The Price of Pride

Chapter 15

"Reyhan!" she says in the same tone before ordering, "Go! I'm serious!"

"I trust Emir," Reyhan tells her new friend.

"Yeah, but do you trust that woman?"

Not at all, Reyhan decides. Defne is right. The woman needs to see her. She needs to know that getting to Emir will require going through Reyhan.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"What are you doing here, Melisa?"

Emir's focus had been solely on this family sitting across the way that he didn't even notice when this woman stepped into his path. He was about to mutter a simple "excuse me" and go around her when she had spoken. Her voice had sent chills up his spine. And not in a good way.

"Emir Tarhun. It's been awhile."

He had stopped in his path and looked up at her, disgust and disbelief evident in his eyes. This is the one person who if he had never seen again in all his life, it would have been too soon.

"Not long enough, Melisa. Now, if you will excuse me."

He tries to walk past her, but she reaches out and grabs his arm. He pulls from her grasp.

"What are you doing here?" he asks her again. "If I recall correctly, I don't ever want to see you again was the last thing I said to you."

"Come on, Emir. We were practically children back then. A lot has changed." She takes a step closer. He takes two steps away from her.

"Yes. A lot has changed. I have a wife now. A family. I'm a different person."

"Ah, yes. The wife I've heard so much about. Where is she? I'd love to meet her," Melisa says with a cold smile.

What does she mean, she's heard about Reyhan? From who? And how did she know where to find him anyway? Only one person comes to mind ... his mother. He's about to ask Melisa about that when Reyhan comes up. He curses to himself, not wanting to have subjected Reyhan to this.

"Emir? Are you coming to eat?" Reyhan asks, looking back and forth between him and Melisa. "Who's this?"

Melisa puts on her fake smile again and holds out her hand.

"You must be Reyhan. Nice to meet you. I'm Melisa. Emir and I are ... old friends," she says, after adding enough of a pause between the words to have Reyhan's eyebrows lifting. She turns the look on Emir.

"We were nothing," Emir interjects quickly, to keep Reyhan from getting the wrong idea. But he fears the damage has already been done. He can see the questions and doubts swimming in her eyes. He's going to have to tell her everything about a past he wanted nothing but to forget.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Melisa," Reyhan says in a tone of voice Emir has never heard before. She's never been nothing but nice. Never so much as raised her voice all those times he was so cruel to her. But this is a different Reyhan. "But if you'll excuse us, our lunch is getting cold. Maybe we'll see you later?"

Emir has to hold back a laugh at the look on Melisa's face. She didn't expect his wife to have teeth of her own and to all but dismiss her. Neither did Emir, if he's being honest. But he has to admit ... he likes it. This tough side of her is rather appealing.

"You heard the boss, Melisa," Emir says with a grin and a shrug, throwing an arm over Reyhan's shoulder. "We're going to be going now."

He waves at her as Reyhan practically drags him away. Once they get far enough away, he pulls her to a stop.