The Wedding Night...

When coincidences stopped being that...

Dilan had a hard time sleeping that night. She awoke several times from a strange dream. Every time, the same one. She is running in an alley; it is dark, so dark it is difficult to see in front of her. There is also silence, a silence that suppresses her. She looks around, trying to figure out where she is. Then, voices. They sound like her parents and siblings talking. She runs towards them. But no matter how hard she runs, she cannot reach them. She falls to the ground, letting hopelessness consume her. A hand on her shoulder encourages her to continue. A female hand. When she turns to see who it is... The dream ends, and Dilan is left with a strange feeling and a heaviness in her heart. She takes her hands to her chest to calm herself down. "Dilan!" Baran calls for her. "Is there something wrong?" She takes his hand and moves it so there is room for her to cuddle next to him. She lays her head on his chest. "Just a bad dream; let's go back to sleep." He hugs her tight, and she lets his heartbeat soothe her.

Baran woke up, and although there was light outside, what got him out of his sleep was Dilan. He could feel her body was tense; she was also sweating despite the cold temperature. "Dilan!" He called her name. "Dilan, wake up." He was sure she was having a nightmare. Her hands were made into fists. "Dilan!" He raised his voice, and she jumped. Baran sat and held her face. "I'm sorry, Dilan. But you were having a nightmare." She said nothing. He brought her to him and embraced her, caressing her back until her body relaxed. She looked up at him, "What time is it?" Baran searched for his phone and lit the screen. "It is 7 am. You can sleep a little bit longer if you want." She cleaned her eyes with her hands. "No, I should get up. There are a few things I need to settle from the Foundation before we leave." He was worried. Dilan looked like she had had a rough night. "Dilan, if you want..." She cut him off. "No, Baran. I want to talk to that man today."

After finishing breakfast, Dilan excused herself and went to their room. Baran didn't go after her, and she was thankful for that. She needed a bit of space to get herself together. 'What is the worst that could happen, Dilan?' She asked herself while looking at the mirror. The problem was that she didn't know. And that is what she feared. She extended her hand to pick up her bracelet when she saw her wedding picture. She took the frame and stared at it. All the sensations that she experienced that day washed over her. Her love, admiration, and respect for her husband were limitless. She felt safe at his side, and no matter what, she knew he would be there for her as she would be for him. At that moment, Baran entered the bedroom. She went to him and hugged him. "I love you." He kissed her temple. "I love you too, my Dilan... Better?" She nodded because she was; his presence was what she needed. "Should we go?" He took her hand, and they walked out of the house.

Dilan kept playing with Baran's fingers. From time to time, she would catch him stealing glances at her. She wanted to lighten the mood, so she decided to tease him. "It seems you can't get enough of your wife, Mr. Karabey," Baran smirked but kept quiet. He stopped the car momentarily and turned to her, getting near her lips. When they were about to kiss, his head went for her neck. He placed his hand on her jaw to move her head to the side to gain full access. He kissed her from the base of the neck to her ear lobe when he whispered. "I can't deny it, Mrs. Karabey. Just know that your lipstick saved you. I don't want to ruin your makeup this early in the morning. But later, I made no promises." He returned to his seat and got the truck moving again. Dilan's cheeks were burning. So, she lowered the window to help the situation. Baran was smiling. "Stop it!" She told him. "Dear wife, when would you learn not to play with fire unless you are willing to burn?" She acted sulky but wasn't; on the contrary, she was turned on and had no release on site.

Baran played along with Dilan's game to help her relax. But he was aware her nerves had been on edge since yesterday. No matter how much she denied it, he wasn't fooled. He knew his wife, and she was worried and scared. The navigation app indicated they had reached their destination. He parked the truck, and they both descended the vehicle. Baran waited for her to go around it and grabbed her hand. They walked to the house number Okhan had given them and stood before the door. After taking a look at Dilan, Baran knocked. A few seconds later, there was no answer, so he did it again. "Just a minute!" A female voice answered them. Dilan looked nervously at Baran. He tightened his hold on her hand. The door opened, and a middle-aged woman was in front of them. "We are sorry to bother you. I am Baran Karabey, and this is my wife, Dilan Karabey. We are looking for Mr. Abay Kaya. Is this the right address?" "Sorry, what is this about?" "We wanted to ask him the origin of one of his pieces. To be more precise, we are looking for the person who commissioned the piece."