The Price of Pride

Chapter 29

"You were about to hit her!" Emine says incredulously.

"Emine hanım, you don't understand," Cavidan tries to explain. "This girl is trouble. I was trying to make sure she didn't ruin your party."

"Do you know who this girl is?" Emine asks, in a "how dare you put your hands on my child" kind of way. But Cavidan misinterprets the question.

"Unfortunately I do. She's currently married to my son," Cavidan admits. "But not for long. I'm getting her out of my family if it's the last thing I do. I do not claim her as a daughter in law."

"You don't claim her? That's presumptuous of you," Emine says, a cold humorless laugh escaping. "Maybe this girl doesn't claim you? Have you ever thought of that?"

Reyhan notices a crowd forming. Now isn't the time for this. Not with everyone watching. She puts a gentle hand on Emine's shoulder to stop her.

"Anne, don't. Lütfen," Reyhan pleads with her. "Not here. Not now."

Emine's harsh glare softens when she hears Reyhan's request. She drops Cavidan's arm and turns to face Reyhan, about to pull her into her arms. But again, Cavidan misinterprets everything and breaks into the moment with her ignorance.

"Anne? You dare call me your mother? I've already told you that you are nothing to me, girl," Cavidan spits out, thinking Reyhan was talking to her. "You bring nothing but shame and embarrassment to the Tarhun name. But we will be taking back that name as soon as we can. Then you, and that illegitimate brat you're carrying, will be out on the streets where you deserve."

The crowd gasps at the accusation. Reyhan also gasps, but hers is one filled with pain. She brings her hands down to cover her stomach. The pain from her back has all but exploded and now everything hurts. Her knees buckle and she's halfway to the floor before Emine can catch her.

"Reyhan? Kızım? What's wrong, sweetheart? Talk to me!" Emine cries in a panic. She's holding Reyhan, stroking her hair and trying to comfort her, but she has passed out. Emine turns her glare on Cavidan. "Look at what you've done to her!"

By now, Cavidan is starting to look confused and a bit pale. She knows she's made a huge miscalculation, but doesn't quite know where.

"What's going on here?" Cavidan asks. Concern is on her face, but not for Reyhan. For herself. She sees the way everyone is starting to look at her and she doesn't like it.

But Emine just ignores her. She starts shouting out instructions to everyone around. First to one of her assistants to call for an ambulance. Then to the security guards to take the party guests to another location and keep them out of the way. And finally to Defne, who's now sitting on the other side of Reyhan, to call for Emir. But he had apparently already heard the commotion and he's already coming down the hall towards them. He breaks into a run when he notices Reyhan crumpled on the ground.

"What happened?" he screams, gathering her into his arms. "Reyhan! Reyhan! Wake up, Sweetheart!"

Emine leaves Reyhan to him and stands to face Cavidan.

"You need to ask your mother." Emine's eyes are blazing with fire as she stares down at Cavidan. "She was the one who marched into this party uninvited and had the audacity to torment my daughter, threatening to have her put out of her own home."

"Daughter?" Cavidan squeaks out weakly. She's still confused, but that one word manages to hit home. "Did you say ... daughter?"

But everyone ignores her question, Emir spitting his own questions at her.

"Anne? Is that true? Did you do this?" The hurt mixed with anger mixed with disbelief and a bit of disgust is too much for Cavidan to see in her own son's eyes. So she just looks away.