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As the drops of cold water hit her skin and trickled down, her body burned as if it were on fire. Yet the water was ice cold. Even the coolness of the water flowing down her back and shoulders couldn't extinguish the blaze inside her. Her hair clung to her forehead, her breathing had become irregular. When she closed her eyes, there was only one thing in her mind: Emir... and her longing for him.
Her hands trembling, she turned off the shower valve. As the water stopped, only the sound of dripping water remained in the room. Her wet skin had begun to shiver, but there was still a fire burning inside her. She grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her body, then gently squeezed her hair and wiped the water from her face. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she faced the fragility in her eyes.
Her steps were heavy, her thoughts scattered. In the dim light of the room, she silently walked to the edge of the bed and sat down. A few drops of water fell from her still-wet shoulders onto the sheets, but she didn't even care. She glanced at the table beside her. A pen and a blank sheet of paper...
She took a deep breath. Then quietly turned to the table and sat down on the chair. Her hands trembling slightly, she grasped the pen and leaned over the paper. As she began to write, her fingers seemed to pour out the storm inside her. Word by word, letter by letter, her longing and helplessness spilled onto the paper...
My love,
Memory books always begin with these words: "When you read these lines, I will be far away, but know that my heart and soul will always be with you."
I know you'll be very angry that I left. You'll punish yourself the most with your anger again. But if I have any say in this, don't! Please don't make yourself suffer.
We both fell into a dream but forgot what we really were. We were two orphaned children. We were abandoned without even a name, and we thought we could build a life when we couldn't even have a name. What great foolishness, wasn't it?
Now I'm leaving... and as my last gift to you, I only have the strength to clear your name.
Forget me. Forget so you can find someone to be a spouse to your heart, your home, your soul.
"You thought you didn't deserve to be loved..." No!
You are the one who deserves to be loved the most.
Stay away from trouble. Take good care of your team and yourself.
I love you,
Alara.
Alara slowly rose from the table. She folded the letter and left it on the table, her fingers hesitating at the corner of the paper for a moment, as if touching it one last time. Then she took a deep breath and turned to the window.
Her eyes drifted down to the street below. The black car assigned to her was waiting like a menacing shadow in the night. The guards stood silently in front of the door. Everything felt like the footsteps of escape and farewell...
Feeling something breaking inside her, she turned to the closet. She put on simple, dark-colored clothes, so as not to attract too much attention. Then she prepared a small bag. As she put her passport, a few pieces of clothing, and her most essential items inside, it was as if she were trying to fit her entire life into a suitcase. But some things couldn't fit into any bag: memories, regrets, unfinished words...
She looked around her room one last time. It was like saying goodbye to this city that held all her memories, to these four walls, to every memory she shared with Emir. Nothing here belonged to her anymore.
She threw the bag over her shoulder, opened the door, and stepped outside with heavy steps. When the cold night air hit her face, she paused for a moment, but then took a deep breath and headed toward the car. When she opened the door and got in, she felt the weight of everything she was leaving behind on her shoulders.
The car moved silently. As the city lights receded behind her, Alara closed her eyes. One life was closing, another life was beginning. But the emptiness inside her was too great for any new beginning to fill.
Eight months later...
Emir stood in front of the window of his apartment in the luxury residence. In the early morning hours, his eyes were blood red from the effects of alcohol. The apartment was like a reflection of his dark soul. Every corner was filled with shadows of the past. He pressed his hands against the glass and looked outside, watching the city for a while, but his thoughts had drifted elsewhere. He remembered the moment when Alara had promised to return to him.
She hadn't returned at that hour, her phones were no longer in use. The tracker in her body was no longer active either. It was impossible to discover this secret tracker. But they couldn't have done this without Alara's consent, he knew that. So what had happened that made her want to prevent him from finding her?
He stayed like that for a while, then got up and took a few steps in the middle of the room. There was such a deep emptiness inside him that no matter what step he took, that emptiness seemed impossible to fill. He remembered that day:
The day Alara disappeared:
Despite his wounds, Emir got out of bed with determination, whispering angrily, "I must find her..."
2 responded calmly: "I'll go check her house, and the rest of the team will conduct a thorough investigation."
Emir shook his head angrily, refusing: "No! I must find her myself! She came back for me, 2!"
2, a bit more calmly, said, "Give me two hours. I don't want to knock you out. Don't make me do that, Emir. Please wait a little." and managed to convince Emir.
Two hours later, he returned to Emir's room. And that damned letter was with him. Alara's last words echoed in his mind.
For eight months, investigations had been conducted everywhere, every lead had been followed. But nothing had been found. Then, last night, he received news that Alara was returning to the stage this weekend at the club where she performed under the name Lilya. He was shocked. What did this mean? Was she erasing everything with Emir, her past, and returning to her old life?
At that moment, he threw the letter to the ground in anger. Clenching his fists, he shouted loudly:
"What, are you returning to your old life as if nothing happened? By throwing away these rag lies?" he roared furiously.
The anger, rebellion, and hurt inside him devastated him. "I won't allow it!!" he said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Just as he couldn't accept that pain, that betrayal, he couldn't forget everything about the past he had lived with Alara either. He missed her, desperately, like being parched with thirst...
France - Paris, Present Day:
Alara had gone out for a morning walk, her pink ballet flats clicking stylishly on the sidewalks. The pink dress she wore gave her a special charm, even though her belly had grown almost to her nose. She had gained a bit of weight, but with her sweet and graceful appearance, she looked more attractive than ever. She smiled and continued walking, looking at the Paris streets around her. The city was alive even in the early morning hours.
When she reached the door of a building, she stopped and turned to the security guard.
Calmly but sweetly: "Bonjour Jean, comment se passe ta journée?" she said. ("Hello, Jean, how's your day going?")
The security guard responded with a smile, recognizing Alara: "Ooh, Madame Maria, vous travaillez encore dans cet état? Je pense que vous devriez prendre un congé." ("Ooh, Madame Maria, you're still working in this condition? I think you should take a leave.")
Alara replied with a smile: "Pas encore." ("Not yet.")
She passed through the door and walked toward the elevator. After getting on the elevator, as it ascended, there was a slight relief on Alara's face. This place was a secret operations center, and there was already an atmosphere where Alara was recognized by her very footsteps. This was a place where the worlds of information technology and intelligence intertwined.
On one of the upper floors, a young woman named Elly was working. When Elly saw Alara, she smiled and approached her, gently stroking her belly. "This little one has gotten really impatient, look how fast she's growing!" she said.
Alara replied with a slight smile: "Yes, very impatient indeed."
At that moment, a man approached them. His name was Lucas, and he smiled somewhat teasingly: "You made such a fuss about giving birth in my country. Don't you dare, wait 2 more days!" he said and laughed heartily.
Alara wrinkled her nose mischievously to show she was annoyed.
Then John Duval, the Interpol chief who had brought Alara here, also came over and smiled. "With that stubbornness in her, she'd give birth on the plane and still not give birth in France," he said and added with a smile: "What will we do with this patriotic woman?"
Alara looked at John Duval with a warm smile, "I scammed you good. You thought you were getting an agent from Turkey who would run from mission to mission," she said and continued, pointing to her belly with her chin: "But look what came out of it. You're taking revenge by making bad jokes, don't think I don't understand." she said. And they all laughed together.
John Duval smiled: "Well, in this state you brought down an entire organization. I can't imagine your normal state." He paused. "We owe you so much. Don't forget that. You're never alone against any difficulty. Also, we covered all your ultrasounds for months, don't forget to bring us the little lady when she's born."
Alara's eyes were welling up as she shrugged. "Ugh, please don't mess with my hormones. That's enough," she said.
Elly turned to Alara, "Isn't your flight at noon?" she asked.
Alara nodded slightly and replied: "Yes, I came to say goodbye."
Elly smiled, "You're going home."
Alara slowly lifted her head, "Yes, I'm going home..."
- Writer
