Chapter 6

Altan Karahan unlocked the door and brought his wheelchair near the window.  His eyes seemed to be watching the vast land, but they weren't.  His eyes were watching that night that had happened years ago.  Two families with ties from the past... Two families with bad ties from the past and the lives of the heads of those two families!  Signature and date are today...

 

 Who was to blame in this case?  Iron?  in hand?  Kerem?  Nevra?  Itself?  A tangled dark past... The recent past that darkens the darkness of the tangled dark past... Now the history that tarnishes those two pasts is today!  

 

 More tar than tar, blacker than black, darker than dark... And what was all this for?  Illuminate that darkness?  Of course it wasn't!  It looked like that at the time, but the date to come with that signature, that is, today was the day when the sun went out and life disappeared.  Today... October.. It looks good on its own, but it wasn't!  It looked good for Kerem but it wasn't!  It looked good in terms of iron but it wasn't!  It looked good in terms of Nevra but it wasn't!

 

 Others... Hande and her mother Handan... She didn't even want to look at it from their perspective because there were two people who didn't know about the incident... Kerem?  Kerem didn't know either, but he didn't have an angle anyway!  He felt his arm, which he barely felt, with his good hand.  As his eyes filled with tears, he thought about the event that had caused this situation.  Did he deserve to be in this state?

 

 He turned his head to the hand that touched his shoulder as he drowned in deep thoughts without hearing the door open.  His life partner, confidant, wife, the woman he loved smiled with full eyes.  He was looking at her with love like the first day he saw her.  He smiled.  He held her hand with his firm hand as he spoke.

 

 "What are we gonna do?"

 What else was there to say?  What are we gonna do?  Two words suitable for the meaning and importance of the day.

 "What are we gonna do?!"

 Word spoken with fear due to the Kerem factor… He took a deep breath.  He thought.  He smiled at his wife, who always smiled to himself, and shook her hand.

 "I used to say it took a long time, but it didn't. That day has come. I remembered the events, some of which only the two of us, some only the three of us, some only the three of us knew but kept hidden. I will not prolong it. I will be directly involved in the incident. I met with Demir Inanoglu. Didn't whine? Why didn't I give up, I thought. Then I found it. That's what the three of us knew. So everything will be straight. It must be! I'm tired of living like this for years! I'm exhausted Nevra! it can't hurt!"

 

 When Altan's full eyes met Nevra, he saw the same pain.  His wife was looking just like him... He couldn't bear the sadness of his word, his wife, who was with him in good times and bad times!  She gathered herself and squeezed his hand.

 "You leave everything to me. I know that you are afraid of Kerem's disability. We do not know how he will react, but how much is it at the most? Kerem has been reactive to us for years. I have not seen him looking at us like a son. He is devoid of love. Did he grow up without love? No! But there is no reason for a person to be like that." What could it be? Hande. She's out of nothing. Would she come here if she did? Kerem saw her, but nothing changed. All we have to do now is to tell Kerem everything. And immediately!"

 

 Nevra paused thoughtfully.  He thought.  It was impossible to get out of it, but they were going to get out!  Her only regret is that her husband was not upset, but before that, there was so much to worry about.  Hande... She was on fire because she didn't know anything, but there was nothing else she could do...

 "I would say if the events hadn't happened here, but it did come. Someone pays for what the old people did. Those who pay are innocent. Those who pay are innocent. Like you. Like Hande. I'm with you. As always."

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 "I know. I don't know what I would have done if it weren't for you anyway. What we're going to do now is to call Kerem and show the agreement without telling. There's no way we can explain it, you know."

 ***

 Hande excitedly hugged her mother.  He kissed her cheeks, squeezed her, and opened her hands.

 "How do I look?"

 "Do I need to tell you?"

 "That's why I'm asking mommy."

 "You are great."

 "Okay then, wish me luck. Where's my dad? I'm seeing him thoughtful these days."

 Handan looked around with worried eyes.  When she couldn't see, she looked at her daughter with a worried expression.

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 "Did you notice it too? I ask, he says he's fine. Let's look down."

 When they went downstairs together, they looked at each other when they saw Demir sitting in the wood carved chair thinking.  Indeed, Iron did not look good at all.  Hande came to her father and hugged him.  He kissed her cheek and stepped back.

 "I'm leaving now and getting final approval from you. How do I look?"

 

 He turned his pensive gaze to his daughter.  It looked all over, but it was empty.  Empty… He was trying to make sense of what he was saying.  She was showing off her outfit as she stood confidently with her hands on her waist.  He tried to smile but couldn't.  He tried to move, but he couldn't.  She wanted to blink her eyes, but she couldn't.  When the smile in her daughter's eyes disappeared and worry prevailed, she spoke forcefully.

 "Excellent. As always."

Although Hande was nervous, she did not push and kissed her father.  He didn't know anything and was laughing again.  The always...

 "Confirmation okay, I can go out now. Now I'm going to meet a friend. I'll be back in the evening."

 As Hande got into her car, her mother looked after her with happy eyes.  Concern reigned as her happy gaze returned to her husband.  He went to him and asked, but Demir did not answer.  He couldn't.  Because there was no answer to his wife's question...

 "So you followed me. You said you could come, I waited. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't upset when you didn't come. Anyway, I don't want to blow your mind. How was your father?"

 The young man sitting across from Hande took her hand on the table.  He was looking at her with a confused expression.

 

 "Even if you swell my head, you're right. I couldn't be with the girl I love on her happiest day. My plan for that day was to double her happiness, our happiness, but it didn't happen. We dealt with my father when he had a heart attack. I came to see you for a few hours instead of waiting for them. And to give it in advance. I wanted."

 

 Hande was excitedly looking at the box that the young man had opened.  He was surprised when he opened the box and saw the ring inside.  He turned his gaze to the young man as a sincere smile spread across his face.

 "Giray, you surprised me a lot. I didn't expect that at all."

 

 Giray took the ring off and put it on Hande's finger while looking embarrassed.  While Hande was looking without calling out, her gaze found Giray.

 "I don't know what to say. I said I was very surprised."

 "I told you. Just because I don't want to have an unnecessary relationship. I admit it was a bit of a disaster. I would not come alone that night. I was going to come with my mother and father. It didn't happen. Hande, will you marry me?"

 

 First the ring, then the offer... When he least expected it.   was an age she hadn't considered marriage, and now she had received an offer she hadn't thought of.  A future with Giray?

 

 "I don't know what to say. So it was so sudden."

 "I know, but we've known each other for a long time. I'm serious about my intentions. Ever since I first saw you. I don't expect you to say yes right away, but I would love to see this ring on your finger for a lifetime."

 

 Hande thought.  He looked at the ring, at Giray.  His emotions were mixed.  It was meaningless to say yes right away, but to think;  that's what he would do.

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 "Okay. Give me some time to think. We'll talk in the meantime. Until then, I'll keep this ring on my finger."

 

 Giray got up happily and took Hande's hand and lifted it up.  He was smiling happily as he hugged her and swung her around in his arms.

 "You didn't say no, that's enough! I love you!"

 No matter how hard Hande tried to get down, she couldn't get down while looking around in surprise.  Giray was wrapping his arms tightly around him.  When he finally stopped and landed, he grabbed his head with his hand because of his spinning head.

 

 "Giray, what are you doing? No one here knows me. Now everyone will talk about what we did."

 Giray was looking at Hande and laughing with joy.

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 "I don't even care. I projected my inner feelings out. If you only knew what I was feeling right now. You wouldn't know. Hande, I love you so much."

 Hande looked at the person her eyes met as she sat down again.  He sat up nervously as his expression turned meaningless.  His feelings were right.  Because Kerem Karahan was sitting at the table opposite him!  It was clear that he was on a job interview.  Sitting across from him were men in suits.  He felt his face and neck go cold as he tried to focus his nervous eyes on the food on the table.  Because that man called Kerem was looking at his face and neck!  He had appeared again!  He had his cold eyes fixed on him again!  Meeting for years, but these few days meet twice!  It wasn't supposed to happen, but it was happening!

 

 While Giray was talking happily, he didn't hear anything he said!  When his cowardly eyes met with cold greens, the effect of those eyes stopped his breathing.  He averted his gaze as the bite remained in his mouth.  He wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked at Giray, who hungrily ate his food.  "Let's get up and go" would not be the word to say to someone who is coming for a day.  He covered his face, which was on Kerem's side, with his hand.  While drinking the water on the table, this time the coldness reached the finger on which he wore a ring...

 "My lord Kerem, they came."

 Altan looked at the man in front of him and turned to Nevra.

 "Are you ready?"

 After getting the "I'm ready" approval from Nevra, he told his man to call Kerem over to him.  As the two of them sat in the room, they realized that their son had arrived as the door swung open and shut.

 

 Kerem walked into the room with quick steps and sat down where he always sat.  While we were waiting with a quiet and serious expression, the conversation did not start with the words "how are you son" this time.

 "Kerem. We need to talk about a very important issue. It's not about you and me, it's about our family, all our property, our past and our future."

 

 For the first time, Kerem looked at his mother and father with curious and questioning eyes.  It was the first time he had seen his father speak so gravely and authoritatively since he had come here.  At the time, the matter was more serious than he thought...

 ***

 "Hande, are you sure? So my daughter, okay, we know Giray, but your thoughts come and go. Besides, you had your ideals. What about them?"

 Hande took her distracted eyes from the ring on her finger and looked at her mother.

 "I don't know. I mean, Giray is not just my classmate. He's a little different from the others. You know, my father knows.

 

 "Is that all?"

 "Yes. That's it."

 While mother and daughter were sitting silently, neither of them spoke their thoughts to each other because there were too many stones that did not sit.  They had sat down and talked about this before, but it was still halfway.  There was something missing again, but neither of them knew where it was.

 

 ***

 In the Karahan mansion, which is in the middle of the vast land, the ground was shaking.  All the employees were devoted to their work, but it was impossible for them not to hear Kerem's voice.  It seemed like no one was living in the mansion because of the closed doors, if not for that voice...

 Kerem threw the vase in his hand on the ground and broke it, and continued to shout, staring at his father with his fiery eyes.

 "Tell me as much as you want! I don't understand!

 Altan was listening to Kerem's speech, going around the room like crazy and pouring everything he could get his hands on, without even moving his face.  The cannon rifle would endure anything!  But Kerem was getting out of hand and going crazy.

 "As if you've imprisoned me here, you're going to sentence me to death by forced marriage! Damn it! All of you, everyone, everything! The deal you made doesn't bind me! I'll walk away. I won't look back! Whatever you do!"

 

 Kerem threw down the candlestick he was holding and left the room, staying where he was with his father's harsh voice that he heard for the first time.

 "Kerem! You read what you're going to read! If I hadn't been like this, you wouldn't have had to come here! Demir Inanoglu is the person who made me this way! You already know what happened before him! You've read it and I don't have to explain it again. If you don't do what I say, the life you see will be reset! Say! Whatever you say, but these are real! We have nothing to do. Okay, go away! You don't have a penny, what are you going to do? !"

 

 Kerem kept thinking about that sentence that scratched his brain in what he heard.  He stayed where he was, as if in shock.  Out of breath, she slammed the door.  When he threw himself onto the terrace, his icy eyes were expressionless this time.  This time he couldn't think of anything.  This was the first time he felt trapped.  In his head, that sentence of his father that had shocked him was growing bigger and bigger!

 "The person who made me this way is Demir Inanoglu!"

 "The person who made me this way is Demir Inanoglu!"

 "The person who made me this way is Demir Inanoglu!"

 

 It was an accident… He knew so, but what he had just learned had changed everything.  If his father had not been like this, everything would have been very different.  What about that deal?  That deal was even heavier!  That deal was his father and that family… He had consoled himself by saying that nothing could be worse than this, but his current situation was looking for his old self!

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 He closed his eyes.  While his father's words rang in his mind, the words they read flashed before his eyes... How could a father do such a thing and pay the price for it himself.  He would now pay for the mistakes of his ancestors in the past… He opened his eyes.  He looked at the vast earth.  This time, it wasn't the arid lands he saw.  This time he saw nothing.  It was just helplessness he felt... It was a helplessness beyond the helplessness he thought he was living in his life... This was not desperation... It was something else he couldn't name, couldn't get out of, couldn't think of, couldn't make sense of...

 

 Everyone would pay for their own mistake, but himself?  He would pay for the mistakes of others.  Moreover, among these prices was that girl whom he hated even though he did not know!  He made a new deal with businessmen from America today.  All his work and others... It would all end because of others.  Not just his property... His life, past, future...

 How long did it stay like that?  How much did he think?  What did he think?  He was not aware of anything.  Kerem Karahan, who was afraid of everyone even his shadow, was writhing in despair.  He opened his fists he didn't know how long he had been clenched.  Reflecting the earthquake inside him cold and expressionless, he entered the room he had just left with slow steps.  Everything was just as everyone had left it.  There was no sign of his previous shout, but his voice was cold and sharp, startling.

 "I accept what you say. I signed my death warrant with my hands. This is to pay the price for you. You've ended my life. You ruined me. I signed my death warrant. One of you will pull my string and the other will push the chair under me. I agree, but I have conditions. I don't want that girl." I will not go! Nor will I be present at the wedding! If you try to convince me of this, all I will do is one bullet to my head. I will do that too. You know this much better than I do. At least, I will pull that trigger with my honor, not with you hitting me in the back! Now go to those elders of the family! Tell me. I'm not interfering with anything else. May my death, the price you pay, be good for you!"