What Hurts the Most

Chapter 9

Emir is silent for a long time. It begins to worry Reyhan. Several times he opens his mouth, as if he's about to say something. But he ends up just shaking his head and remaining silent.

"Emir?" she says cautiously, not sure what to expect. "Did you hear me?"

He just nods. And then runs his hands over his face. He heard her. He just wishes now he didn't ask. Because now, he'll never get her words out of his head.

"It started on our wedding day. Cemre told me you two had been in love your whole lives and that I was stopping you from being together."

Lies.

"She was the reason that psycho Vural fixated on me. She gave me Suna's old computer and when I wasn't aware, used it to communicate with the guy on my behalf."

So many lies.

"She hired that woman to pretend to be your lover. She wanted me to believe you had cheated on me."

Tricks.

"She really did drug Suna. I saw her buying the pills myself. And when I tried to take the pills to the police, she dumped them down the drain. Then she had someone alter the test results. She admitted it all to me, gloating. Telling me not to get involved in a war with her that I wouldn't win."

He can't believe he had been so blind to these games for too long. Suna could have died because of his ignorance.

"She has a video of you killing a man. And told me that unless I divorced you, she would give the video to the police and you'd go to jail."

The pain he feels makes it hard to breathe. How could someone be so evil? How could someone he thought was a friend take away the thing he loves most in this world?

"She's in love with you and wanted me out of your life. She thought that if I left you, if I made you hate me, then she would be able to have you."

How is this even real life? How could this have even happened? Does this mean Reyhan left him, not because she didn't love him, but because she did? He finally looks up at her. He looks long and hard, trying to figure out the answer.

"Are you ... mad at me?" she hesitantly asks him. She tries to keep the little hitch out her voice that gives away the utter fear she's feeling because of how he's staring at her. She wouldn't blame him for being mad.

But at that instant, his face relaxes. His eyes lose the coldness and when they meet her own eyes, her heart flutters. He slowly reaches out to take her hand as a tentative smile grows on his face.

"Let me just ask one question for now," he finally says. "Do you still love me?"

She just nods, giving him her own little smile.

"No," he says, shaking his head. His gaze is begging. Pleading. "I need to hear it."

"I do. I love you so much, Emir. I've always loved you. Being without you was worse than death."

He closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath she didn't realize he had been holding. Tears leak from the corners of his eyes and just like that, her heart is broken again.

"Emir," she sobs.

"Come here," he says, pulling her into his arms. He holds her so tight that she can barely breathe, but she doesn't mind. She's holding on to him the same way. When she feels his warm tears on her neck, she breaks again.

"I'm sorry," they both say, over and over as the tears continue to flow. Healing tears that start to mend both their broken hearts.

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