Sanem woke up the next morning in a bit of a rubbish mood; not only was it meant to be her dreaded time of the month, but she had also awoken to the news that her boyfriend would not be attending work today. Lovingly - and yet annoyingly - Can had informed Sanem that he would be spending the day with his father rather than dealing with the nightmare that had become Polen and her book launch. And as much as Sanem was thankful that Aziz and Can were spending time together, she couldn't deny that she was disappointed that she wouldn't see Can.
It was mind blowing how quickly their relationship had progressed. They had gone from being strangers who kissed once in the dark to boss and employer to lovers to friends and then back to practical strangers - all of which felt like it was a lifetime ago. Now, the pair were in a good place, a really good place. Admittedly, Sanem felt like she was dependent on Can and the way that he made her feel and for once, she was truly and utterly excited for what their future brought. But, the future was hard to think about whilst Can wasn't around and Sanem cowered over in pain (because of her pre-period cramps) She also wasn't wildly eager to be spending the day with Can's wretched ex-girlfriend.
But apparently, Polen was the least of Sanem's problems - because when Sanem got to work, all of the attention was on her and not in a good way.
"Is it me or is everyone acting really strange?" As soon as Sanem walking into the office, it was evident that glares were being shot at her. People swivelled their chairs round and immediately, the light buzz of whispering started. Her usual fun-loving and whimsical colleagues all seemed to eyeing her up with a gaze that was foreign to her. "Is there something on my face?"
"Look at me." Leyla glanced at her sister to check if her hair was a mess or if there was onion stuck in her teeth from their breakfast of menemen but ... nothing. "Huh, that is strange. You look fine." Sanem looked as normal as ever.
Sanem looked around warily before settling down at her desk to mind her own business. Without Can in the office, it meant she had no distractions from the tasks she had to complete. She had acknowledged that she'd been slacking off her work duties for a while now she decided today was the day to catch up on everything that she had missed. Whilst tuning out the rest of the office and their meaningless chatter, Sanem went about her tasks of proof-reading fact-checking until the looks at her grew progressively unbearable. It was then that she started to focus on what they were actually saying behind her back. For hours, she'd zoned them out but now, her curiosity was getting the better of her. She acutely tuned her ears in and instantly, she wished she hadn't.
"I didn't think she was that type of a girl." She heard somebody whisper - not so discreetly - behind her, her mind simultaneously aware of multiple eyes on the back of her head.
"She looks so innocent, poor Miss. Deren puts in all of this hard work and yet Sanem's the one who gets the promotion, and just because she's sleeping with the boss. What a shame."
As soon as Sanem heard the women's gossip, her eyes bulged open and her mouth went dry. Initially, she had been hesitant about going public with her relationship with Can because she feared that this would happen. People at the office liked to talk about things - whether they were true or untrue - and Sanem did not want her merit to go unnoticed just because the man she loved so happened to be her boss. Without thinking about all of the campaigns that she had worked so hard on, people just presumed she'd gotten to her high position in the company because of Can.
"I always thought they were close, I just never thought that close." Another person contributed to the gossip and Sanem felt her heart sink into her ribs. The work mates she treasured and got along with had instantly altered their perception of her and it was hard to hear. "I heard Mr. Can has been cheating on Miss. Polen with Sanem this whole time."
"Yeah, somebody said Miss. Polen caught them red-handed and it's why both of them left from the office upset yesterday." Somebody kissed their teeth in disapproval and Sanem felt the tears well up in her eyes. She so desperately wanted to tell them that that wasn't the reason she'd needed to get out of the office yesterday but she couldn't do so without divulging in too many private details. She couldn't exactly proclaim that she was scared of Enzo Fabri because he had tried to sexually assault her and suddenly made a re-appearance at Fikri Harika.
"They should be upset ... now that their filthy secret has been exposed."
Filthy - that was the word that got to Sanem the most. It was the probably the furthest adjective on the planet to describe her relationship with Can. What they shared was beautiful and it hurt knowing that a word like filthy could degrade the magic that they shared. The tears started to stream down her face silently and she brushed at them quickly, her pride not allowing her to cry in front of people who thought so low of her.
In order to maintain her cool exterior, Sanem headed to the bathroom and gave herself a pep talk in front of the mirrors. She looked herself in the eye, splashed some cool water against her face and focused on the slow inhale and exhale of breathe. Despite how hurtful the people's words were, she knew they weren't true. Nobody was going to shift her perception of her own relationship. Regardless of what people said about her or them, Sanem thought back to how kind, nurturing and supportive Can was and that was all she needed to feel better.
But that was easier said then done because as Sanem headed back to her desk, she noticed how people seemed to be minding their own business. Nobody was looking at her or whispering, in fact, they seemed all the more focused on their work. At first, Sanem was thankful but as she sat down, she realised she shouldn't have been. Gone were her notes and in their place were two photographs. One was a clipping of Can and Polen and their supposed re-kindled relationship and the other was a picture of her and Can.
The second picture was a bit unclear and evidently an intrusive one. It had been taken the day before, when Can and Sanem had been hiding out in his car just before Sanem was scheduled to be home. The shot perfectly captured Sanem on Can's lap whilst he held her tightly, the two of them grinning wide. That moment had intended to be private and suddenly, Sanem felt as if her personal bubble was being invaded. She felt just like she did when she thought Fabri had been watching her, violated. But not only was the picture shocking, sprawled on top of it were the words - gold-digging, homewrecker; all written in big, red, serial killer letters.
Sanem seized the papers in her hands and grabbed her jacket before sprinting out of the office. She felt like she was going to throw up. The tears that she had brushed away just moments before had resurfaced at greater speed. Now that her co-workers were aware that she had seen the photos, they were all eyeing her up from the corner of their eyes, trying to gage her reaction. In her head, she tried to figure out who had left it but she couldn't point fingers when all the evidence was so ambiguous. One thing that was definitive was that somebody that she had once made pleasantries with had left this clear derogatory message on her desk and Sanem wasn't sure if she was brave enough to face whoever it was on her own. She needed Can and that was where she was headed - Can's house.
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Artemis (CanEm Fan-Fiction)
Fanfic(No longer updating) When Can says he wants to be friends, Sanem finds herself struggling with their new dynamic. After making the decision to leave the agency and work alongside Osman, Can finds himself missing the woman that he drove away. But wi...
