Can sat and listened as Sanem read from her book, he loved listening to her voice but the words were hard to hear. She read about what happened that last night at the mountain and her words and the emotion in her voice were tearing him apart. Everyone there knew without a doubt that this woman had loved with every feeling and emotion in her body and soul and had hurt just as much.

When she read about walking up to the hut and seeing Polen sitting with Can, you could feel the pain she felt that night. They were taking every step with her. They felt how Polen had demeaned her with her tone of voice and snubbing of Sanem's feelings. Acting as if Sanem had been a speck of dirt in Can's life. With every word, they felt every emotion from that night, the hurt, the humiliation, how she suffered and was wounded by Can's words. She described the feeling of devastation she felt as Can yelled at her that she was just like the others to him and they felt just as devastated. She explained how walking away, that with each step she had forced herself to take, she had made sure she held her head up high after all she was Mevkibe Aydin's daughter.

After she finished reading he could tell that this reading was different than the last one he heard. This time she was totally exhausted, depleted. He could tell she was doing everything she could to sit through all the questions. He became more uncomfortable as he listened to them ask why he always turned to Polen and how could he had not seen before how demeaning the woman had been to her.

One woman wanted to know if he still spoke with Huma and Polen. Sanem said she couldn't answer those questions only Can could. Some wanted to know if she had spoken to Can since that night, to which she answered she had talked to him a couple of times. She didn't give him up though, she let him sit there without having to answer any questions. The group no wiser that the handsome man in the back was the Can from the story.

When she finished signing her last book, she motioned that she needed to get her bag and would be back in a moment. When she came out, he grabbed and hugged her tightly, he didn't want to let her go, wanted to hold her forever, protect her from any more hurt. She shifted in his grasp and mumbled that she was hungry. He laughed a deep laugh, knowing that she would become grouchier if they didn't eat soon. He stepped back and grabbed her hand and headed toward the door.

"Are you sure you don't just want to go back to the hotel and rest?"

"No, I am starved. I will be ok as soon as I can drink some tea. But, thank you for asking."

They walked down to a small cafe, neither saying a word. When they were shown a table and had ordered, Can finally spoke.

"You were amazing back there. You had everyone eating out of your hand." he smiled "It is still hard to hear how badly you were treated. I could actually feel everything you were saying back there. You know I have read your book more than once hoping that I could somehow change the way I behaved toward you."

"Ah, Can!"

"That woman back there was right, how did I not see how others were treating you?"

"You know I think there was so much interference it was hard to see what was happening."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean when we first met, well, do you remember how Deren hid the fact that I had put together a room for the employees and it cost us points on the project?"

"Evet, I called her out on her behavior." "You also made sure that no one called me the other. All in the beginning before everyone started to interfere, after that you could only see what they wanted you to see. The bad, you couldn't see the person I was just the person I had become. I think Emre knew that I was falling in love with you and that is why he kept telling me things to make me stay silent."

"That still didn't give me or anyone else the right to treat you badly."

"You are right. But, I did a lot of things to make you see only the bad in me. Neither one of us communicated well with the other. When I tried to explain, it was either too late or something caused me not to be able to say the words. Then, there were times when you refused to listen to me, usually after someone else had already told you their version of what happened. I have come to understand that we both are at fault."

"Me, more than you. I knew in my heart that you weren't bad, couldn't really lie. I seen what Huma was doing, allowed Polen to make you think that we were together even though I kept telling you we weren't, still I allowed her to stay at my house, went places with her."

"Can, please can we not talk about this today?"

"If you want. So, you only have one more reading then you can take some time off, correct?"

"Yes, I am going to go home and rest then I may come to Istanbul to see my parents. I have a lot of decisions to make before I see them. I want to be able to have my plans set before I talk to them."

"Do you have any idea what you might do besides get some rest?"

"I have a couple of idea. I am a stronger person now then I was. I have grown up a lot and I am learning to believe in myself. You, of all people, know why I need to do this!"

" I do understand. It's just that, I now know how it felt to all those I left behind. Will I get to see you when you come to see your parents?"

"Yes, I think so. I will have made up my mind on what I am going to do before I come, that way they cannot change my mind? If no one understands why I make my choices then I will probably just stay where I am now. I have to take care of myself, my mental health, my physical health." she paused and looked at him "Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Evet, it is hard to hear but I do understand." he was saddened by her words, he knew her parents would try to force her to move back home and if they pushed to hard then she would just leave again. He wasn't sure he was strong enough to stay in Istanbul if she left again. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Around ten in the morning, I am not in a hurry. There are a couple of shops I want to look through and I need to pick up some supplies. What about you?"

"Probably the same, would you like to meet for breakfast or tea before you leave?"

She looked away, not sure she knew how to answer this afraid that if she met him she wouldn't want to leave but afraid if she told him no he would think she didn't want to see him again.

"Sanem! Look I don't want to push you, it's just I'm scared that if you leave I might not see you again."

"Ah, Can, I do understand, that is what I am afraid of, fear that if I tell you no you will take it the wrong way and think I don't want to see or talk to you and afraid that if I say yes I won't want to leave. I need to finish healing."

"I know Sanem. I can see it in your eyes, especially at the reading today, I could still see how affected you were. So do we say our goodbyes tonight?"

"It doesn't mean I don't want to see you again, just I still need a little time to make my final decision on where I want to live."

"ok" he lowered his eyes to look at the table, sadness engulfing him.

"Can" she spoke quietly "I still want to talk to you, I want to see you again."

"Ok, just please don't give up on us." she smiled at him with a little sadness in her eyes.

"I am doing everything in my power not to."