The Best Is Yet To Come

My Favorite Mistake

Nihat looks at his son's crestfallen face. It's on the tip of his tongue to give him some words of encouragement but he refuses to give Can false hope. He thought he could get through to Sanem and show her the error of her ways. Maybe she'll see the truth for what is is. Instead, the truth hit him straight smack in the face. He doesn't know his little bird anymore.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Nihat stares at the front door of the small house. In a moment of weakness, Sanem let her walls down and called her mother two nights ago. Mevkibe tried her best to understand what made her daughter hysterical. From what he can understand, Can has to return back to Istanbul and Sanem is in a tizzy about it.

Leyla also confessed that she spoke with Emre Divit and together, they're trying to make sense of what happened in the past. Nihat knows whatever Sanem is afraid of, it lies in Istanbul. Mevkibe also decides it's time to speak with Can himself. He knows the guilt his wife has been carrying all these years is slowly eating away at her conscience.

With the family jumping in to help the couple, it becomes clear to him what he needs to do. They all deserve an explanation and to put this issue behind them. After speaking with Mevkibe, he makes the decision to bring his little bird back home. Nihat empties out their savings and purchases a round trip ticket to Athens.

Nihat checks the watch on his wrist and realizes how late it really is. He doesn't have a choice as he knocks gently on the door. All of his worryings was for naught because the look on his daughter's face says it all. Sanem needs him.

Baba. No matter how old she is, he'll always be her baba. He will gladly hold her hand and walk through any obstacles to help her. It kills him that she went through the worst moments of her life alone. What kind of father doesn't see his daughter's pain?

Nihat hugs his little girl as tightly as he can. He lets her cry out her frustrations and fears. He soothes her hair and tells her that everything will work out. Baba's here now. He'll make it happen.

Sanem lets him take her bed for the night. He refuses at first. After all, he's the uninvited guest and it is in poor taste to steal the host's bed. But he also taught his daughter well. While they didn't have much to offer their children, Nihat and Mevkibe taught them to be gracious and kind.

Nihat lays his head on the pillow and tries to be comfortable when he felt something under the pillow. As he pulls out the picture, he feels his heart break. The dried tear stains on the aged photograph didn't diminish the love radiating from it. The newlyweds looked absolutely beautiful and happy. Nihat knows Sanem is regretting her decision. She's at war with herself over a lot of the decisions she's made. Maybe if he shows her the error of her ways, she will make the right decision this time.

Nihat slowly creeps out of the bedroom and walks towards the living room. He watches his sleeping girl for a moment. Time passed by way too quickly. One moment, he's the only person who can protect her and the next, she's protecting her little ones from the lightning. He drops her wedding picture on top of her hands and walks back to bed.

Nihat awoke to find the splitting image of a young Sanem sitting on the bed and a tiny Can watching him from the doorway. Twins. He still can't believe his daughter had twins. He knows it's possible since he is a twin himself but to see it with his own eyes is something else. Mevkibe will bawl her eyes out when she sees them for sure.

The little girl is exactly like Sanem. She's curious and precocious. He tries his best to keep up with her questions. The boy, on the other hand, is an enigma to him. He just stands by the doorway, surveying the scene before him with a thoughtful look. Nihat wonders if this is what Can was like as a child. One thing is certain, the boy inherited his father's protective streak. He can tell from his stance. He's betting this is the older twin. Mitat barely cared about him but he knows this one will battle anyone who dares hurt his sister. He's a Divit after all.

Nihat walks out of the bedroom holding Violet's little hand. She even babbles like Sanem. Orion quietly trails along beside him. He sees his daughter cooking breakfast which in itself is a miracle to him. Sanem and cooking did not belong in the same sentence but motherhood obviously changes a person.

Sanem excuses herself from the table and informs him of her intention to call the twins school. She proceeds to tell the twins that they're going on their first airplane ride to see Baba. She also informs him that she took the liberty of changing his plane ticket. Nihat sees how much the children love their father. This is how it should be. He's glad Sanem came to her senses.

Nihat takes care of the kids while their mother settles her accounts. He's glad he gets to spend some time with them. After a while, Sanem informs them it's time to leave. Otherwise, they'll miss their flight. He helps Sanem carry the suitcase to her car.

The Aydin-Divits arrive at the airport and proceeds to check in. He should've known it wasn't going to be easy. She's not coming. The tickets she hands him are just for Violet and Orion as well as his.

He thinks about making a scene at the airport. Maybe it will knock some sense into her. She rambles about how she's made a life for herself without Can and others need her as well. He knows what this is. Sanem's grabbing on to any excuse to hang on to her anger and pride. He just nods his head.

Sanem says goodbye to her children and asks them to be good for their father. She'll call them tonight. Violet readily agrees but Orion just watches her without a word. Out of the blue, he asks Nihat to pick him up and he can feel the little boy's disappointment. The boy doesn't want to voice his sadness. If Sanem thinks he's going to make it easy for her to justify her irrational actions to herself, she's wrong. He asks her calmly, "Is this life worth it without him?".

Nihat knows he hits his mark when he sees the tears form in his daughter's eyes. As much as he loves her, he can't support what she's doing. Her pride is hurting all of them. As he walks away from his daughter, he hears Orion asks for his baba. He can't help his daughter anymore but he can help his grandchildren. That's exactly what he'll do. He'll deliver them to their father.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Despite the ache in his heart, Can feels an overwhelming sense of happiness. Even though Sanem chooses the life she leads now over her relationship with him, he's grateful she didn't keep their children away from him. He has to push all of his feelings aside for now and focus on his clients.

Can knows Mr. McKinnon and Ceyda have a lot of questions. The entire office probably have questions. He's known to keep his private life close to the vest but there's no use hiding this current scenario. Anyone with eyes can see these are his children, especially the boy who refuses to part with him since waking up from his nap. He does the only thing he can think of and carries Orion while continuing to listen to Mr. McKinnon's desires for this new project.

Can knows this meeting will go on for a while and he really needs to get the twins home. His poor father in law is still out there keeping his little princess distracted. He really needs to take all of them home. Nihat is probably exhausted as well. He's extremely appreciative of his father in law's support.

Can stops the meeting for a moment and gets on the intercom to page CeyCey to come to the conference room. Ceyda takes this moment to ask him where the children's mother is.

"My wife works abroad".

Can sees the disbelief in Ceyda's face and the wonder in Mr. McKinnon. They both look at the wedding ring on his ring finger. Mr. McKinnon even comments on its uniqueness. After all, a black moonstone for a wedding ring is unusual.

Can's taken to wearing his wedding ring since arriving in Athens. He knows no one pays attention to it because he's known to accessorize. This particular accessory means something else entirely.

A quick knock on the door signals CeyCey's arrival. Ceyda's face morphs into something he can't quite comprehend as she asks him when he got married and to whom. Mr. McKinnon just looks behind him towards the door with a smile on his face. It's on the tip of his tongue to answer Ceyda's question when he hears an angelic voice.

"He's married to me".