HANA Someone held my wrist and dragged me away from the crowd to a secluded place. I am still looking at the person I loved, whom my sister called Cillian through the large French windows. He gave a polite smile to Lilly, my sister's best friend. His smile was so animated or that's what I thought. I sensed large hands, wrapping around my shoulder, and I immediately jerked away. "Hana, it's me," Ahmet said, removing his white mask. Relief flooded through my body. "Ahmet," I whispered. "What are you doing here?" He asked me, concern visible on his face which is odd because he never showed emotions in the months I have known him. "I..." My throat clogged, expecting the worst but I forced my words out. "I came for Bash," I tell him. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it immediately as though he wanted more reasons for my presence here, and somehow he managed to guess them in less than five seconds. "You should leave,

HANA It really feels like a goodbye now. I am in denial. I am still looking towards the airport terminal gate as though he would magically appear from it if I look hard enough and say that this is all a joke. I waited for seven hours here, and when the final announcement for the departure of my flight was given, I knew, it was over. I don't want to believe it. But it's over. I didn't remember how I reached Istanbul or in what state I was. I slept through an entire day. When I woke up, I packed everything that reminded me of Bash, the dresses I wore on our dates, his shirt which had been my nightwear for three weeks before I took the dumbest decision of my life, the backpack I took to New York, the cups he bought, the shoes he gifted and the bedsheets, pillow covers, skincare products I applied on his face, everything I packed and hid it in a cupboard except for my body. It's the biggest reminder of him. I don't know how to get out of this body. Then I started dee

HANA We stared at her in silence as Shalini said what happened in Chennai. "I know she never liked me. She wanted someone to take care of his son. She wants a housewife for him. But I was here. I was so sure that Akash and I could handle her. In most parts of India, even to start an event, we check for the good and bad times. It's a marriage, a union of two families. So when our horoscopes didn't match, she simply said no. Even Akash didn't want to go against her words." She stared at the wall before her blankly as though she was watching the past unfolding on it. "Then I became pregnant. I told him that." She turned her head to look at me with teary eyes. "He said I am trying to trick him into getting married. He said he doubts that I am loyal. Can you believe it? He fucked me in his room with his parent in their garden. Then he..." She burst into tears as I held her, rubbing her back. "If we did the DNA test, it would prove your innocence," Mateo suggeste

HANA I haven't heard from Enzo again. It's like he has disappeared from this planet. The more I think about it, the more suspicious I have become. Seb yawned, raising his hands in the air and looked around. His eyes found mine, and he stared at me for a while. I leaned into the cradle and smiled at him. "Hi, Junior," I whispered, gently touching his nose with my finger. He looked at my fingers in wonder. He has been doing that a lot, staring at his little fists and mine. His umbilical cord fell off two days ago. He started to make little noises, and he started to recognise me. I would be lying if I hadn't felt proud of myself as though I had a lifetime achievement. "It's just you and me, now." Seb cooed in return. "I will take it as a yes then." I started to record everything he did so that Shalini wouldn't miss a thing when she woke up. My heart aches for her. No matter what happens, she can't turn the time back and be with Junior. I wanted her to know

HANA "She would do good at Wildwood??" I stared at the men before me in pure horror. I know self-defence. But there's no way I can outdo them, not with Seb in my hands. He started to stir. It's high time he wakes up from his nap. He would start to cry and it would make things only worse. "She is not to be touched," Bash said in a controlled mechanical voice. Yet, hope bloomed inside my chest. He will help me. I still couldn't believe that he didn't feel anything for me. Of course, he doesn't. If he did, he wouldn't have done what he had done in the first place. I don't know what should I be terrified of- at Bash or at men who casually assessing if I would fit in one of their brothels or not? "I will not let you put a woman in brother for spreading her legs on my bed." I heard Bash said to his father. I close my eyes, trying not to be affected by his words and already grieving them all at the same time. He left leaving me all alone with these men. He d