Innocent in the Dark

Chapter 6: Shattered Glass and Golden Cages

Açelya fluttered her eyes open, greeted by a dull ache spreading through her body and the piercing stare of Ateş Kılıç. The cold morning light filtered through the window, making her sore limbs throb.

Ateş spoke in a cold, mocking tone:

"Good morning, wild girl of the Demirs. How are we feeling? What does your heart desire for breakfast? I'll have it prepared."

Açelya pressed her hands to her temples, trying to make sense of her surroundings:

"Where am I? What happened to me?"

Ateş leaned back, glancing at his wristwatch:

"You had an attack last night. You couldn't breathe, so I called a doctor."

Açelya tried to slide her legs out of the bed:

"There was no need, but thank you anyway. I'll just wash my face and head home."

But leaving wasn't going to be that easy. Before she could move, Ateş closed the distance. He grabbed her arms and pinned her to the bed, his iron grip locking her delicate wrists in place.

Ateş: "Listen to me, little girl. This isn't a playground. You don't get to just come and go as you please. Where did you get the nerve to try and kill me?"

Açelya: "I... I did it because..." her voice trailed off as her body trembled with fear. Watching her shake, Ateş let out a dark smirk.

Ateş: "I'm listening, little lamb."

Açelya averted her gaze: "You were going to kill my brother! I was terrified of losing him!" she sobbed, tears finally spilling over.

For a split second, Ateş saw himself in her. She had marched right into the jaws of her enemy to save the person she loved. Yet, she was so fragile, so terrified. This glaring contradiction threw him off balance. Trying to suppress this unfamiliar surge of softness, he hardened his voice:

Ateş: "Stop crying. I told you, this isn't a playground."

Açelya placed her trembling hand over his massive one, her tear-filled eyes locking onto his dark gaze:

"Ateş... I know you're angry with me. Maybe what I did was wrong. But what would you do if someone tried to kill your brother?"

The sudden touch sent a jolt of fire straight through him, a strange warmth blooming in his chest. At the same time, her question struck a chord deep inside. He realized she was right.

Açelya caught the brief hesitation in his eyes: "See? You know I'm right."

Startled by the effect her touch had on him, Ateş roughly pushed her hand away:

"Don't touch me again."

Açelya pointed to the dark bruises on her arms:

"You're the one touching me. You're gripping my arm. Look at this. You did this."

Ateş looked away: "I didn't do that for no reason. You play stupid games behind my back, and I deliver the punishment."

Tears welled in Açelya's eyes again as she stared down at her bruised skin. Ateş hated how much her pathetic state was beginning to ache his chest, but he couldn't help himself. He walked into the bathroom, grabbed a tube of soothing cream, and came back over to her.

Ateş: "Give me your arm."

Açelya shook her head defiantly: "I don't want to."

Ateş insisted, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Açelya, give me your arm. It's badly bruised."

Reluctantly, she extended her delicate arm. As Ateş gently rubbed the cream into her damaged skin, a warm shiver ran through her. His surprisingly soft touch was doing things to her she couldn't explain.

Açelya pıçıldadı: "Give me the cream. I need to put it on my back too. You threw me like a wild animal."

Ateş: "I'll do it."

Açelya snapped: "I don't want your brutish hands on me."

Ateş's jaw clenched in annoyance. In one swift movement, he spun her around, exposing her bare back. He slid her top up and unclipped her bra.

Açelya gasped in panic: "Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

Ateş squeezed the cream onto his fingers, his voice dropping to a flat murmur: "Relax. I'm not stupid enough to lust after your tiny body, little girl."

Out of pure anger and defensive instinct, Açelya blurted out:

"My body is beautiful, actually!"

Ateş froze, utterly caught off guard: "What?"

Flushed with embarrassment, she stammered: "I mean... nothing. Forget it."

Ateş quietly massaged the cream into her back. As his fingers traced her skin, the heavy tension in the room melted into a thick, loaded silence. Once he was done, Açelya quickly adjusted her clothes and stood up.

Açelya: "Thank you, Ateş. Anyone else in your position would have killed me and thrown my body in a ditch."

Ateş let out a dark, mocking chuckle. He stepped closer and gently patted her head.

Ateş: "Little girl... do you always trust people this easily? How do you know I won't kill you? Ah, sorry, I forgot how naive you are. You came after me to avenge your brother, right? The same brother who literally got himself beaten up by me just so I would terrify you. He even called me after you went home that day, Açelya. We talked on the phone, and he was laughing at how scared you were."

The words sliced through her like a blade. Açelya stared at him in disbelief:

"What... what are you talking about, Ateş?" she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

Unable to bear her crying, Ateş snapped back into his cold persona:

"Shut up. Shut your mouth and get in front of me. I'm taking you home. Go deal with your brother and stay the hell away from me."

The entire drive back was filled with the sound of Açelya's quiet, broken sobs. She leaned against the window, weeping uncontrollably. Ateş white-knuckled the steering wheel, trying his best to ignore her, but a wave of raw pity kept washing over him.

Finally, the car pulled up near the Demir estate.

Ateş turned to her: "We're here. Listen to me, you foolish little lamb. Stop hovering around me. There are wolves and beasts out there that will tear you to pieces."

Açelya looked at him with raw, tear-stained eyes:

"Do whatever you want to me. Kill me if you want. But nothing you do could ever hurt as much as Cem's betrayal," she said quietly, opening the door and stepping out.

Ateş sat frozen behind the wheel, his eyes locked on her retreating figure.

Meanwhile, a storm of fury was raging in the mansion's courtyard. Akın had all the bodyguards lined up in a row, unleashing his wrath on them.

Akın: "You can't even keep track of one young girl! What the hell am I paying you for?!"

Altan placed a hand on his shoulder: "Brother, calm down. Maybe she just went out to get some fresh air."

Caner held up his phone: "Her phone is switched off. I called, but there's no answer."

Erdem paced back and forth, hands shoved in his pockets: "I'm going crazy. Where is this girl?!"

Right at the peak of the tension, the massive iron gates swung open. Everyone turned. Açelya walked in, her clothes disheveled, her eyes swollen and red.

The moment Akın saw her, his rage boiled over. He marched up to her and struck her hard across the face. The sound of the slap echoed through the courtyard.

Altan lunged forward: "Brother, stop! What are you doing?!"

Caner quickly caught Açelya before she hit the ground, lifting her up. Açelya stared at her father, her cheek stinging and her heart utterly shattered.

Akın roared: "Where the hell were you?! ANSWER ME, AÇELYA! DON'T SILENTLY STAND THERE! WHERE WERE YOU?!"

Erdem stepped in between them: "Akın, that's enough. Stop. Sweetie, go inside and wash your face. Then come back and we'll talk."

Açelya's tears wouldn't stop. Her father’s slap, her mother’s cold indifference, her grandmother's constant abuse, her brother's sickening betrayal, and her intense encounter with Ateş had completely broken her. She walked past everyone without looking them in the eye and ran straight to her room. In the bathroom, she splashed water on her face, but gasped in horror at her reflection. Deep blue bags hung under her eyes, her lips were cracked, and her skin was deathly pale.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open, and her grandmother, Handan, walked in:

"Get out here. I have a word or two for you."

Açelya opened her door fully and stared at her grandmother with lifeless eyes. Handan glared back with cold venom:

"I won't lay a hand on you; your father already gave you what you deserved. Let this be a lesson to you, Açelya. If you ever leave this house without permission again, I will strangle you with my own two hands!" she spat, slamming the door behind her.

Açelya was so exhausted her eyes were slipping shut. But her family wasn't about to leave her alone. Shortly after, she found herself sitting in the Demir family study, surrounded by her uncles and father.

Altan sat beside her, gently smoothing her hair: "My beautiful girl, tell me. Where were you?"

Açelya whispered: "Uncle, I was feeling suffocated in the house. I went out for some air last night. I walked down to the seaside and ended up falling asleep there."

Erdem asked, taken aback: "You slept outside, sweetheart?"

Akın scoffed: "So now you're lying to us!" He stepped toward her aggressively. Caner immediately blocked him.

Caner: "That's enough, Akın! Watch yourself. Do you want to kill your own daughter?!"

Açelya scanned the room, looking for the one person who wasn't there: "Where is Cem?"

Altan frowned: "Why do you ask?"

Açelya: "I didn't see him at home last night, and he wasn't here this morning either. Why aren't you interrogating him? Why is it always me?!"

Altan sighed: "Cem knows how to take care of himself. You don't. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

That was the final straw. Everything Açelya had bottled up exploded. She leapt to her feet, sweeping her arm across the desk, flinging documents, pens, and glass ornaments to the floor, shattering them.

Açelya shrieked, her voice cracking: "It did happen! I was hurt, uncle! But none of it hurts as much as what Cem did to me!"

Akın: "Enough, Açelya! Calm down!"

The sheer weight of the betrayal and trauma triggered a severe nervous breakdown. Completely hysterical, she began slamming her head against the wall. Caner and Erdem rushed to grab her, pinning her arms. The women of the house, Deniz and Sinem, rushed in. Seeing the horrific state she was in, they burst into tears.

Deniz: "Caner, take her to her room, quickly!"

Caner scooped her up and carried her upstairs, but Açelya kept screaming until her throat was raw, as if her soul was tearing apart:

"Just kill me! Kill me and end this! I can't take it anymore, just kill me!"

With no other option, Altan prepared a syringe and injected a sedative into her arm. As the drug flooded her system, her screams faded, and her eyelids grew heavy. The last thing she saw before slipping into darkness was her father, staring down at her with tears streaming down his face.

**3 hours later**

In a chic uptown cafe, İrem sipped her coffee, closely studying the distraught woman sitting across from her.

Sinem whispered, still shaken: "I can't get the image of Açelya out of my head."

İrem set her cup down: "How did they manage to calm the poor girl down?"

Sinem: "Altan had to give her a sedative."

İrem: "Oh, the poor thing... Speaking of Altan, how are things between you two?"

Sinem let out a heavy sigh: "You're my closest friend, so I can be honest with you. Things are so cold between us, İrem. I honestly don't know how to fix it. I barely see him. He comes home incredibly late and leaves first thing in the morning."

İrem reached across the table and squeezed Sinem’s hand, a calculating gleam in her eyes:

"Sinem, you're my best friend. If there's anything weighing on your heart, I'm going to help you fix it."

Sinem smiled gratefully: "You're so sweet. But what can you even do?"

İrem leaned back, a sinister smile creeping onto her face: "Just watch and see."

It was the dead of night. The men of the house had slipped away to handle their dark business. The mansion was dead silent, everyone asleep. Açelya was still dead to the world under the heavy influence of the sedative.

She heard faint, muffled footsteps in her room, but her limbs were too heavy, her mind too foggy to care. She couldn't even open her eyes. But suddenly, a warm, unfamiliar breath brushed against her ear, sending a chill down her spine.

A rough, predatory whisper echoed in the darkness:

Polad: "My little girl... look at you, left all alone. Such terrible things have happened to you. No one gets to touch what is mine. Anyone who dares, I'll choke them to death with my bare hands..."

Polad leaned over the bed and scooped Açelya’s limp, unconscious body into his arms. Carrying her gently, he stepped out of the room and vanished into the dark hallway...