Not a saint, but do I have to be?
He was mad at her. She could feel it.
He hadn't talked to her since he discovered that she was once infatuated with Celasun and soon to be married to him. The man had literal steam coming out of his nose as he entered the house and demanded her to tell everything. Apparently that bastard had gone to Azer and bragged about having 'had' Karaca first, which was definitely not true.
"Why is no one guarding the door! Do I pay you to sleep!"
Karaca was startled as she heard Azer's screams from their room. She went down the stairs to see Azer in the middle of destroying all the crockery laying on the table.
"Azer! What are you doing!? What happened?"
"Why don't you tell me Karaca? Why don't you tell me about this Celasun?" Azer inquired in a deadly calm voice. Azer never shouted at her of course, but this tone was un-nerving her more. This was precisely what she was trying to avoid when she skipped the details of her almost-forced marriage to Celasun.
"Azer, what are you talking about? Speak clearly lutfen."
"That bastard, that scoundrel had the nerve to walk into MY office and demand that I RELEASE you!! He said that I was holding you against your will! My own wife!"
"Azer, calm do- "
"Ne Karaca? Ne? That bastard had the nerve to claim you as HIS!!! He said that you two were lovers before I snatched you!!!And I am not even going mention the rest of the nonsense he spewed about MY WIFE!! Allah'im I will go crazy!!" Azer held his head as he sat down.
"Azer bana bak, I will tell you everything when you calm down," Karaca pleaded as she handed him a glass of water.
"Karaca don't change the topic; were you supposed to be married to him?"
"Evet. Yamac amca had arranged our wedding. That's why I ran to you Azer."
"Did you love Celasun? Were you two lovers?" Azer asked in a feeble voice, almost as if he was scared to hear the answer.
"I never loved him. I was infatuated with him Azer. I just wanted someone to see me, that's all. I'm not proud of my past with him, but I have left him where he belongs, in the pas-"
"Tamam Karaca." Azer said as he left the house again.
And now he wasn't talking to her. He would come late and leave early in the morning, but every night he would come to their room and snuggle her from behind, but still refused to talk to her. This had been going on for three days, and she was tired! Tired of how he refused to communicate with her. Why was his first response was always to run away?? Even when they first kissed, he ran away from the house instead of giving her a chance to say anything.
Today they both were to attend some business function, and worse, the Kocovalis were expected to be there too. And she didn't want Azer to be in bad mood, so she planned to talk to him before they left. She had selected a Black strapless evening dress with some diamond earrings; just one of the many things Azer had filled her wardrobe with. That man sure knew how to spoil her!
As she mulled over her makeup, her phone ringed. She opened her phone to see a message from Azer saying he couldn't make it and would meet her directly at the venue.
Karaca was fuming! He was incorrigible and she was going to teach him a lesson, she thought as she applied a bold red lipstick and got ready to leave.
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As she reached the ballroom, she looked around for Azer but couldn't find him. Unbeknownst to her, she had attracted the attention of most of the men in the room who were wondering who this docile beauty was. As she made her way around, a man cut her way.
"Good Evening M'lady! May I have this dance with you?", he asked with his best flirtatious smirk, but she wasn't interested. But before she could answer, a voice boomed from behind her:
"That's Mrs. Kurtuluş to you, and no you may not!"
She turned around to see Azer standing behind her, looking handsome as ever in a three-piece suit. The man ran from there with his tail between his legs, making her almost laugh.
Without saying a word, Azer placed a kiss on her cheek and put his hand on her waist, as he led her through the ballroom, greeting everyone else. Even though he smiled and held her, he refused to look her in the eye, which was starting to frustrate her.
Before she could corner him, Sultan Kocovali, her baba-anne, interrupted.
"Azer bey, can I borrow Karaca for a while?" Sultan anne asked with a false smile; Karaca was sure she was grinding her teeth underneath.
"Tamam baba-anne I'll come. Azer I will be back in a while merak etme." Karaca said, squeezing his hand, as she could already see the vein under his eye twitch. Allah! She knew that he was going to do something stupid tonight, but she hoped at least not in public.
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Azer had seen her the moment she entered the ballroom. His wife, his Karaca.
She looked like a jewel, the most beautiful jewel, and he quickly realised he wasn't the only one staring. His temper flared as he saw a man approach her for a dance, but before Karaca could say anything, he whisked her away. He didn't let her leave his sight, but also couldn't talk to her. She was probably thinking he was angry, which he was, but not at her. His emotions were frayed, all over the place, and he didn't want to say something to hurt Karaca. He had acted rashly that day and was avoiding her since. He didn't know how to process this rage, jealousy, whatever it was.
As Sultan Kocovali took her to their table, Azer went to the balcony to get a little air.
He will apologize to her, he agreed with himself, he was acting irrational. I shouldn't have doubted her, he told himself.
As he went to fetch her so they could finally leave, what he saw made his blood boil. Karaca was walking away and that bastard Celasun was following her. The nerve!
Someone was definitely going to learn a lesson tonight, Azer thought as he followed them.
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"Merhaba anne" Karaca addressed her mother, Ayse, who was busy fusing over Akin (again). She sat down on the table with baba-anne, with every head at the table turning towards her.
"So, what did you want to say?" Karaca asked calmly. She knew they were going to try and emotionally blackmail her into leaving Azer, but she was determined not to abandon her love, her husband, the only true thing in her life.
"You should tell your husband to behave. Did you know he hit Celasun when he came to his office only to talk?"
This made her angry. Was she serious? She didn't want to ask her how her granddaughter was but wanted only to patronise her and her husband. And who even was Celasun? Was he more important than her own granddaughter?
"It's not like he didn't deserve it" Karaca spat," You should teach him some manners since you care so much about him and go ask him the nonsense that he spewed about me to my husband. Be thankful Azer left him alive"
"Karaca that's no way to talk" Celasun emerged from behind her, "I only wanted to tell him all the fac- "
"SEN KIMSEN YA? Who are you to go talk to my husband???, And you!" Karaca turned towards her family, "You all never cared about my happiness, did you??? Otherwise you would have never sent him to ruin my marriage!!" She spat with tears in her eyes, as she collected her purse and walked out, with Celasun right behind her.
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"Karaca listen to me!" Celasun pleaded but she paid no heed, until she heard a loud crunch and a thud. She turned around to see Celasun lying on the floor with a bloody nose, and Azer about to go in for another attack.
"Azer! Yapma! Leave him! Please take me home." Karaca pushed her hands on his chest. The man was furious, but she knew he would never hurt her. He took her hand and dragged her to the car, driving silently all the way back to home.
As soon as they entered the house, Azer threw his jacket on the couch and began pacing.
"Azer enough is enough! I know you are angry at me, but this is no way to act! You can't ignore me forever!" Karaca screamed in frustration, "I told you everything Azer! I never lied to you!! Why do you doubt my love for you??"
"Because you never told me everything all by yourself! Only when I demanded to know!"
"Only to protect you. Look at you now!"
"Really, what else are you hiding to protect me huh? What else sh- "he didn't get to finish his sentence, as she slapped him right on his face.
"How dare you Azer! Do you even know what you are implying?!! That's it! I'm leaving till you get your head right!!!" she turned towards their room, but his large hand grabbed hers and pinned her to the wall.
"You are not going ANYWHERE Karacacim. You are mine.", and then he smashed his lips onto hers with all the fire, frustration, and passion pent-up in his heart since the last few days.
A gasp left her mouth as he claimed her lips. She couldn't believe it! Instead of apologizing, this man was here kissing her!!
"Leave me" she squirmed, but he wouldn't budge, as he pulled down the dress zipper and carried her to the couch and pinned her down. She shook as he ravaged her neck, his scratchy beard leaving goosebumps in their wake. Even in his rage, his touch had a gentleness to it;he would never hurt her. Oh how she missed her Azer! She thought as she grabbed his hair, and her eyes rolled back in pleasure and ecstasy....
Azer lay awake staring at the ceiling as Karaca stirred awake. She cupped his jaw and turned his face to her:
"Azer are you still angry? Seriously you need to talk to me if you want to know anything. Running away is not the solution."
"No hayatim, I could never be angry with you." Azer smiled, "I know I acted rashly, and for that I apologize to you. I just lost myself in my anger and doubt and hurt you so much. I know I should have been stronger than that."
"Yes you should have been" Karaca teased, "but I'm also sorry for not telling you sooner. I was scared that you would leave me..." she said as her eyes teared up.
"Karaca, stop crying" Azer soothed her, "there is no one in this world for us except each other. In a thousand lifetimes, in a thousand worlds, our souls will always find each other Karaca, remember that."
"I know hayatim, I know" Karaca sighed as she snuggled into his chest.
They were for each other.
On this earth and in the heavens.
Forever and ever.
No power could ever tear them apart.