The Price of Pride

Chapter 8

"Emir," she says in return, surprised to hear the rough, scratchy quality of her voice. Almost as if she hasn't used it in quite a while.

When he doesn't wake up, she calls him again, a bit louder.

"Emir!" she says again. But this time she starts coughing when her irritated throat protests. The coughing is what wakes him up.

He sleepily takes her hand and gives it a squeeze before lifting it up to his mouth to kiss it. She gasps in surprise at his actions.

The gasp clears the fuzziness from his head and he sits straight up, staring at her in complete and utter shock.

"Reyhan?"

She gives him a tentative smile, still unsure what's going on. He seems genuinely happy to see her.

"You're awake! You're finally awake!"

He hugs her, holding her a bit tighter than is comfortable. But strangely enough, it feels comforting. He drops a kiss on the top of her head before letting her go.

"How are you feeling? No, wait. Don't answer that yet. Let me get the doctor first."

He gives her one last smile before running out the door.

While he's gone, she tries to make sense of what's happening. It's clear she's in the hospital. But she doesn't know why. And she appears to be on good terms with Emir. But she doesn't know how. She doesn't have much time to think about what else she does or doesn't know because Emir returns at that moment with the doctor in tow.

She can't help but notice how happy Emir looks. But she just can't for the life of her figure out what's going on. Everything is jumbled. Nothing matches her reality.

"Welcome back, Reyhan hanım," the doctor says. He also has a cheerful smile on his face.

"What's going on? What's happened to me?"

She feels a warmth travel through her body when Emir takes her hand in his own. Why is he doing this, she asks herself. He must be trying to fool the doctors. But again, why?

"You had a beach outing with your husband here and ended up with a nasty infection," the doctor explains. "You've been healing for a couple of weeks. Your husband brought you to this clinic in Ankara to get you the best care possible."

Ankara. That sounds familiar, she realizes.

"Good for you. Rest and peace are important," Cemre had said. She remembers now. "But I guess you'll get plenty of that when Emir sends you to that clinic in Ankara for treatment. A top notch clinic, from what I hear. They'll get you back on your feet and then you can decide if you want to stay in Ankara or go back to your village. After the divorce, there won't be any point in you coming back here to Istanbul."

Divorce. Her heart sinks.

"How are you feeling, Reyhan hanım?"

Confused. Embarrassed. Angry. Sad. Tired. So very tired of everything with Emir and this marriage. She wishes she'd never left Erzurum. She wishes her uncle had taken no for an answer when he asked her to marry Emir.

She slides her hand from Emir's and leans away from him. She looks up at the doctor.

"I'd be more comfortable in private," she says, refusing to look at Emir. She still doesn't know what game he's playing, but she won't let him play with her heart anymore. She's even more embarrassed to realize her heart had gotten involved in the first place. She'd probably die if he realized it too.

"Reyhan?" Emir says, clearly confused.

"Please go," she manages to say, still not looking at him.