The Boughted Mafia Wife

Chapter 4 - I Sold You Off

During the minutes of my internal struggle, I was just staring at my father. He was broken… and it was worse than when he beat me. His face was constantly contorted because he wasn’t used to pain. Yet I had to get used to it at my age, and I had.

It wasn’t just him that I was questioning; it was the debt…

“Dad, what’s this debt about?” I asked. He opened his eyes from where he was lying and looked at me. He shot me a resentful glance. “What’s it to you! Are you questioning me? You aren’t even the last person I’d expect this from! Now, get lost and go to your room!” he said, shooing me away.

I shot him a look that asked if he was sure. My heart ached again. His face was in such a bad state. “If you want, I can bandage your face,” I said, and he looked at me with disgust. “Elfin, can’t you understand words? Your money is the only thing that’s valuable to me; I don’t even want you to touch me,” he said, and I was shaken.

Okay, I was the one who had put my mother in this state, but what he said was too harsh. I fell silent and bowed my head. While I tried to approach him kindly, he pushed me away with the back of his hand, as usual. I wanted love. I had spent years longing for a father’s love, knowing nothing of it.

“Don’t just stand there crying in front of me!”

“Dad, why do you hate me so much? Am I really someone who deserves this much hatred from you?” I asked. Still, I wanted to ask and know the truth. Wasn’t the truth obvious? I had taken his wife from him.

“Aren’t you tired of asking this all the time, Elfin? They beat me until I was drenched! Everything hurts, and now I can’t stand your whining!” he hissed.

He was making a great effort to get rid of me. I left the room, my head hung low. As his words echoed in my ears, I leaned against the wall. My legs couldn't hold me, and I sank to the floor. Silent tears started streaming down my face. It was getting to me now. Hearing my father's words repeatedly on top of what happened today had hurt me deeply.

If my father heard that I had been fired, he wouldn't hesitate to harm me. I desperately needed to find a job. We had a debt on top of everything. My father was mean enough to burden it on me without a second thought. The mist of my tears blurred my vision. I wanted to get up slowly, but I felt dizzy.

I hadn't eaten anything since morning. With difficulty, I got up and went to the kitchen. I grabbed a few things to eat. I heard my father's voice from inside. "Elfin!" he shouted. When I went to him, I felt relieved thinking he couldn't harm me since he was lying down. Otherwise, this shouting always led to a beating.

"Yes,"

"Bring me something too. Those bastards beat me up badly," he said, and I nodded. I made him a tomato and cheese sandwich and brought it to him. While he was eating it with appetite, he wiped his mouth. "Won't they give you an advance from your workplace?" he asked.

I swallowed. He must never hear that I had left my job. "The manager can't! The big boss isn't coming either," I said, and he clenched his teeth. "Then you'll find it somewhere!" he said, leaving me in shock. Where would I find it?

"Dad, how am I supposed to find the money? My salary is fixed," I said, and he sighed. He tugged at his beard harshly. He was terribly afraid of something. Even though I was curious about the reason, I didn't bother asking because I knew he wouldn't tell me.

"Listen, Elfin! I'll kill you! We'll talk about this again tomorrow. If necessary, you'll go sing at a cabaret," he said, and my eyes widened. Could he really be serious about that? Who would force their daughter to work at a cabaret?

"Am I really that worthless to you?"

"Elfin, don't start again! If you had any worth, you would have been a teacher by now," he said, and he was right. He hadn't even allowed me to become a teacher. If I had been appointed, I could have been a very good primary school teacher, but my father had taken that right away from me.

As he turned back to the television, I walked away. Leaving him for the second time in a shattered state was even damaging to my health. When I went to my mother, she was looking at me anxiously and curiously. I briefly explained to her.

"Serves him right! They should have broken the hands that hit you," she said, and I pressed my lips together. My mother was actually a very cheerful person. In fact, she was quite a humorous woman. Sometimes she showed me this side of her. "Mom, don't say that! He owes someone money, and they said they'd kill him," I said.

My mother shrugged. "He's like a survivor, nothing ever happens to him. Still, don't tell your father you've left your job for a while, my daughter. Try to find a job," she said, and I agreed with her. I lay down on her chest.

"Mom, no matter what, I never want to be apart from you," I said, and she warned me.

"Don't ever say that, my daughter. God might test you with me, and you won't be able to see me," she said, and I got goosebumps. I could never manage without my mother. Her presence gave me strength. Without her, I would have left this place a long time ago. I would have found a way to fend for myself.

"One day, we'll escape from this house, mom! We'll have a big house," I said, and she smiled. "It will be yours because soon someone will come into your life," she said, and I sat down cross-legged. Was my mother having some sort of premonition? "Mom, how do you know?" I asked.

"Let's call it a feeling, my daughter. Or is there someone like that?"

Suddenly, Mirza Hanoğlu came to mind. I could still feel his touch on my hair today. Especially the closeness of our faces and feeling his breath... I was experiencing many things I hadn't felt until now all at once. His warmth, like the scorching sun, had turned me into a blazing fire.

My mother suspected something from my state. "There definitely is," she said, and I shook myself out of my thoughts. "No, mom! Let's not think about these things now. It's been a tiring day," I said and leaned back on her chest again. As I fell asleep surrounded by my mother's scent, there was a restlessness inside me. It felt like something was going to happen...

I heard my mother's voice shouting "Elfin!" but it was so crowded around me that I couldn't see her at all. I was in a place even more crowded than İstiklal Avenue, and if I dropped a needle, it wouldn't be visible. As I tried to make my way through the crowd, I was frantically searching for my mother. She wasn't there... I started running like crazy. 

While running, I bumped into a solid body. He placed his hands on my waist. When I looked up, I saw him: Mirza Hanoğlu...

His gaze grew intense. "Why did you cross my path, Elfin? I warned you!" he said, and I began struggling in his arms. I wanted to escape immediately, but he held on tight. I continued to struggle, but his grip was firm. 

"You can never leave, Elfin! From this moment on, you will be with me!" 

I shook my head frantically. "No, I won't be with you!" 

"You will, you came here of your own accord!" 

When I suddenly opened my eyes, I was out of breath. I was drenched in sweat. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom. I couldn't shake the dream's effect. I didn't really believe in dreams, so I needed to forget it quickly. But just seeing Mirza again was enough for me. I took a quick shower and got dressed.

My father was absent from the living room. As usual, he must have left at dawn. I planned to go out and job hunt as well. After feeding my mother, I wished her well and set out to find work. I answered when I saw Serenay was calling.

She answered with, "Sweetie."

"My angel, how are you?" I asked.

“Forget me; how are you? Nothing happened yesterday, right?” she asked. “No, nothing happened. Don’t worry. I urgently need to find a job,” I said and told her about what happened last night.

“Girl, what kind of luck do you have? I really don’t understand. You always attract trouble!” she said, and I sighed. Even my birth had been unlucky. It all seemed normal to me. I had poisoned my mother’s legs with my venom before I was even born, leaving her with a disability.

"Serenay, I need to hang up," I said, and ended the call. I wasn't in the mood to talk much. I spoke with a few cafes, but they all turned me down. Not a single one had anything positive to say. That upset me even more. Feeling hopeless, I wandered to the seaside and sat down.

As I watched the waves, I checked the time. It was nearly evening. Glancing at the seaside cafes, I spotted someone I shouldn't have: Mirza Hanoğlu...

He was with a few men. I saw him having dinner with them. It was as if he had noticed me, and when he turned to look at me, I quickly averted my gaze. I had found him again, even though he warned me not to cross his path. What was this? I needed to get out of here quickly. When I glanced back, I didn’t see him there anymore.

Taking a deep breath, I headed home, glad he hadn’t noticed me. When I got home, I went inside and immediately served my mother’s food. I felt sorry for her. She had to stay in this house from morning until evening and could never do anything she wanted. After taking care of my mother’s chores, I rolled up my sleeves to clean the kitchen.

After a short tidying session, I went to the living room. I took my phone and opened the Dreame app. I hadn’t been able to read many books lately. I started reading "Zoraki Aşk," a book I had been following for a long time. I was a big fan of this book because it described love so beautifully and purely that it made one want to fall in love.

Gökçe had fought relentlessly for Caner. In fact, while fighting, she had also become a balm for him. Would there be someone to be a balm for my life as well? As I got lost in their love story and sighed, suddenly there was a loud knocking at the door, almost like a kick.

When I opened the door, my heart raced. Standing there was my father. Behind him was a man in a suit. Many other men stood behind him as well. My father’s gaze turned to that man. I didn’t like the way the man looked at me. He had a strange stare.

“Cüneyt Bey, here’s my daughter!” my father said, and the man’s gaze scrutinized me like a buyer inspecting merchandise. I shifted uncomfortably in my place. What was my father doing? Why was this man looking at me? “It’s clear why Orlondo liked her so much,” he said, and my brows furrowed.

Who was he? I knew this man was a stranger, and what did he want with me? “Dad, what’s going on?” I asked. My mother was also calling my name, but I couldn’t look at her. My father’s gaze shifted to me, and he said something I never expected him to say.

“I sold you!”

I stared at him. What did that mean? What did "I sold you" mean? "Dad, what are you saying?" I asked.

The man named Cüneyt said, "Orlondo bought you in exchange for your father's debt. Get ready, you're going to Italy!" I shook my head, tears streaming down my face, and my father delivered a hard slap to my face.

"Shut up! I won't see you in this house anymore! Get out!"

As blood trickled from the corner of my mouth, I collapsed to the floor and clung to my father's feet. "Dad, please. I'll work hard to pay off your debt if necessary, but don't send me away," I said, and he grabbed me by the hair and lifted me. As I screamed in pain, Cüneyt warned him.

"Orlondo won't like it!"

My father immediately let go of my hair, and I fell to my knees, groaning in pain. I could hear my mother's cries. The man named Cüneyt handed me a bag. "Go, put this on! Change out of those rags!" he said, and with the thought that came to my mind, I headed to the bathroom. I would either escape or become the prisoner of a man I didn't know.

I didn't know what the man named Orlondo would do to me either. I went to the bathroom and threw the bag I was holding on the floor. I climbed onto the toilet and opened the window. I was grateful for the advantage of living in a detached house. With my heart pounding in my chest, I dangled my body out of the window. I was finally outside, but I had slightly pinched my arm while getting down, and it hurt a lot.

Without even thinking about the pain, I started to run. They would soon realize I had escaped and start following me. I left our neighborhood and reached places I didn't know. I just wanted to get away. When I heard the sounds of cars, I bit my lips.

When I heard Cüneyt shouting "Elfin!" I started running without knowing where I was going, listening to the sound of my heart. It wasn't my legs guiding me, but my heart. I finally reached a desolate place. Everywhere was pitch dark, so no one could see me. As I delved into the depths of the forest, I knew they were coming after me.

As I moved forward, clutching my arm, I heard another voice. A few men were shouting. I heard the cries of a man shouting, "Brother, I swear I didn't do it!" I was truly caught in the middle of it all!

In front of him was a tall man. Without saying anything, he shot him in the head, and I froze in place. As the man's body fell to the ground before my eyes, I put my hand over my mouth. It was impossible for me to get over what I had just seen.

As I moved backward, one of them saw me. "Hey, there's someone over there!" he said, and I started running. Oh God, what kind of situation was I in? Right now, I had an unfamiliar mafia behind me and the man my father sold me to. Who could I trust less? As I continued running, my foot slipped, and I fell to the ground. The pain in my arm intensified, and I gritted my teeth in pain.

I was writhing in pain. I wanted to hide myself, but they found me. I couldn't tell who found me, but they started dragging me by my other arm. "Let me go! I didn't see anything! Please, let me go!" I screamed, but it was too late.

When we reached the spot where they had killed someone, the body was gone. They had removed all the traces. Now they would kill me and cover up my disappearance too. As I stood there, a group of men surrounded me. They were all in suits. The man holding me stepped back. I didn't understand why he stepped back, but it gave me a chance to escape.

As I moved backward, I bumped into a hard body. This hard body blocked my path. I realized I couldn't escape. He grabbed my arm. "Who are you, what do you want from me?" I asked, fearfully.

He leaned toward my ear and said, "I am the master of this darkness you see,"

I recognized the voice…