What Hurts the Most

Chapter 6

Emir arrives home that evening to a quiet house. For about a minute, he's able to enjoy the peace. But that's ruined when his mother comes down the hall to greet him. Her eyes are filled with tears and Cemre is supporting her every step. Emir panics.

"Baba?"

Something must have happened to him. Emir begins to run towards the room, but Cavidan stops him.

"He's fine. For now. But not if that girl has anything to do with it."

"We warned you, Emir," Cemre says. "You really have to get rid of her. She tried to hurt your father again. And when Cavidan teyze tried to stop her, she was attacked as well."

"Cemre, I told you. Reyhan didn't hurt my father. She wasn't even at home at the time. She ..."

"Lied," Cavidan interrupts. "Then she made Nigar and Sefer lie for her. Those two were so terrified of her, I had to let them have a few days off. They won't be returning until that girl is gone."

This makes no sense. Emir saw the video from the store with his own eyes. He even checked the GPS on Reyhan's cell phone. She was at that store at the time she said she was. What is his mother trying to do now?

"I don't understand." Emir paces and tries to think. But he's going to need the whole story. From all sides. First he'll hear what his mother and Cemre have to say. Then he'll talk to Reyhan. Hopefully he'll get the truth out of one of them.

"Start from the beginning," Emir orders his mother. "Tell me everything that happened."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Emir is shaken after Cavidan finishes her version of events. Not because he believes her. But because he doesn't. Not one word of what she said makes any sense. And again, he thinks back on how many times in the early days of his marriage he believed stories like this because it was coming from his mother. How many things has he blamed Reyhan for just because his mother decided to arbitrarily lie?

"She just kept stabbing him," Cavidan says, wiping what appears to be genuine tears from her eyes. "I couldn't stop her. I managed to push her away from him, but that only made her come after me instead."

"But why would she do any of this?" Emir asks. "I just don't understand. She loves my father. Why would she hurt him on purpose?"

"Why has she done any of the things she's done?" Cemre shrugs. "Why would she leave her little village and come here to marry a man she never met? Why did she divorce you just as capriciously? She's crazy. And just wants your money."

"And what do you think, Anne?" he asks Cavidan. "You've never liked her, never accepted her. Why is that?"

"She's never been good enough for you, Son. She never knew her place. You deserve better than some maid's daughter. She's sneaky and greedy and tried to steal you and all our money. I'm not going to let her get away with it. It's time for that snake to go."

"This is unbelievable," Emir groans, covering his face with his hands. Unbelievable that his mother would go to such lengths. And that he's never noticed before.

"I can believe it," Cemre says, completely misunderstanding him.

But he doesn't correct her. They believe he believes them. If he just lets them talk, they will continue to show their true faces to him.

"That girl has always seemed like trouble," Cemre continues. "It was a relief when she divorced you. But for some reason, she won't stay gone. This time, she won't have any excuse to come back."

"This time?" Emir asks, confused at what she's saying.

"Well, surely you won't let her stay here any longer," Cemre says. "Not after what she's done."