The Letter

6 weeks later

When Can saw the letter addressed C. in his bag. He knew he had a choice to make. He could rip it up like the last letter Sanem wrote him or he could man up and read it. Instead he chose to wait. That is what his trip to the Balkans was about. He needed time to sort out his feelings. The woman he fell in love with broke his trust again and rejected his proposal.

Can knew he had options. He knew Polen was essentially waiting for them to get back together but he didn't have the heart to tell her it would never happen. How do you tell your ex that you found the love of your life and you're not it. So he chose to keep his boundaries with her and limited contact with her. A few texts here and there but nothing more than checking in.

In the six weeks Can had been away, he had isolated himself from his family back in Istanbul. It was just too hard to make it work. He periodically checked in with Emre just to let him know he was okay. They never talked about Sanem and if Huma was nearby Emre knew to end the conversation. It was back to the life before he returned to Istanbul.

In that same six weeks, Sanem had left the company taken a job with Yigit and was helping to prepare for Leyla and Osman's wedding. Sanem had made the choice to move on in all ways. She stopped reading books about love, stopped writing her novel, and stopped dreaming about the Galapagos. Instead she would focus on her work at the new company and helping with the wedding. It was all the distraction she needed as she grieved the inevitable... Can's departure.

Leaving the agency was hard for Sanem. She had finally started becoming friends with Deren, felt comfortable as a copywriter and earned the respect of her colleagues. Not to mention she always enjoyed spending time with Ceycey. He knew her better than anyone which is why he supported her taking Yigit's job offer. He knew that a fresh start would help her move on and maybe find new happiness. Ceycey always believed in Sanem and Can but he also knew that if fate was on their side, it would take time for both of them to heal.

As for Emre, he was miserable knowing it was only a matter of time before Leyla was married to someone who was not him. He didn't interfere with her love life and kept his distance. It was the only way he could stay sane. He didn't have his brother there to distract him and he knew Huma would have never approved of Leyla. He didn't care but he didn't want to upset his mother.

Emre decided to call Can for their weekly check in. It was important to both brothers to work on their relationship. They had been through lies and jealousy and now was the time to be adults and be on good terms. Truthfully, their weekly chats were exactly what they both needed.

Can: "Emre, how are you? Is the agency in one piece? Baba told me he was thinking of coming back to Istanbul soon."

Emre: "Can, you know I can handle things here. Baba was missing home but once I told him Huma has been staying at the house for the past couple months he felt it would be better not to return."

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Meanwhile in the background...

Ceycey (yelling) : "Guliz, I told you I can't stay late to help with the campaign. Sanem asked me to help with the wedding preparations. She wants everything to be perfect. I can't let her down. This is a big deal for her. The wedding is three weeks away."

Guliz: "Tamam, Ceycey! I have to go get Deren more coffee."

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Emre: "Can, I need to get going. We are trying to finish up a campaign and we need all the time we can get today. I will chat with you next week."

Can: "'Sounds good Emre. Talk to you soon"

Can hung up the phone and sat in silence for over 10 minutes. He heard Ceycey in the background talking about Sanem and wedding plans. Had she really moved on that quickly? He knew she took the job with Yigit. He didn't want to believe that the chemistry he thought they had was actually real.

An hour later... Can had his bag packed, ticket in hand, and settled his job in the Balkans. He had three weeks to win back the love of his life and stop her from getting married. 

Once he arrived at the airport, Can went took a deep breath and fished Sanem's letter from his backpack. It was time for him to man up.  

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Hey guys, I hope you like where the story is heading. I'm trying to navigate my writing as this is the first time I've written anything like this. Thank you for your support from my first chapter. It means a lot to me:)