"You look beautiful."
Reyhan smiles into the mirror she's looking in when Emir comes up behind her. He slips his hands around her waist to gently caress her bump. She seemed to have popped out overnight. There's no hiding it anymore.
"You will definitely be the star of this party," he tells her, dropping a kiss on her cheek. "But promise me you won't get too tired. You've been running around almost non stop for the past three weeks to plan this. I don't want you to wear yourself out."
She gives him another smile, but can completely understand his worry. Because he's right. She has been really busy the past few weeks. From the moment her mother mentioned the party that day Defne and the baby visited, exactly 20 days ago, they've been working on getting things set up for it. This is a pretty big deal and Reyhan doesn't want to mess it up. She's worked extra hard to make sure she's prepared. That she at least won't be an embarrassment to her mother. Cavidan always called her an embarrassment to the Tarhun name. In her head she knows it wasn't true. But she heard it so much that it's hard to let go of those insecurities.
"All eyes will be on me," she admits nervously, unable to hide her fears from him. "What if I do something wrong?"
"Just be yourself, Sweetheart. Be the wonderful, kind, caring person I love so much. Trust yourself as much as I trust you."
She blushes at his words before turning around to fall into his arms. She lets out a content sigh when his warmth wraps around her. He makes everything so much better.
"I love you," she whispers to him, continuing to enjoy his embrace. But she knows she can't stay there forever. Guests will be arriving soon.
"You go," he says gently, giving her a little push towards the door. "I'll be here the whole time if you need another boost."
"Oh really?" she giggles. "Just leave the party to come cuddle with my husband whenever I want?"
"Why not?" He gives a playful shrug before lowering into a bow. "I'm here at your service, my queen."
She just shakes her head at his silliness. But inside, she melts a little at how much he cares about her. She knows he'll be here for her, but he also trusts that she won't need him. He believes in her. She just needs to believe in herself. This party will be a piece of cake.
Besides, Cavidan won't be there. Her mother made sure Cavidan's name was not on the guest list. That's one less thing for Reyhan to worry about. Taking all that into account, how bad could this party be? Without Cavidan there, she has nothing to fear. So why does Reyhan suddenly feel as if she's cursed herself by even asking the question?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It's been a quiet few weeks for Cavidan. Suna is still away. Her doctor called and said that Suna actually wanted to stay and Cavidan had been relieved. She doesn't need to deal with the disapproving glares she knows Suna would throw her way. The girl doesn't understand the danger in having someone like Reyhan infiltrate a family like theirs. So it's for the best that Suna stays away. At least until Cavidan can get rid of Reyhan for good.
And speaking of Reyhan, Cavidan has also had a peaceful respite from her as well. With Hikmet gone to his clinic, Reyhan has thankfully been absent from Cavidan's life. Every time Emir has come over to put out whatever little fire Cavidan started, he's been alone. Cavidan doesn't like that she had to resort to cheap tactics to get her own son to come see her, but it worked. All she had to do was remind him that she was all alone in that big house and he had a responsibility to her. True, he never stayed long. But he at least always showed up. She makes a mental note to plan for more "problems" in the upcoming days. The more she can get Emir away from Reyhan, the easier it will be to send Reyhan away.
But that's a problem for later. Right now Cavidan is more concerned with the party Emine Yilmaz is throwing today and how she can be there. She didn't get an invitation. Which is odd because it appears to be a fundraising event. The Tarhuns have money. So why would Cavidan be left off the list like this? If she didn't didn't know better, she would think the slight was intentional. But she can't figure out why she's being blacklisted like this.
The doorbell rings and shakes Cavidan from her deep thoughts.
"Emir?" she wonders aloud, thinking her son has come to see her unprompted. Her heart fills with joy ... until she sees Nigar lead Cemre to her. "Oh. It's you."
"Don't sound so disappointed," Cemre scowls at her. "Especially when you hear what I've managed to secure."
Cemre pulls an envelope from her purse and fans herself with it. Cavidan's eyes widen.
"Is that what I think it is, Cemre?"
"It is if you are thinking this is an invitation to what everyone is already calling the party of the season," Cemre smiles.
"How did you get this?" Cavidan reaches out for the invitation, but scowls when Cemre continues to hold it out of her reach. "I heard the guest list is pretty exclusive."
"My mother," Cemre explains. "She was invited, but told her secretary to decline because she's away at a conference. Fortunately, I managed to get my hands on the invitation before the secretary could decline. I'm going and you're my plus one."
"You beautiful, crafty girl," Cavidan says with a smile, the pride in her voice evident. "Excellent work."
Cavidan all but runs to get ready for the party. Finally she's making that all too important step. Once she gets Emine Yilmaz on her side, nothing will be able to stop her from taking her place in society. The place she deserves to be. Her power will be almost limitless. The Tarhun name will be a name spoken on everyone's tongue.
"Everyone is about to know your name, Cavidan Tarhun," she says to her reflection in her bedroom mirror. "Get ready to be the most powerful woman in Istanbul."
Maybe even more powerful than Emine Yilmaz, if she plays her cards right. Why stop until she reaches the top?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The party is a success and Reyhan is a hit. The women all wonder why they had never seen her before. She demures and says that she wasn't married to Emir long before needing to go to Ankara for her illness. That explanation seemed to appease them. She didn't get into how cruel Cavidan had been and the way the woman practically hid her away. And to be honest, she probably wasn't in the frame of mind back then to have been so public. But being in Ankara changed her. It changed her relationship with Emir. She became a true wife. She became a mother. She got a best friend. Parents. So many people who have become more to her than almost anyone has ever been before. She learned how to navigate this kind of life. She gained confidence in herself. And while she may not completely belong to this world, she can exist here.
But she is tired. She's been standing and walking and talking with so many people and she needs a bit of a break. She sneaks off to the veranda and leans back against the railing, taking a minute for some time alone.
"Having fun?"
She jumps and barely holds in a scream when Emir pops up suddenly in front of her.
"Emir! You scared me!"
He laughs when she gives his chest a playful shove.
"What are you doing here?"
She tries to give him a stern glare, but all that falls apart when he pulls her into his arms and presses his hands to the base of her spine. He finds the perfect spot that basically leaves her purring.
"That feels amazing," she sighs, closing her eyes in utter bliss. She lifts her arms and wraps them around his neck and just hangs on him.
"Back hurting?"
"A little," she admits. "I should sit soon. But this works for now."
They have a few more minutes of privacy before someone steps out onto the veranda with them.
"Oh, excuse me," an older woman mutters. "I just needed to make a call. Emir Tarhun? Is that you? My word, it's been a long time since I've seen you. How have you been, son?"
Reyhan is amused by the way Emir's whole demeanor changes. He unwraps himself from around her, but he does keep an arm thrown over her shoulder. And he stands up straighter, holding himself almost in a formal manner.
"Hocam," he says with a nod. "Wonderful to see you again too."
"And this is your wife," the woman - apparently an old teacher of Emir's - says with sudden realization. "I don't know why I didn't connect the name Tarhun to you. I guess because when you were in school, I never imagined you ending up with someone so lovely."
Reyhan has to hold in a laugh.
"You're saying he went after the bad girls?" Reyhan teasingly asks, looking up at him with a wicked grin.
"I'll just say that those girls were ..."
"Alright, then," Emir says, interrupting her suddenly. "This has been nice. But I should let you ladies get back to your party."
He drops a quick kiss on Reyhan's cheek before darting off back into the house, going the back way to remain undetected from the rest of the party.
"That boy," the woman says with a little laugh, shaking her head.. "You've tamed him it would seem. Good for you. Don't get me wrong. Emir is a good boy. Always has been. Just a little wild and aimless. But he's always had a good heart. He's finally given it the right person. You two seem right together. I'm happy for him. For you both."
"That good boy has turned into an amazing man," Reyhan admits with a smile. "He's an amazing husband. And father."
She gently caresses her belly, distracted for a moment by all her hopes and dreams wrapped up and bundled into the heart of the life she now carries so close to her. Emir gave that to her.
"He's given me the world."
"And you, my dear, are his world," the woman tells her. "I can see it when he looks at you. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Reyhan smiles again, not realizing she needed to hear just what this woman has told her.
"Let's get back to your party, dear."
Reyhan nods as she takes the woman's arm and they go back into the party. Still thinking about what the woman said, Reyhan makes a point to remember to ask Emir later about the types of girls he used to date. If only just to see him squirm. He's cute when he's uncomfortable. Once inside, she leaves the woman with another group of women and blushes when she hears the woman talk about what she saw on the veranda.
"The way he was holding her," the woman gushes. "He really loves her. Who knew someone could capture Emir Tarhun's heart like that."
Reyhan can only smile because the woman is not wrong. Emir has given her his heart and stolen hers in return. She knows the story is going to spread throughout the room like wildfire, but for once, she isn't embarrassed. She's actually proud. Emir belongs to her the same way she belongs to him. She's glad everyone will know it.
She continues to walk around, making sure everyone is still happy. She gets pulled into this conversation and that, especially if Emine wants to introduce her to a specific person. But she's also getting pretty tired again. She notices the dessert table getting a little low and uses that as an excuse to duck into the kitchen to get away for a little while for some more quiet. She wishes Emir would come back for another massage, but doesn't have the time right now. She still has a job to do here. But she smiles at the thought of putting him to work later. Like the woman said earlier, he really loves her. It used to be hard for her to believe it, but she feels it every day from him. And once again, she's just so grateful that her life has turned into something so beautiful, especially when Cavidan isn't around. Thoughts of the woman seem to make her back hurt even worse.
"I need to stop thinking about her before I manifest her," she mumbles with a little groan.
Little does she know, that's exactly what's about to happen.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Cavidan walks in like she owns the place, Cemre at her side. What's the point in showing up if not to get attention? At first glance she doesn't see Emine Yilmaz. So she decides to walk around the room to see if she can eventually get to the woman.
"Cavidan Tarhun. What a surprise. What are you doing here?"
Cavidan shoots the woman a look of disdain for daring to imply Cavidan isn't welcome. Sure, she didn't get an invitation, but she should have. Cavidan believes she deserves to be here as much as any of these women.
"Berna hanım. The surprise is actually mine," Cavidan shoots back. "What are you doing here?"
Berna hanım just lifts an eyebrow. Cavidan is barely able to hold in her smug grin. She can give them back all they give to her and more. No one here can intimidate her.
"In any event, it's ... nice to see you. I suppose."
The way Berna hanim says nice makes Cavidan see that she means anything but. And Cavidan will admit that the history between herself and Berna isn't the best. A rumor may or may not have been started about Berna's husband's business and Cavidan may or may not have been the one who started it. And that may or may not have been the year Tarhun holdings started its rise to power. Of course there's never been any proof of any of this and Berna hasn't liked Cavidan since. But Cavidan doesn't care. She's not here to impress this woman. The woman, however, may cause problems.
"Ladies," Berna continues, calling to a small group of women around her. "Look who's here. It's Cavidan Tarhun."
"Of course," one other woman says. Cavidan recognizes her as one of Emir's old teachers. "It makes sense she'd be here seeing as she's Emir's mother."
Cavidan preens at the idea of this woman remembering Emir out of all the students she must have had over the years.
"And Cemre, dear. I see you're still close with the family," the woman continues, giving Cemre a nod of acknowledgement.
"Yes. Very close," Cavidan agrees with her, thankful for the opening she needs. "So close that you may as well say she's like a daughter to me. We hope to be making it official soon, if you know what I mean."
Looks of confusion come across all the faces of the women, especially Emir's old teacher. Cavidan suddenly recalls that her name is Zehra hanım.
"No," Zehra hanım says slowly. "I don't know what you mean. Do you mean to take her as a daughter in law? Do you have another son we don't know about?"
Now it's Cavidan's turn to look confused. Why are these women being so dense?
"No, Emir is the only son. But you may remember, Zehra hanım. Emir and Cemre have always had a connection, even when they were children so long ago," Cavidan explains.
"But Emir has a wife," another of the women says. "We just met her. Look. There she is over there."
Impossible, Cavidan thinks to herself. Impossible for that girl to be here. They must be mistaken. But Cavidan turns around to see where the others are pointing. And sure enough, it's Reyhan.
"What is that girl doing here?" she mumbles mostly to herself. She takes a deep, calming breath before turning back to the group, trying to think of a way to spin this. She decides to use this in her favor and continue her mission of discrediting Reyhan. "I'm surprised at her nerve to show her face around here. After the way she treated my family."
"What do you mean?"
Cavidan doesn't even bother to see who asked the question. She's just excited she has their attention now. She still doesn't know how or why Reyhan is here. But when Cavidan is done with her story, Reyhan will wish she never showed up.
"That girl was only with my son for a few months before she took off to Ankara. He found out she only married him for his money. He's served her divorce papers."
All true, Cavidan tells herself. She isn't lying. She's just left out a few details. Like how Emir went to Ankara with Reyhan. And how they've apparently decided to have a real marriage. But these women don't need to know those parts.
"Cemre was always a much better match for him," Cavidan continues. "My dear Hikmet ... well, you know what's going on with him. His forcing Emir to marry that girl was clearly a sign of his decline. We've had to send him away, you know. He's now at a place where professionals can help him."
Cavidan manages to squeeze out some tears for effect.
"There, there, Cavidan teyze," Cemre chimes him, patting the woman on the back. "All will be made right soon enough."
Cemre can see that the women are curious, but they have doubts. But doubts or not, Cemre also knows these women love to gossip and that this story is going to spread through this party very quickly. But not if they start asking questions, which it looks like they're about to do. It's time to move on. Fortunately Cavidan seems to be reading the situation in the same way and starts crying a bit more dramatically, giving them the perfect excuse to get away.
"Pardon us. She gets emotional about Hikmet amca," Cemre explains. "I'm going to take her to wash her face."
When they slip far enough away from the group, Cavidan's sobs turn into laughter.
"That went well," she says to an annoyed Cemre.
"Yeah? Well it almost didn't," Cemre snaps at her. "Zehra hanım was staring at me the way she did when I was in school. She always could tell when I was up to something."
"Speaking of someone being up to something, what is Reyhan doing here?" Cavidan wonders aloud. "She's about to ruin this for me, I just know it. If Emine Yilmaz connects me with a girl like that, it's over for me."
"So make her leave," Cemre suggests with a shrug. "Shouldn't be too hard. Just make her cry like you always do and she'll go running. Especially since no one is here to protect her."
The smile on Cavidan's face grows. Cemre is absolutely correct. Reyhan has no one to protect her now. This will be easy.
"Excellent idea. Let's do this."