The Revenant

Chapter 1

~~

"Zeynep... Daughter... Don't you think it is time for you to start thinking of having a child? Poor Hakan wants it... You have seen how he is with Deniz-"
"I don't want a child, mother." Zeynep interrupted Fehime before she kept up.
"Don't be so square about it, my baby. You don't know... With all those techniques today you may be able to-"
"I don't want to."
"Look, Zeynep..." Fehime began, her face changing. "It's time to let go of the past. This man wants a family-"
"Do I care about what Hakan wants? Did you ask me what I wanted? Huh, mom? I only married him to not upset you even further after Kemal's death... And then Nihan commiting suicide... I only stayed for Deniz. I could have been at the other side of the world and living my life right now!" With the last sentence, Zeynep hit her palm on the table, standing up.
"Would you leave your family behind?! Would you also leave us?!" Tears overtook Fehime, burying her face in her hands.
"Stop that, mother! It's been five years! Five! You prefer me being unhappy than leaving you behind?" An incredulous laugh left Zeynep's mouth.
"Hakan is your happiness! He always have been and you have always been blind! Having a child will take your mind off of things!" Her tears stopped immediately after she tried to prove her point.
"I had a child and he died! HE DIED! I want no substance and especially not Hakan's spawn."
A strong slap landed on her cheek. Fehime was heaving, not believing in her ears.
"But you wanted that Satan's spawn, right?! RIGHT?!"
"RIGHT! BECAUSE I LOVED HIM! I LOVED HIM WITH EVERY SINGLE CELL IN MY BODY! I don't love Hakan and I never will!" Zeynep was taking deep breaths between every word, she got so upset with the slap.
Another slap found her other cheek. "Come to your senses! HE is the reason your brother is dead, Nihan committing suicide, Deniz being an orphan! Your brother is in jail because of him! Your dad suffered a heart attack, Zeynep!"
"Kemal did this to himself! He kept going after Nihan! Nihan played with fire! You can't blame Emir for fighting back!" Zeynep instantly took Emir's side without thinking.
"Look at her! Look at her taking his side! Even now! I THOUGHT YOU HATED HIM! HE KILLED YOUR CHILD!"
"I DO! I hate him with my whole being! BUT I LOVE HIM JUST AS MUCH AND HATE MYSELF!"
After a few seconds and between their angry looks, they heard the sound of a key trying to open the door.
"Pull yourself together and greet your husband." Fehime shook Zeynep's arm forcefully. "Welcome, my son!" She successfully faked a smile at Hakan, pretending that everything was okay.
"I feel welcomed... My Zeynep." He walked to her, kidding her cheek and hugging her waist.
"Welcome." Zeynep blinked her eyes quickly in discomfort, feeling his lips on her cheek.
"How are you, my beautiful?" He rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
"I'm good, Hakan." Pulling his hand down, she walked to the kitchen with a numb face.
"So... How was work, son?" Fehime quickly changed the subject to avoid the tension.

~~

The black van stopped just outside Kozcuoğlu Holding.
"Sir... We are here."
Emir pulled down the window and took a good look. It's been five years since he was at his company. His company... It wasn't his anymore. After the scandal with his father and himself, the company was left to be run by the other shareholders and then following his "death", it was equally distributed to them.
He owned nothing of this building now.
"Did you inform the CEO about me coming?" He asked one of his men, a new one called Sadık.
"We did, sir. Nobody else knows about it, he promised discretion."
"Good. I don't want anyone to know I am back just yet." Emir nodded his head, looking outside the window.
He looked quite different now. Full beard was covering half of his face, nobody could tell who he was anymore. He was dressed quite simple, a more than basic look for someone like him.
Opening the door to go out of the car, he held his left leg to pull it out of the door.
"Do you need help?" Sadık ran outside to help him.
"No... I'm just not used to it yet." He sighed, carefully going out of the car. In a moment, he was about to fall but Sadık got him by catching his arm in time.
"Thank you... This is gonna be harder than I thought."
"We need to arrange a meeting with your orthopedic again-"
"I have pain... I don't know if I can keep pressuring myself."
"It's normal, you remember what the doctor said. If you try a little bit more, in a few months your body will adjust to it."
"I hope Sadık... I hope. I feel useless like this." Emir looked down pitifully, struggling to walk.
"You aren't useless Mr Emir, you are a survivor." The guy smiled, guiding him to the Holding's entrance.
"At least they kept my surname..." Emir commented as they passed the main door.