she'd never seen him anywhere before. A bad omen lingered in her thoughts, but she dismissed it. He might be another new acquaintance who passed the trust test, she thought. Just like Ferhat Aslan. Her father stood across Namik Emirhan, the man who got shot during his wedding. Ferhat's uncle. The man whom her father saw as a rival. What her father said next shook her to the core.

"When you killed Albina, she was very young. For so many years, I 've been looking for the scoundrel who shot my wife. And now you're standing in front of me. Your end has come, Namik Emirhan."

The man who killed Anne...was Namik Emirhan?

Her eyes went wide as the stranger reached into his jacket and took out a long piece of wire cable. The next few seconds were a blur as the pistol fired. A single teardrop rolled down her cheek as she watched her father being strangled to death by the person he just got acquainted with. Cüneyt...

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The evening breeze felt moist as the prayer call ended. Yiğit clutched his coat tightly around himself, his knuckles turning white. He frowned, unsure what to expect next. Ferhat paced back and forth around the threshold like a prowling tiger, as he held his mobile to his ear. He knew it is going to be a long night for the both of them. And Aslı too. After hearing Aslı's statement, he knew her chances were uncertain. She signed those papers - no doubt about it. There wasn't a single thread of evidence in sight that might work in her favour. For now, he thought. Aslı mentioned three men: Tahsin - the patient she operated on, Mehmet - Tahsin's father, and Selim - her colleague. As far as Yiğit knew Aslı, his sister-in-law isn't someone that would lie for no reason. His heart burned as the station director made his decision.