Baran just finished the call with Okhan when someone knocked on the door. "Come in." His friend Kerem entered the room. "Baran, what happened? I came as fast as I could. Sorry, Dilan. I didn't see you. How are you?" Baran signaled for him to sit on the chair before his desk. His wife, who was opposite his friend, replied to him. "I'm fine, Kerem. Thank you." Baran went straight to the point. "Kerem, what is the status of limitations for murder?" His friend was stunned. "It would depend on the circumstances. Why would you ask that?" He gave his friend a summary of the events of that morning. "I see. In this case, the crime is still punishable. But we have to move fast." Baran nodded. "Okhan said the same just now. I wanted to be sure." His friend was still in shock. "Baran, I don't know what to tell you. I'll do whatever you need me to." He was glad he had a dependable friend like Kerem around. "Thank you, Kerem... I need you to coordinate with Okhan. I don't want my uncle ever to see the light of day. I want him to receive the harsher punishment allowed by the law." His friend was already thinking of the best course of action. He was in his lawyer mode. "Don't worry, brother. I will get in contact with some criminal law professors. I will reclute whoever I need to and see this through. You can count on it." Baran knew it. That is why he called him. His friend got up and headed to the door. "We have no time to waste. Is Okhan coming to take your uncle?" Baran nodded. "He will be here any minute now." Opening the door, he said his goodbyes and promised to keep Baran informed on the case.
Dilan was concentrated on tending Baran's hand. "Dilan." She raised her face to look at him. "Could you call everybody to the living room? I need to tell them my decision." Dilan put the medicine away and got up. "Yes, no problem. I'll be right back." Before she left, she turned to him. "Baran, Firat." He had forgotten about his cousin. He nodded, and she went out. Baran stared at his phone. His cousin needed to know, but that was not a conversation to have over the phone. He decided they had to talk face-to-face. Baran made the call. "Yes, cousin?" Firat answered fast. "Firat, I need you to come to the mansion as soon as possible. It can't go beyond today." His cousin sounded confused. "Why, Baran. Is there something wrong?" He insisted. "I want you here, Firat. We will talk after you arrive." He ended the call. He didn't want to leave his cousin any room to dilate the matter. Soon after, Dilan came back. "Everyone is waiting for you." Baran got up from his chair, fixed his clothes, and headed out with Dilan. Upon entering the living room, Baran scanned the space. Cihan and his dad sat together with their backs to the fish tank. His grandmother was sitting in front of him. Ms. Kader was standing near the stairs. Baran asked her to sit next to his grandmother. He and Dilan sat in the chairs with their backs to the pool. "I won't make this long. I thought about it and made a decision regarding Mr. Hassan." His grandmother began crying again. "I've contacted Okhan, and they will be here to take him to the police station pretty soon. His crime can't go unpunished. So I will let the justice system do its work." Ms. Azade cried out loud. "No, my son. You can't do that to my son." Baran stood. "Your son is a murderer, Ms. Azade. And murderers belong in jail."
Baran walked out, and Dilan followed him. On their way, they could hear Ms. Azade's cries. She was begging Cihan and Mr. Kudret to intercede for her son. Baran headed upstairs. Entering the bathroom, he splashed some water on his face. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and let the water drip down his beard. Dilan reached for him and hugged him from behind. "I'm here." She didn't know what else to say. He covered her hands with his. "I know. That is the only reason I'm not losing my mind right now. Because you are with me, Dilan." She let go and took a towel. He turned around, and she gently dried his face. "Are you okay?" He seemed to be thinking about it. "I'm not sure. My grandmother..." She grabbed his face. "I know it is hard to understand. But he is her son. You can't be mad at her." He pulled her close to him and rested his head on hers. "What did you do about Firat?" She wanted to keep him talking. "I called him and asked him to come. I didn't want to tell him over the phone." She smiled warmly at him. "You did good." Baran took a strand of Dilan's hair close to his nose and inhaled her scent. Letting go, he walked her inside their room. Both sat on the bed. "He should arrive here in a few hours. By then, his father would be already gone." She put her arm around him, and he leaned on her shoulder. "How do you think he would react?" She brushed his hair. "I have no idea, Dilan. Firat has indeed changed over the last few months. However, the man is his father. So we must be ready for everything." She pondered on it. "You are right. It won't be easy for him to accept the truth. I had a hard time accepting what my father did myself."
Dilan encouraged her husband to lie down in bed for a few minutes. He looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally. "Only if you lay with me." She agreed. He moved to his side of the bed and, putting a hand behind his head, rested against the headboard. His other hand extended to her. When Dilan joined him, he embraced her and held her close. She kept taking peeks at his face. She was worried about him. He had no time to deal with his feelings. He had to get into action right away. There was no pause for him to discern his emotions. Time was a luxury for the clan's leader, and she ached for him. Just when he closed his eyes, his phone rang. He took it out of his pants pocket and answered. "Okay, I'll meet you outside." Dilan stood up. "Okhan?" Baran sat on the bed. "Yes, he is entering the mansion. I'll go to him. You should stay here." But she didn't want to. "No, Baran. I'm going with you." Before he could insist, Dilan headed out the door. "Dilan!" She didn't stop until she reached the mansion's entrance. Baran walked past her and opened the door, letting Okhan and others from his team in. "Where is he?" Baran showed them the way. Dilan stayed behind. The space was already small. She didn't want to get in the way. Soon, Ms. Azade, Mr. Kudret, Cihan, and Ms. Kader joined her. She heard noises upstairs. The man was not going down quietly. Ms. Azade was screaming to let her son go. The police dragged Mr. Hassan down and out the door.
Baran's grandmother and the rest of the family followed them closely outside. His uncle pleaded with his mother. "Are you going to let them take me, mother? You need to stop this." His grandmother began speaking, "Mr. Seyit..." Her eyes met Dilan's, and her sentence remained unfinished. The way she was looking at her didn't sit well with Baran. He grabbed Dilan's hand and took a stance in front of her. His grandmother ceased and turned to his father. "Kudret, do something. He is your brother. Are you going to let them take him?" His dad was stoic and quiet. Baran could no longer contain himself. He raised his voice. "Enough, Ms. Azade. How long do you plan to avoid the truth? Your son killed my mother, and he will pay for it. You should be thankful he will not pay with his life but with his freedom." The woman snapped. "You will take away my son's freedom while that man Seyit lives freely?" His father intervened. "Enough Mother! Enough! He took away my wife. He took away my Ayten. Did you forget about her? Did you really care and love her?" His grandmother was taken aback. "How can you say that? You know how much I cared for Ayten. You know everything I did for your boys, including how I tried to fill the void left by her absence. But Hassan... Hassan is my son. You can't ask me to turn my back on him." His father closed his eyes. His exasperation mirrored Baran's. "Caring for your son does not mean you overlook his mistakes, mother. You are quick to point the finger at others, but when it comes to your blood, you will look the other way. Justice doesn't work that way. Help him acknowledge and repent for his mistakes if you truly care for him. That is all I will say on the matter."
Okhan approached them. "Mr. Kudret, we will need your statement. You have to accompany us to the police station." His dad agreed. "I'll go with you." Cihan offered. Baran didn't move. Instead, he exchanged looks with Dilan and signaled her to go inside. They were alone again in his study. Baran turned to her. He needed to share what Okhan told him upstairs. "Dilan, there is something you don't know..." When Baran was about to explain, his wife's phone rang. "Answer it. It can be important." She did as he instructed. "Yes?... I will give the order so they will let you in." Baran was puzzled. "Ms. Gözde is here. She came with the nurse to take the DNA sample." Baran pinched the bridge of his nose. He had forgotten. Baran took her hand, and they went outside together. He was not leaving her alone with that woman. Pretty soon, Ms. Gözde was in front of them. Her demeanor told him she was skeptical of the situation. She was still a danger to them. He instinctively stood in front of Dilan. "This way." He directed them to go to his office from the side entrance. The mansion was already in turmoil. He didn't want to have to explain Ms. Gözde's presence. Baran never let go of his wife's hand. Inside the study, the nurse spoke. "We will take a sample of your syllabi, Ms. Dilan. It will be quick and painless." Dilan opened her mouth, and before they knew it, it was over. The nurse proceeded to do the same with Ms. Gözde. At Baran's request, her sample had to be taken in their presence. He also had people check on the laboratory to make sure there would be no surprises. "So, when will we get the results?" Ms. Gözde asked. "The results will be out in five business days. They will be delivered to both parties individually." Ms. Gözde looked annoyed. "Fine, I can wait a little longer."
Baran wanted them out of there. "If our business here is done, I will accompany you to the door." The nurse gathered her things, and Baran saw the women leaving before returning to his study. As soon as they lay eyes on each other, Dilan asked. "Baran, what was it you wanted to tell me?" He went to stand in front of his wife. "Dilan, Okhan... To reopen the case, he needs to investigate all involved. That includes Mr. Seyit, and I would expect Mr. Hikmet, too. He told me he sent some men to Mr. Seyit's house while taking my uncle." Dilan sat down. Obviously, she wasn't expecting that. Although her father didn't kill Baran's mother, he did shoot his dad. "Dilan, I know this could be hard for you and your family, but..." He didn't know what to say. Baran was concerned for her. He wanted justice to be served but didn't want any of that to touch her. She held his hands. "I understand, Baran. I need to call my brother." He tried to stop her. He was afraid they would say something that would upset her. But she got up and went out of the door fast. He followed suit. He could hear her on the phone on her way. She was going to their room. "Brother?... I just found out. Brother, I don't know what to say... I understand. I want to be with you... I see. Fine, brother. I will do as you tell me, but please don't leave me without news. Call me at any time, okay?... Fine... Bye!" She was already in the bathroom's entrance when the call was over. She was holding back her tears, but when Baran reached her, she began crying. She took refuge in his arms. He felt her whole body shaking. And he cursed to himself. "I'm sorry, Dilan. I'm so sorry you got caught in this again..."
Baran tried to console her. "Did he say something upsetting to you?" She denied it with her head. In between tears, she said. "But Ms. Hanife. She... she blames me, Baran." Baran walked Dilan to their room. She sat in the bed inside, worried sick for her father and replaying Ms. Hanife's words. "Why are you talking to her? She is not from our family. All she has done is bring trouble to us. It is her fault your father was taken by the police, hers and her husband's. I don't want you to contact her anymore, do you hear me?" Her brother tried to silence his mother more than once. But she didn't stop. She was fully aware that Dilan could hear her and took the opportunity to hurt her. Dilan didn't know what to do. She looked at her husband sitting beside her. There was an apologetic expression on his face, as well as concern. She didn't like that. She didn't want him to feel bad when he did nothing wrong. He had every right to seek justice for his mom and his family. Nevertheless, she could not deny that this situation had affected her. She could not ask Baran to stop all of it. She had no right. Besides, what his uncle did not only altered the Karabey family's life forever. It also changed the Demir's and hers. Mr. Hassan deserved to be punished for what he did to all of them. If only there were a way for her to help her family. But how? Nothing came to Dilan's mind, which frustrated her. She got up from the bed, angry at herself. She needed to take some air. "Dilan? Where are you going?" Baran was worried, she knew. But she was of no use to him in this state. Keeping some distance from him would be best for the moment. "I wanted to walk outside."
Baran hurried to stand next to her. "I'll go with you," she answered impulsively. "There is no need, Baran. Don't mind me; I'm feeling better. Really!" He took a step towards her and stopped. "Dilan..." He realized what she was trying to do and looked hurt. She did exactly what she was trying to avoid. 'Ah, Dilan!' She tried to smooth it over. "Do you want me to bring you something? Coffee, tea?" He examined her face and indicated no with his head. He watched her leave in silence. Dilan regretted her words as soon as she exited the room. What was she doing? This was not the answer. She walked back in and saw Baran standing in front of the window. She went to him and hugged him, burying her head on his back. She was letting the sound of his breathing relax her and clear the fog in her head. He covered her hands with his. "I'm sorry, Baran. I didn't mean to hurt you." She ventured to look at his reflection in the window, over his shoulder. "I understand. It is normal for you to blame me..." She let go of him and encouraged him to turn. "No, that is not what this is. I was trying..." She was having a hard time explaining herself. "I was upset at myself. I wanted to do something to help my father... I felt helpless and..." He grabbed her arms. "I hate that you feel like that, Dilan. Trust me. If there were a way around this, I would take it, but..." She jumped in. "I know, Baran. You are doing the right thing. You have no idea how proud I am of you. You could have taken another path but chose justice. You chose life over blood." He closed his eyes. "When I had the gun pointed at him, for a minute there, I wanted to kill him, Dilan. I wanted to take matters into my own hands." She replied quickly. "But you didn't."
Baran didn't pull the trigger because of Dilan. She dragged him out to the light before he could fall deeply into the darkness. Now, it was his turn. He needed to do something to ease her anguish. "Dilan, could you ask Mr. Kader to bring us something to eat? Neither of us had one bite of food since this morning." A tiny sparkle in her eyes. "I'll make something myself. I'll be right back." He smiled. He knew having something to do would help her. When alone, he took out his phone and called his friend. "Yes, Baran." Kerem was the only one who could give him answers. "I wanted to ask you about Mr. Seyit's situation. Would he serve any time for what he did back them?" His friend didn't hesitate. "The crime has prescribed, Baran. Besides, I read your father's statement. It was not damaging to the man. There were also mitigating factors. He was not the one who shot your mother, and he was blackmailed to shoot Mr. Kudret. He will be sent home shortly after they take his testimony. I'm sure." Baran was relieved. Not for the man but for Dilan and her siblings. "Thank you, Kerem." By the time Dilan came into the room, the call had ended. Baran looked up from the bed, where he sat, waiting for her. He stood up and picked up the table, leaving it in front of the sofa. Dilan placed the tray with food on it and glanced at him. He sat and opened his arms to receive her. She curled up on his lap. While brushing her hair, Baran told her the news. "I just spoke with Kerem." She didn't speak. "I asked about Mr. Seyit..." Her eyes opened expectantly. "He said he would be sent home after they take his testimony." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad for my brother and sister, but you? Are you fine with that?"
Baran kissed her. "It is what it is, Dilan. I'm over being angry at him." His anger towards the man left Dilan in the middle. And she had already gone through so much. He could do this for her. "I love you, Baran." He smiled. She was so beautiful, so sweet. "I know. I love you too, my angel." She blushed—the most gorgeous pink blush. He kissed her cheek and lingered there, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin, feeling her body come alive at his nearness. She caressed his cheek, not saying a word. He pulled back to see her face. "What are you thinking about?" He was curious. "You." Her eyes shied away. That was odd. He placed a finger under her chin and encouraged her to look at him. "What about me?" She removed his hand and began playing with his fingers. "I don't know... I'm in awe of your strength and how filled your heart is with love despite everything you've been through and everything that is going on. In every instance, you try to be fair and not deviate from the path of justice." She rested her hand over his heart. "Your heart is so beautiful, Baran. I know that no matter how angry you feel, you worry about your grandmother. I also know you are trying your best to understand your father and refusing to talk to him because you don't want to say something hurtful to him." She read him accurately. "My grandmother raised me. I know better than anyone else that she is not perfect, but I can't overlook everything she did for me and Cihan over the years. And my father... I longed so much for him growing up, Dilan. When he was in his char, he was around, but at the same time, I felt his absence. I was unable to rest in his shadow. It hurt. It was hard... I didn't expect him to keep a secret of this magnitude from me."
"To really understand him, you must talk to him, Baran. You might hurt him, yes. But don't be afraid of it. That is the first step in mending your relationship. If there is no fight, there is no reconciliation." He limited himself to staring at her. Eventually, he spoke. "I know you are right, but I can't do it yet." She placed her hands on his face. "I don't want you to think I'm forcing you, Baran. Like I said before, all I want is for you to reflect on it. Whenever you are ready, I'm sure he will be willing to speak to you." He nodded and changed the subject. "We should eat." Dilan stood. "It should be cold by now. I'll go and heat..." The door to their bedroom opened abruptly and loudly, and Dilan screamed in fear. "What do you think you are doing, Baran?" Baran grabbed Dilan's arm and made her stand behind him. "How dare you come into our room like that, Firat?" His cousin walked up to him. "The same way you dared to accuse my father of murder." His voice was deadly. Dilan held onto Baran's arms. She was afraid Firat could do something to him. Baran pushed him with his hand. "Be mindful of the way you talk to me. I'm the head of this tribe, and you will respect me." Firat was not backing down. "I'll give you all the respect you want once my dad exits jail. Okay?" Baran pushed Firat again. This time, harder. His cousin fell over the bed. "Baran, Firat!" Mr. Kudret's voice. "What is going on here?" The man entered the room. Behind him were Cihan and Ms. Azade. Firat pulled himself up and attempted to punch Baran, but he intercepted the punch. Firat resisted with all he had until Mr. Kudret and Cihan intervened. Immediately, Baran turned to Dilan. "It's fine, it's fine, nothing happened." He hugged her tight and signaled his father to take Firat out.