Once morning comes, things start to move quickly.
First on the agenda is Hikmet. They spend the morning researching the clinics Narin suggested and all agreed on the one in Greece. Emir makes an appointment for later in the week for him and Reyhan to visit and get an in person look at the place. The short flying time between Istanbul and the clinic will make it easier for Reyhan to visit Hikmet as her pregnancy progresses.
While Emir speaks with the clinic, Kemal is getting in touch with a police detective he's worked with before regarding Talaz. Now that the infamous gangster in involved, they all thought it would be best to bring the police into the matter. Too many lives are at stake to try to face the dangerous man on their own. Also, since Cavidan's newest plot revolves around trying to get Reyhan arrested, bringing in the police now will avoid any chance of that happening.
After the phone call with the clinic, Emir takes Reyhan home to visit with Hikmet. They're both relieved to see that Cavidan isn't at home. Until they figure out how to deal with her, it's best to avoid her as much as possible.
"You go ahead in to see my dad," Emir tells Reyhan once they reach the room. "It's been awhile since you've eaten. I'm going to go tell Nigar to bring you a tray."
"I'm fine, Emir," she assures him. "I'm not that hungry."
"Yes, but my babies are," he smiles, patting her belly lightly. He looks to his dad and winks. "You hear that Baba? You're going to be a grandpa."
"Emir! I was going to tell him." She puts on a little pout, but she's not really upset. With so much going on, it's good to have something to be happy about. But she forgets to even pretend to be mad when he drops a quick kiss on her lip before quickly running out of the room.
"If these two are anything at all like their father, I'm going to have my hands full," Reyhan smiles, taking her uncle's hand in her own. She places it on her stomach, much like Emir did earlier. "You'll have to give me tips on how to handle them."
Reyhan fusses a bit with Hikmet's pillows and bedding and makes sure he's comfortable. She sees that Melike has already given him his medicine, so there's nothing else he needs. So she just spends some time talking to him. But she can't keep the topic away from the babies.
"You should have seen Emir when the doctor said we were having twins," Reyhan laughs. "He very nearly passed out."
"You ... you ... you're pregnant?" A surprised gasp from the doorway has Reyhan turning towards it.
Nigar stands there with a horrified look on her face.
"Nigar? Are you okay?" Reyhan asks, seeing the woman visibly shaken. She looks as if she's about to drop the tray of food she's bringing in. Fortunately Emir is right behind her and manages to grab the tray before the food goes everywhere.
"I didn't know. I swear I didn't know!"
"Calm down, Nigar. What's going on?" Emir sets the tray down and then grabs the woman by the arms, turning her to look straight into his eyes. "Why are you panicking?"
"I swear I didn't know, Reyhan hanim. I would never do something like that to a baby."
Nigar subconsciously rubs her stomach and they all remember how the woman's own pregnancy unfortunately ended early.
"Let's take this somewhere else," Reyhan suggests, nodding her head in Hikmet's direction. She doesn't want to further upset him.
They all go out to the veranda to get some fresh air. Nigar is looking more and more pale and the cool air should do her some good.
"Start from the beginning, Nigar," Emir orders, his voice stern, but not unsympathetic.
"It was a sleeping pill. In the tea," Nigar confesses. "Some mornings Cavidan hanim requests one pill in her tea. That morning was one such morning. But when I was putting out all the teas, somehow the one for Reyhan hanim spilled. When I went to get a towel to clean it, I saw Cavidan hanim slide her tea to Reyhan. I didn't think it would be a big deal. I thought it was going to be one of Cavidan hanim's usual tricks. She must not have known about the baby. I can't imagine she'd ..."
"She knew," Emir interrupts. "She didn't care."
Emir sighs and drops his head into his hands and rubs at his temples. His mother is truly going to be the death of him one day.
"Emir bey," Nigar cries, kneeling down in front of him. "Do whatever you have to with me. But spare Sefer. He loves this family so much. My shame shouldn't touch him."
"Nigar, give me a minute." He closes his eyes and mentally counts to ten. Still seeing red at the very thought of his mother has him counting to ten again before he's finally in control of his thoughts and feelings. Once he can think clearly, he realizes that they can use this to their advantage.
"Listen, Nigar," he starts. "What you did was a danger not only to my wife, but also to our children. But I understand that you were only doing what my mother ordered. And even then, you didn't actually give Reyhan the drugged tea. My mother did."
"But I also didn't say anything when I knew she'd be drinking it."
"You're saying something now," Reyhan says, trying to console the woman. "Get up. Please."
"I'm so sorry," Nigar apologizes again, unable to look Reyhan in the eyes. "I'll do anything to make this up to you."
"That's what I'm counting on," Emir says.
"Anything you say," Nigar promises. "I'll do anything."
"Even talk to the police?"
"The police?" Nigar is confused.
"Let's just say that my mother's reign of terror will hopefully be ending soon. And you could be a key in making that happen."
She doesn't even have to think about it.
"Count me in."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
After Emir sends Nigar over the Kemal's to meet with the detective that's been working the case, he convinces Reyhan to lie down for a rest. He wishes she'd get some sleep, but he's content with her putting her feet up for awhile.
"You're going to be one of those husbands, aren't you?" she giggles, teasing him at his over attentiveness.
"I'm just trying to take care of you."
He leans down to kiss one side of her stomach.
"And you."
He kisses the other side.
"And you."
Reyhan can't help but smile at him being so sweet.
"You're going to spoil me," she says softly, running her fingers through his wonderfully thick hair.
"That's the plan," he says with a yawn, enjoying her stroking. "Although if you keep doing that, I'm the one who's going to go to sleep."
"How about we both get some sleep," she suggests, realizing he's had days of non stop worry and that he's probably exhausted. And yet he's still more worried about her.
"One kiss first," he says, a wicked grin on his face.
"Emir! Behave. One kiss always leads to another and then to something else and next thing you know, I'm pregnant," she giggles.
But she gives him a very thorough kiss anyway. A drugging kiss that leaves them both panting and definitely no longer in the mood for a nap. Her fingers grasp clumsily at the buttons on his shirt, distracted by the line of kisses he's planting down the column of her neck.
"Nigar!!!!"
His mother's screech stops them both as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on them. When the woman screams for Nigar again, Emir sighs heavily and reluctantly rolls off his wife. He gives her one last kiss on her nose and leaves her on the bed to go deal with Cavidan.
Reyhan rolls over and takes a deep sniff of his pillow, a dreamy smile on her face. The smile instantly falls away when she opens her eyes and looks out the window. Cemre stands there, her face red with anger and a look of death in her eyes.
"Emir!" Reyhan calls out weakly, knowing deep down that he won't hear her. She's about to call him again, but the other woman flees, probably not wanting to get caught by anyone else. Reyhan rushes out the bed and to make sure the glass door is locked. She pulls the curtains closed so no one else can peek inside the room. Then she gets back into the bed and curls herself into a ball, wondering when this nightmare will finally be over.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Nigar!" Cavidan screams again when she hears someone walking into the room. But it's not Nigar. It's Emir. "Oh, son. It's you. Where's Nigar? I need tea."
"Nigar isn't here right now," Emir tells her, secretly thankful for the opening his mother unwittingly gave him. "But since you've brought it up, let's talk about tea."
Emir walks over to take a seat across from Cavidan and casually crosses his legs, his fingertips steepled in front of his face.
"You know, you never asked what happened to Reyhan," he starts. "I mean, she collapsed right in front of you and we rushed her to the hospital. She was there overnight and you haven't seen her since. Weren't you at all concerned?"
"Well, of course I was concerned," Cavidan says. Unconvincingly. "But you're here. And you seem to not be worried. So I assume everything turned out fine for her."
Emir just lets out a laugh that's completely devoid of humor.
"You really don't care at all, do you?"
"Oğlum ... "
"Don't, Anne. Just .... Don't," Emir says, not wanting to hear her call him son at the moment. "You gave my pregnant wife drugs."
"Emir, I swear I didn't know ..."
"You knew," he interrupts her. "You knew she was pregnant. You knew you were giving her the sleeping pills."
She doesn't even bother to deny it any longer. But she also doesn't admit it.
"I just want to know why. Why would you do this?"
No answer as Cavidan remains stubbornly silent.
"Well we can't go through an entire pregnancy like this. I'm done. You've won. So I leave the ball in your court, Anne. What do you want from us? What do you need to stop this? What's going to make you stop tormenting Reyhan?"
"I want her gone," Cavidan spits out. "I want to not have to see her eager little face or know that she's sharing the same space as me. Breathing the same air as me. Spending the same money as me. Wearing the same name as me. The mother wasn't even fit to be our housekeeper so the daughter is certainly not fit either. You should have married someone worthy. Someone like Cemre.
"I told that little village girl when she married you that she wouldn't have a moment's peace in this house. I intend to keep my word. And until you divorce her and marry Cemre, you won't have any peace either. Enough of these games, Oğlum. It's time for our name to be respectable again."
He's not sure why he expected, or even hoped for, a different answer. But he did. He's not sure why he's disappointed now. But he is. This is beyond sad. He had given his mother one last chance. And this is what she did with it. Although it breaks his heart, she's not going to get another one. Like he told her just a few minutes ago ... he's done. Whatever game she's been playing, it's over. She just doesn't realize it yet.
"I guess that's that," he sighs, his heart heavy despite what he had already mentally prepared for. He rises to his feet just as Nigar and Sefer return home. "Ah, Nigar. Perfect timing."
"Efendim?"
"Please go and help Reyhan pack her and Zeynep's belongings."
"Right away, Emir bey."
Cavidan can't hide the huge grin as Nigar scurries off to complete her task.
"Son?" she asks expectantly, the joy in her voice sickening to Emir.
"Not now, Anne." He turns away from her, blinking away a pain filled tear. "I need to call the lawyer. I'll be in the office."
Emir leaves her there celebrating what she believes is a victory. Little does she know, she just signed her own eviction notice. He's putting her out of the house ... and out of his life.