Love Me, Istanbul

#14: Love Me, Istanbul

Two years later.

Sundays in Istanbul can be exceptionally mesmerising. People would slow down in their steps, just to listen to the gawking of seagulls and enjoy the salty yet refreshing breeze of the Bosphorus. But Istanbul is a city that is constantly changing - a collision of cultures, classes, and history. A city of many secrets. And the people living in it, too, have secrets and stories of their own. 

Running a hand through her wavy brown locks, Selin could feel the uneven scars on her scalp had begun to fade. She had that surgery with Doctor Bünyamin, and it was a successful one. Albeit having lost his father, Burak remained a steady wall of strength for her. He has appointed a new CEO for Artemis in her absence, and she couldn't be any more thankful - although most of her employees had already begun to whine about how they've missed her. Ibo, Ayda, Merve and Azmiye has been a big help in her recovery progress - taking turns to care for her and help out with her physiotherapy sessions. She wasn't able to walk when she first came out of surgery, but it didn't take long for her to get moving again.

She had been living in that little house in Zekeriyaköy after putting up her luxurious apartment for rent. It was a place filled with memories - both pleasant and unpleasant ones - and she found herself falling in love with it as time passed. And although she had politely refused, Firuze and Leyla Teyze insisted they take turns to clean up the house for her. Gazing out of the balcony with a mug of coffee in her hands, Selin found herself thinking about all that has happened. To start over in one's life is not an easy task. She'd often find herself wide awake in the middle of the night, screaming for the love of her life with tears rolling down her face. The image of his motionless body covered in blood replayed in her mind over and over. It was pure torture.

She remembered how devastated she felt when Burak broke the bad news to her. By the time they reached the hospital, Demir had already lost a huge amount of blood. They weren't sure if he was going to make it through the night. The doctors had to remove half of his left lung due to the gunshot wound, leaving his heart exposed in his ribcage. When Demir came out of surgery, Selin could only watch him beyond the quarantine zone as the doctors told her that his life is hanging by a thread - and he must not be exposed to any form of stress or infection. But Selin wasn't one to give up on Demir. She wouldn't give up on them.

And somehow, Demir didn't give up, either.

A weak groan from the bedroom snapped Selin back to her senses. Turning, Selin smiled as her eyes met those eyes that glisten like honey in the sun. Her husband's eyes.

"Günaydin, sevgilim."