Chapter 39- Dirty secrets

"You are moving out?" Afet questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes we are," Aslan nodded shuffling through the files on his desk. "I don't see how it concerns you."

"Your well being concerns me, Aslan," she dropped her arms as a look of hurt flashed across her face. "I lo-I am your friend."

"Were," he corrected, shaking his head. "You were my friend. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to finish. Najmah and I would be traveling tomorrow."

"Is she more important to you than the relationship we shared Aslan?"

"We are married Afet," he uttered, watching Najmah from the window as she picked and sniffed flowers from the garden. "She is my wife."

"Not to the Turkish law," Afet smirked, crossing her legs as she sat comfortably on the sofa. "You don't have certificates to prove that."

"According to the shari'ah we are married," he gritted his teeth, tearing his gaze away from the woman in the garden; a woman whom he has grown to adore for the last couple of months.

"Oh, so now you suddenly know what the shari'ah law is," she shook her head pitifully. "Why didn't you use the shari'ah teachings years back when you went wayward, huh? What happened to all the knowledge that you acquired? Do you remember all that now?"

"That is none of your concern Afet," he responded his voice cold and menacing.

"Oh, but it is Aslan," she replied defiantly.

"Afet," he called her name, a warning ringing in his voice, but she was far too gone to care about it. She knew not to push him too much, but she had had enough of it, she wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Ne istiyorsun?" (What do you want?)

"Ne istediğimibiliyorsun Aslan," she smiled sheepishly. "Onuterk et benimleevlen." 

(You know what I want Aslan. Leave her, marry me.)

He stared at her as if she had just uttered blasphemy, shaking his head, "I can not do that."

"Why, Aslan? Why is it so hard to leave her for me? I love you, Aslan," she stood up and gripped his arm. "Seni seviyorum, beni sevmek çok mu zor? Duygularımıseniniçinkarşılıkvermekçok mu zor?" 

(I love you, is it so hard to love me back? Is it so hard to reciprocate my feelings for you?)

"Afet..." he began, but she cut him off.

"I hid all your secrets for you Aslan, I was your best friend. Time and again, you made me lie for you. I have a strained relationship with my family. You are the reason why I can not go back to my father's house, and I never complained not once Aslan, not once and all that I ask is for you to love me back."

"I am sorry I caused you pain Afet, but I don't care about you the way you think."

"You're sorry? You think sorry will cut out for it? Will sorry bring back the years that I have lost pining over you?" she questioned, wiping away her tears. "I don't need a consolation prize, Aslan, you really do not deserve the love I have for you."

He kept shut, staring at the painting Najmah had started the first day she came to Istanbul; it was a butterfly with a broken wing at the edge of the meadow, covered in looming shadows. She had signed her initials at the bottom with the word 'freedom' beneath it.

Afet followed his gaze and her face darkened. She straightened her back then wiped the last remnants of her tears.

"You think she cares for you?"

"She does," he replied quietly, not glancing at her.

"The society will never accept her, she's not a Turk. She's a simple middle-class African girl who doesn't fit the category of women the Sadeks are supposed to mingle with."

"I don't care about what the society accepts or doesn't. Najmah’s my wife and I intend to keep her," he deadpanned, tearing his gaze away from the painting. "I am the one tied to her, not them."

"You think she'll accept you when she finds out the truth?" she laughed, her tone mocking him. "What will our dearest Najmah do when she finds out that her husband was an addict? Oh my, I can't wait to find out..."

"Afet!" he cut her off, shutting his eyes as the veins in his neck pop out.

"Has she ever seen you shirtless hmm?"

She watched the colour drain from his face. Her eyes widened when realization dawned on her, and she laughed out loud sarcastically, clapping her hands for dramatic effects.

"Of course," she scoffed, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "She hasn't. Who would've thought? You are pathetic Aslan but of course, you know that don't you?You say that you care about her and that she is your wife, but Najmah hasn't seen the scars on your body. She doesn't know the secrets you keep hidden underneath your expensive clothes. But how did you keep that a secret from her all this while when you share a room together?"

"Afet..."

"I am inquisitive Aslan, do tell me. Unless if...you...," she gasped, finally piecing everything together. If Najmah hadn't seen his body, then that meant they haven't consummated their marriage.

"Aman tanrim! Aslan you...seven months and you didn't..."

She smirked, enjoying the turn out of events. If her earlier plan didn't work out, then this was sure to work. Aslan was hers and hers alone, she would not share him with anyone not anymore. Najmah could have his heart for all she cared, she was going to have his mind, body and soul.

"If she finds out that her dearest, dearest husband was a drug addict and has been to rehab not once but twice in his life, I wonder what she'd do. She got married to you because her husband to be was a drug dealer, but what she didn't know is that you spent the better half of your life doing drugs. You are no better than her ex was, you are much worse than him. Oh that's not going to turn out well," she mock pouted, shaking her head. "What will she do if she finds out about Bedia, the girl you swore you loved but ended up being the reason for her demise."

"Shut up!" he bellowed, throwing an easel on the wall right next to her causing her to flinch. "It was an accident!"

"An accident, huh?" she mocked, satisfied with the emotions she evoked from him. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Aslan."

"You are a destroyer Aslan," she taunted, moving closer to him. "Whatever you touch, you destroy. You wreak havoc in your wake Aslan."

"Does she know that you sniffed..."

"Enough! Stop talking," he bellowed, brushing his hand through his hair. "Get out!"

She didn't wait to be told twice before she scurried out of the studio, wiping away her tears. She knew that what she had done will cause a rift between the two and it will only be a matter of time before Aslan withdrew himself from the world. If she couldn't have him, then no one else would.

{••}

"Afet, are you crying? What's wrong with you?" Najmah gasped, placing her hand on Afet's.

"Why? Don't pretend like you care," Afet huffed, sidestepping her.

"Afet..."

"You know what?" Afet whipped around to face her. "I am not okay. I am not okay with you being married to the love of my life, I never have been. And to top it all, Aslan doesn't care about me anymore.Do you know what's worse? I can not go back to my father's house because I am disowned. Baba disowned me because of you," she jabbed her finger on Najmah's chest, causing her to take a step back, down the stairs. "You have slithered your way through Aslan's heart and now, he would not listen to reason. I am the one who is good for him, not you. I was there for him when he needed help, not you. I was the one who helped him to his feet when he hit rock bottom, not you."

"What are you talking about?"

"Of course you wouldn't know," Afet shook her head. "He wouldn't let you find out all the gory details of his life. He wouldn't want to taint your life with his past darkness. You clueless little gold digger! You know nothing, but it's always going to be you whom he loves.It's always Najmah," she jabbed another finger at her. "Najmah this, Najmah that. I am so tired of coming second to everyone. First my grandparents then my Baba and now Aslan too!" she pushed a hand through her hair, cussing at the unfortunate events of her life.

"You know if you hadn't shown up then maybe...maybe I would have had a chance at being his wife but you...you ruined everything Najmah! I should have been the one he married."

Trying to run away from Afet's outburst, Najmah turned around and lost her footing in the staircase, rolling down the stairs.

She emitted a scream of agony as her head came in contact with a flower vase before she blacked out, blood oozing from the gash on her forehead.

Aslan rushed out of his studio when he heard her scream, coming to stand beside Afet who had stilled, watching Najmah's lifeless body. A shiver ran down his spine as his gaze landed on her body.

"Afet!" he gasped, rushing down the stairs towards Najmah. "What have you done? Najmah?" he called out frantically, kneeling beside her. "Can you hear me?"

"Aslan?" she called out weakly, trying to stay conscious.

"Stay with me, okay? Don't close your eyes, alright? I'll get you to a hospital right away."

{••}

He paced the length of the waiting room, feeling anxious. He stared at the dried blood on his hands, releasing a long wary breath.

'This is all my fault, I should've listened to Afet. She is in the ER because of me.'

What had happened between the two? And why was she the one who got hurt?