Chapter 24

She hasn't spoken at all for a couple of hours. Ilgaz is starting to worry about his wife. Ceylin doesn't have a 'silent' mode. Not usually. She usually always has something to say. She doesn't have a 'still' mode either. She's usually always filled with energy and life. But she hasn't moved nor said one word since they took his father into surgery and her mother into custody.

Ilgaz still can't believe what happened. But it happened right before his eyes, so there's no way he can ever forget. One minute he was smiling, watching Ceylin fall into his father's embrace. Surprised, yet pleased that the two seemed to have come to some sort of understanding. He felt like maybe he was getting his family back. He felt like maybe they could finally all put the past behind them and move on to a better future. All that changed in a heartbeat. And his dream had suddenly become a nightmare. The flight down the stairs had seemed endless. His father must have hit every single step on the way down. Ilgaz can still hear the sound his body made when it hit the bottom.

Being at the hospital saved his life. His father had been able to get immediate medical care. And when the doctors couldn't get the internal bleeding under control, he had been taken immediately into surgery. Now, all they can do is wait until the operation is over and pray the damage can be repaired.

And throughout it all, Ceylin has barely said a word.

"Are you alright? Do you need anything?" he asks her, stroking a finger down her cheek. He takes her hand into his own. It's cold. Much colder than it should be. "Let me get you some tea and something to eat."

She just blinks, looks up to him, and starts to cry. Silent tears stream down her cheeks and the sight breaks his heart.

"Sweetheart," he sighs, pulling her into his arms. "Don't do this. You're starting to worry me. Look, I'm sorry the police had to take your mother. She's still here in the hospital. Just under police supervision. If you want, I can get you in to see her."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Ceylin asks, pushing him away so that she can stand up. She wraps her arms around herself, almost as if she's trying to create a protective shell. "My mother almost killed your father. How can you even be thinking about her? How can you even stand to look at me? After what she did?"

That's what she's worried about? The idea is so shocking to him. He's even more shocked to realize he's said it out loud.

"How can you not be worried about it? My mother. She almost killed your father. And all because of me," Ceylin continues to sob. "Do you know that your dad pushed me out of the way? That he was trying to protect me? He sacrificed himself for me. He's like this because of me. I can't forgive her or myself for what she's done."

He slowly walks over to her, trying to ignore the pangs of hurt in his heart when she backs away from him. But he keeps pressing on until her back reaches a wall and she has nowhere to go. He captures her face with his hands.

"Don't do this Ceylin. None of this was your fault," he assures her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "It was an accident. A terrible accident. But an accident nonetheless. Nobody here blames you."

He gives her one more kiss before taking her hand and leading her back to her seat.

"You sit here. I'm going to go get you something to eat. You need to feed my daughter."

The mention of their baby makes her smile just a little and it makes his heart lighten. He doesn't like to see her crying and miserable.

"Daughter? You think we're having a girl?" She places her hands on her slightly rounding belly. "I don't get a sense either way yet. But I can already tell this baby takes more after you. He or she has been very well behaved so far."

"Of course she is." He reaches over and covers her hand with his own. "My daughter is an angel. Aren't you, Kızım?"

They take a couple of minutes to just enjoy the moment with their unborn baby. He can still sense her sadness, but she seems more content. Determined to not send such negativity to their unborn child. But they're interrupted when Çınar arrives. Ilgaz had sent one of Eren's officers up to his school to get him. They're hoping and praying for the best with Metin, but Ilgaz also wanted Çınar to be near. Just in case of the worst. They must have just arrived.

"Çınar," Ilgaz says, walking over to pull his brother into a hug.

"How's Baba?" Çınar asks, foregoing any niceties. "They said he had an accident. What happened?"

"He's in surgery now. He fell down a flight of stairs. There's a waiting area down the hall. That's where Hala and Dede are if you want to go be with them."

Çınar looks back and forth between Ilgaz and Ceylin, as if sensing something off. But he doesn't say anything.

"I'm going to run and get some food for us all. Did you eat? Did you want anything?" Ilgaz offers.

"I'm fine," Çınar says, his glare focusing on Ceylin.

"Oh, check in with Neva too," Ceylin reminds him as he's about to leave. Neva stayed with Defne and Asen so that Makbule and Merdan could be at the hospital with Metin. "Hopefully the kids aren't giving her a hard time."

Ilgaz smiles at them both and leaves. Not realizing what he's leaving Ceylin to.

"What happened to my father?" Çınar asks once Ilgaz is gone. "I overheard you and my brother talking. What did your mother do? Did she really try to kill him?"

Ceylin doesn't know what to say. Guilt fills her heart and she just doesn't know what to say. She walks over to go stand in front of him.

"Çınar, I …"

"No, Ceylin. No excuses. You always have some excuse for your family, but no understanding at all for mine," he says, the anger evident in his voice. "Don't stand here and look me in the eyes and try to excuse what she did. Your whole family makes me out to be the bad guy. And I'm tired of it. Yes I've made mistakes. But enough is enough."

"It's not like that, Çınar. I swear," Ceylin says. "I promise I'm not trying to excuse her. But she's not well. She saw me with your father and she got scared."

Çınar just shakes his head and laughs.

"Yes, because we're the ones with the history of being dangerous," he says sarcastically. "Ceylin, do you realize that your father has terrorized and assaulted me pretty much from the day I met him? Your sister was the one having an affair with her married professor. And she called me for help. And the thanks I got for that was a murder rap, along with your father's never ending hatred. He has cursed me. Spit at me. Beat me. I went to prison for a crime I didn't commit and nearly died. All because I helped your sister."

Ceylin thinks back to the early days and she can't deny what he's saying. He had lied so much and hidden so much. She was trying to help him, but his lies were working against her. But he's right. He did nothing but try to help Inci. And no matter what she tried to tell her family, they never believed him to be innocent.

"Your father kidnapped me at gunpoint. Gunpoint, Ceylin! He walked right up on me in the middle of the street and put a gun in my face and forced me to go with him. He dragged me to a warehouse and threw me down. He had every intention of killing me. He pulled the gun and aimed it at me. With what little strength I had left, I kicked the gun from out of his hand. But he quickly got it back. We fought. I fought him, Ceylin. I fought for my life. Because he was going to kill me. You blamed me, but I was a victim and I fought back against the man who had terrorized me. You made me feel guilty for living, when I had every right to do so. Your father had no right to try to take my life, just like your mother had no right to try to take my father's life. But you made me feel like I did something wrong for fighting for my life while you stand here and justify your mother. But you know what? I don't care anymore. I'm going to make sure your mother pays for what she did. Your father got away with what he did to me. But I refuse to let your mother get away with trying to kill my father. She will pay. Your whole family will pay. Isn't that how it works? Isn't that how you all treated my brother? Isn't that why you divorced my brother?"

His words hit her like actual blows. As if he directed them right at her core. She winces when a sharp pain squeezes her side.

"What's going on here?"

She hears Ilgaz's voice, angry and pointed at his brother. But she has to stop this. She can't cause any more damage to this family.

"It's fine, Ilgaz," she says, though not convincingly. Her voice comes out in a gasp as she tries to breathe through the pain. Ilgaz leads her to a seat and she gratefully sits, immediately noticing a decrease in the pain.

"It's not fine! You're not fine! What did you do to her?" he asks Çınar. "What did you say to her?"

"The truth, Abi! I only told her the truth. It's not my fault if she doesn't like it."

"Ilgaz, it's fine. He's right," Ceylin says, looking up at Çınar. "About everything."

"He upset you. And that upset the baby. There's nothing right about that."

She gives him a shaky smile and takes his hand, covering her belly.

"We're fine. I promise. It was just a twinge. It's over now."

But the way he looks at Çınar, she can tell it isn't over. But it has to be over for now. Because Makbule comes running down the hall towards them, tears in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"Metin is out of surgery. He's going to be okay. He wants to see everyone," she excitedly tells them.

Ceylin looks on as Makbule hugs her nephews. She's happy for them. Relieved. Metin will be okay. And her mother won't be considered a murderer. But at the end of the day, does that really matter? When all is said and done, how can she expect this family to forgive any more than her family did? Is this constant antagonism their life now, hers and Ilgaz? Asen? This new baby? To always be caught in the middle of what seems to be like a never ending family feud? She has no answers. But she knows one thing. If she wants any peace, then she better find them. And quickly.

They don't stay long at the hospital. Even though Metin woke up, he didn't stay awake for very long. The doctor assured them it was for the best for him to rest right now. Ceylin could tell Ilgaz was tempted to stay with his father, but she didn't allow it. This whole trip to the hospital started because of his gunshot wound. She can tell that his head is hurting despite him trying to pretend it isn't. He needs rest too.

"And I think Defne will feel better seeing her brothers when she gets up," Ceylin adds. "I'm sure no one told her a lot about what was going on with your father, if anything. If she sees that Neva is still there when she wakes up, it will only worry her unnecessarily."

They all agreed. Even Çınar. He's still a bit frosty towards her, but she'll worry about that later. All she wants right now is to get her baby and cuddle with her family. And be grateful that things didn't go as bad as they could have. She could have lost Ilgaz today. She's been trying not to think about that, but it's starting to really sink in. By the time they reach the car, she's shivering uncontrollably. She hears Ilgaz tell Çınar to drive and he gets into the back with her. He pulls her into his lap and she's grateful for the warmth.

"Shhh," he says gently. "It's okay. We're all okay."

"You could have died," she sobs. It's only then that she realizes she's crying. "Your dad could have died. What if he didn't push me out of the way? What if something had happened to the baby?"

"I know," he whispers to her. "That all terrifies me too. But we're fine, sweetheart. Everyone is fine. I got you and I'm not letting you go."

She lays her head on his shoulder and buries her nose in the crook of his neck. He smells like antiseptic and the hospital. But underneath is pure Ilgaz. His scent along with his gentle strokes up and down her back have her so relaxed that she can't help but doze off.

"Is she asleep?" Çınar asks, peeking into the rear view mirror at them. "Is she … okay? I didn't mean to yell at her, Abi. I promise. It just came out."

Ilgaz wants to be mad at his brother, but he understands how stressful the situation has been for everyone. It honestly was probably only a matter of time before Çınar snapped anyway. He's been through a lot. And Ilgaz admits he hasn't given his brother much of a break. But Ceylin is right. As much as he tried to downplay the incident for her sake, he really could have died. He was a hair width's away from that bullet doing some serious damage. It was only pure luck he got away with just a graze. His father could have died. And as much as he never likes to think of that fateful day so many months ago, Çınar could have died. If he didn't fight hard enough, if he had lost any more blood than he did lose, that could have been it for him. That only shows him that life is too short to harbor so much anger. There's no point in it.

"She'll be okay," Ilgaz says after a minute. "She's just a bit more emotional these days. And today was a lot. We're going to stay upstairs in my old apartment. I don't want to leave you and Defne alone. Come up in the morning. We'll all have breakfast together."

Maybe if they can pretend to be a family for long enough, they'll become one again. He never kidded himself. He knew the situation would be tough. But he chose to be with Ceylin no matter what. And he prayed that one day the families would accept each other. He just never dreamed it would be this tough. That the situation would get this contemptuous. He had foolishly hoped that once the grandchildren came, the families would at least try to be civil. He never imagined kidnapping and attempted murder would be on the menu.

If something doesn't change, he foresees a lot of tense family gatherings in the future. Or no gatherings at all. He'll take his wife and children someplace else before he lets any of this hurt Ceylin again. Ceylin and the kids come first now. Before his family. Before her family. Before his job. Nothing matters more than they do.

"Breakfast sounds good, Abi."

It has to be, Ilgaz thinks to himself. Family is all any of them have. He doesn't want to lose it.

The little nap did her good. So by the time she's walking into the old apartment, she feels better and more energetic. And a bit hungry. Ilgaz comes up a few minutes later with a sleepy Asen. According to Neva, he was a bit clingy and didn't sleep well. So it's no surprise he woke when Ilgaz moved him. She knows she should have left him where he was, but she needs her baby.

"Give me my best boy," she says, reaching out for Asen. He falls eagerly into her arms and snuggles up to her chest. "I missed you too, my love."

She leans down and takes a deep breath, taking in his sweet baby scent. Then she just sighs when Ilgaz wraps his arms around them both. It's a reminder that this is her whole world. The three of them, with the baby on the way, together like this … it's all she needs.

"I don't want to dwell on this, but I'm glad you're okay," she says quietly. "I was so scared when I heard you had been hurt. Thank you for coming back to me."

He leans down and presses a kiss on her lips. Then one to the top of Asen's head.

"I'll never leave you," he promises. "I'll always be with you, Ceylin. You are everything to me."

He takes her hand and leads her to the couch. The couch where it all started. Asen quickly drifts off, but they just continue to sit and enjoy the peace. To recharge. To this day, it still amazes her how energizing it is just to be in his arms.

So it's surprising to her when she wakes later, realizing she must have fallen asleep. She blinks sleepily and looks around the dark living room. When she sits up, she notices a blanket had been placed over her.

"Ilgaz?" she calls out, yawning in the process.

She peeks in the bedroom and sees Asen asleep in the middle of the bed, surrounded by pillows. The boy rolls so much now that the pillows won't completely stop him. But they're a good temporary buffer. Just then, the door to the bathroom opens and Ilgaz comes out, one towel hung around his waist and one around his neck. It takes her back to the first time she saw him like this. Back to another night when she had awoken alone on his couch after a brief nap that had felt much longer. She remembers it clearly because after the initial confusion had passed, she had become instantly and almost painfully aroused. His gunshot wound had momentarily distracted her, but as soon as she had touched him, it had sent a jolt of awareness all through her. They had been inches away from kissing each other. And probably a lot more. But Eren had called. It probably was for the best, but the close encounter had shaken her.

However, she won't have that same problem tonight. Tonight, this man is all hers and she has every right to touch him. She takes the towel from around his neck and starts to dry his chest. Slowly.

Very slowly.

From one side to the other. Then right down the middle, following the sparse trail of hairs that lead down to her true goal. He gasps when she reaches just below his belly button and nudges loose the towel that's around his waist. She looks into his eyes and watches them glaze over as she runs the towel down the seam of this thigh, carefully avoiding where she knows he wants her to touch most.

"You're killing me," he groans, closing his eyes as if in pain.

"Something hurts?" she teases. "Maybe I should kiss it and make it better."

"I have a better idea," he says.

That's the only warning he gives her before grabbing her and pulling her to him. He lifts her up and presses her back against the wall. Her legs go around his waist. His hand reaches between them and slides into her pants, shocked to find her already ready for him. It doesn't take her long these days. Benefit of the baby hormones. She reaches down and finds him more than ready for her as well. Using the teamwork skills they are so known for, he pulls down her pants, underwear and all, while she guides him into her. Gravity does the rest and she slides down on him, groaning as he fills her. He feels extra huge tonight.

Their lips meet in a desperate kiss and she claws at his back when he starts to move inside of her. His strong arms help to lift and lower her as he slams up into her. She lets out a cry that has him slowing his pace. But that's not at all what she wants. She tightens her legs around him.

"I'm fine. Keep going. More," she begs in a sob. "Harder."

Thankfully he complies and starts moving again. Harder. Faster. Filling her just how she needs. Sparks flash behind her eyes as her climax crashes into her. He lets out a grunt when her muscles clamp down on him.

Still connected, he carries her trembling body to the living room and lays her on the couch. He slips off the rest of her clothes and tosses them onto the floor next to them. Feeling him still hard inside of her brings her back to life. She reaches her arms around his neck and pulls him down for a kiss.

"Your turn," she says, wrapping her legs around him again.

He starts to move again, but this time she can sense his desperate race for his own release. Her back arches when he hits a spot that sends her reeling. And she knows she's about to go over again.

"Yes … right there .. just like that," she moans, reaching up to massage her breasts. The look in his eyes turns feral as his strokes turn almost punishing. And she doesn't think she's ever been more turned on. He leans down to capture one of her proffered nipples between his teeth and gently bites down. But it's enough to make her explode. She's only slightly aware of his own satisfied roar before everything goes dark.

She wakes some time later, tucked into Ilgaz's arms. He's cleaned them up and put a shirt on her and shorts on himself.

"Are you okay?" he asks, worry in his voice. "You don't normally pass out."

She just smiles. Then leans up to kiss him, because she just can't resist his mouth.

"I'm better than okay," she says, climbing on top of him, knees landing on the outside of his thighs. "But I can't seem to stop wanting you."

She kisses his neck. Grinds her hips against his. He just groans.

"Then by all means," he says with a raspy voice. "Do whatever with me as you will, Avukat Hanım. I'm at your service."

She just grins. For a day that started out as bad as this one, she can't complain about how it's ending.

Ilgaz takes her hand and presses a kiss to the back, melting her heart, making her sigh. Being his usual wonderful self.

No, she has no complaints at all.