In the cold and gloomy room of the police station, Arzu couldn't breathe. Her voice was gone, her vision blurred, and the weight surrounding her body had drained every ounce of her strength.
She barely managed to stand up. She saw Fatih's outstretched hand, but instead of taking it, she pushed him away with all her remaining might.
Fatih stumbled back, trying to say something, but Arzu's voice thundered over his:
"Get lost, Fatih!" she shouted, her voice trembling with rage. "You're my best friend, my partner... Above all, you're a lawyer! How could you hide something from me?!"
Her words were sharp as knives, but Fatih couldn't reply. Because she was right.
Arzu's legs could barely hold her, but she gathered herself, leaving the heavy air behind as she rushed out of the room. The dim corridors and staircases of the station felt like an endless abyss. But she kept walking. She had to escape.
She threw herself into her car, slammed the door, and locked it. Resting her forehead against the steering wheel, she struggled to catch her breath.
This... this was too much.
The heartbreak, the betrayal, the raging storm inside her — it all piled up, suffocating her. She clenched her fists, a lump forming in her throat. She couldn't digest not just Kerem's abandonment, but also the betrayal he so carefully concealed.
And Fatih… Had he known everything?
A sudden knock on the window snapped her back.
Fatih.
His face was twisted with worry and regret. He pressed his hands against the window, breathing heavily.
"Arzu, please… open the door! Let's talk! I swear, I never thought that bastard would do something like this!"
Arzu's nausea and fury surged. She was disgusted by the entire situation, by all these ridiculous relationships.
Her life felt like one giant lie.
Enough.
Without a second thought, she started the engine.
She slammed her foot on the gas.
The tires screeched violently as the car shot forward. Fatih stumbled back just in time, but his desperate gaze stayed locked on her.
Through the rearview mirror, Arzu watched his figure shrink into the distance. Then she tilted the mirror away.
She didn't want to look back.
Not anymore.
What she was feeling now was beyond dizziness — it was devastation.
The man she loved...
The man she trusted, the father of her child...
He hadn't just betrayed her.
He had defrauded her.
The thought crushed her, body and soul.
Gripping the steering wheel with trembling hands, she wiped her tears away, forcing herself to focus on the road.
But the whispers in her mind wouldn't stop.
Kerem had fled.
He had sold her, their child, and all their years together for... what?
Was all of it — the love, the life — a lie?
Her heart clenched painfully.
As she crossed the intersection, her eyelids grew heavy, beyond her control.
Her body was giving up.
She couldn't stop it.
At the last second, just before darkness swallowed everything, she felt the wheel slip from her grasp.
The car swerved violently.
The screeching of brakes shattered her ears.
And then the impact.
Metal, glass, screaming…
Inside the overturned car, bruised and bleeding, Arzu forced her eyes open through the pain.
Her consciousness blurred, but she caught a glimpse of something.
Shiny black leather shoes.
She couldn't see the man who wore them.
But the shoes were walking toward her.
With the last ounce of strength, she shifted her gaze.
A black suit.
A dark silhouette...
And then everything went black.
When Arzu finally opened her eyes, her head was throbbing painfully.
She wasn't in a hospital.
The ceiling above her was adorned with a giant crystal chandelier, glittering under streams of sunlight. The room was bright, clean, luxurious — but none of it eased the growing unease inside her.
As she struggled to sit up, she spotted him.
The man with the black shoes.
Sitting casually in the armchair, hair neatly styled, sharp features illuminated by the faint glow of a cigar he was lighting.
He inhaled deeply, then blew the smoke out in a lazy swirl before speaking:
"I didn't expect car drifting to be among your hobbies, Counselor."
Arzu swallowed hard, reaching up to her bandaged head. Her heart raced.
She... she had crashed.
Panicking, she threw off the blanket. Her body was covered in bruises, cuts, and neatly wrapped bandages.
"My consciousness was slipping," she whispered. "I had no control over the steering."
The man took another slow drag, fixing his eyes on her face.
"Then tell me..." His voice was low, almost curious. "What made you become a walking corpse?"
Arzu turned to him with empty, haunted eyes. The words burst from her lips, laced with raw pain:
"Because the man I thought I loved — the father of my child — not only betrayed me but stole my company and ran off with another woman! Is that enough of an explanation for you?"
Tears streamed down her face, her voice cracking.
She knew who he was — he had called her Counselor — but right now, she didn't care.
Letting out a bitter, broken laugh, she hissed:
"Go ahead, tell whoever you want. It'll make a great headline, right? 'Arzu Bayrak betrayed, defrauded! Shocking scandal!'"
The man simply watched her, neither mocking nor pitying her.
His silence infuriated her. But at this point, nothing mattered anymore.
Taking a deep breath, she whispered as her eyelids grew heavier:
"I don't feel good. Can I sleep?"
The man's face softened, almost imperceptibly. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Sleep well, Arzu Bayrak," he said.
Then he stood up.
Tall, broad-shouldered, his commanding presence filled the room.
As Arzu's fragile body succumbed to sleep, she caught one last glimpse of his powerful silhouette.
Ateş lingered by the door, watching her until he was certain she was deep in sleep. Even battered and broken, there was strength in her — a strength that had been shattered but not destroyed.
When he finally stepped out, a man with an earpiece and a dark suit was waiting for him in the hall. As soon as he spotted Ateş, he bowed slightly.
"Mr. Ateş, your vehicle and the lady's car have been moved to your gallery in Pendik. Any further orders?"
Ateş pressed his lips into a hard line, his eyes glinting sharply.
"Call the men," he said coldly. "I want everything there is to know about Arzu Bayrak."
He walked a few steps, then paused.
"And especially," he added with a low, dangerous voice, "I want to know about her husband."
The suited man nodded and immediately relayed the orders through his earpiece.
Ateş's gaze darkened with a rare, unreadable emotion. Was it pity?
He scowled at the thought and muttered to himself:
"I want that woman to recover as fast as possible. Give her the best care."
Then he strode away, determined.
Inside his grand office, adorned with dark wood and black accents, Ateş sat behind a massive desk, his focus burning into the computer screen.
He wasn't patient enough to wait for reports. He had already started digging.
Images flooded the screen — charity galas, high society events, lavish dinners, exotic vacations.
Arzu Bayrak had clearly lived a life of privilege.
But Ateş had only one question:
How had a woman born with a golden spoon fallen this far?
Then he spotted the headlines:
"Bayraklı Group's son-in-law, Kerem Erkan, missing!"
"Kerem Erkan defrauds wife Arzu Bayrak and disappears! Investors furious!"
"Arzu Bayrak remains silent!"
Ateş's jaw tightened as he read.
She wasn't lying. he thought grimly.
But that wasn't what shook him most.
He scrolled to an old photo — a teenage Arzu, wearing a dark prep-school uniform, her face solemn.
Ateş leaned in.
His pupils dilated. His fists clenched.
And from his lips escaped a whisper, heavy with the weight of memories:
"Hello, Little Sparrow."
His expression shifted — first tenderness, then yearning — emotions long buried under years of darkness.
But the softness was fleeting, like the calm before a storm.
His eyes grew cold, ruthless once again.
Tapping his fingers against the desk, a wicked smile curved his lips.
"Looks like I've just been dealt a very interesting hand," he murmured, his voice thick with dark promise.
Things were about to get very, very interesting...