Unless You Hate Me

I promised myself I won't be like my Father.

I've always belonged to the dark. I used to believe that I was different, better than the world I was born into

As a girl I have always been above the mess. Or at least pretended to be.

I was proud of it. Proud of the fact that I could be a part of the shadows without being a part of them

But now my actions have become intertwined with theirs. No, they have become the reflection of theirs, so much so that now its impossible to separate the two.

Somehow I have let all my guards fall.. Did I study law only to learn to cover up the truth one day, to manipulate the narrative.

Who am I really protecting? My father,

Riza Soyturk's Empire

Kannat's pride

or Myself

I've willingly stepped into a world that's even more dangerous, more corrupt than the one I was born into.

Maybe it was ambitious of me to think I could escape the dark. Maybe I was always meant to embrace it.

After all, it's in my blood.

ACT I

8 yrs ago..

A sunny morning on the elite University campus owned by Riza Soyturk.

'Ekim!!!' Kannat waves enthusiastically.

Ekim sitting alone on a bench under the shade of a tree, flipping through her notes, looks up smiling

Kannat: "Ekim! Still buried in your notes. When will you learn to take life a little less seriously"

Ekim: ( smiling softly)

"Someone has to study for both of us, after all"

Kannat : (laughing)

"Hey, I'm not that bad. Besides, I've got you to keep me in line."

Ekim's smile falters briefly, but she quickly masks it.

She has been doing this as long as her memory can take her back.

Later that evening, Ekim returns home to find her father, Cemal, speaking in a hushed tone on a call in his study. From her father's way of addressing she could understand it was Riza on the other side of the call. She hesitates by the door, eavesdropping.

Cemal:

"The shipment is arriving tonight........Of course, Riza Bey. You can count on me..and the university?...Got it, I'll update you"

Ekim's blood runs cold. This is not the first time she's heard whispers of her father's dealings, but every time it reminds her how deeply her family is tied to the Soyturk's world. Making her heart race.

Suddenly the door opens, and Cemal catches her

Cemal : " Ekim! What are you doing here?"

Ekim ( Stammering)

" Ba..Baba...I..just got home. I didn't hear anything, I swear."

Cemal gives his daughter a cold smile, "Relax, Ekim. Its just business. Go to your room now."

Ekim nods and quickly retreats to her room, her heart thudding. She knows her father's loyalty to the Soyturks is unshakeable.

And Kannat.. he is someone she was never taught to fear.

"I should hate him. I should hate you Kannat."

Thinks Ekim sitting by her window at midnight, staring at the moonlit sky.

Kannat Soyturk's family, their control over hers...makes her feel disgusted with herself. Doesn't she have reasons enough to hate him?

"But I can't. I've loved him for as long as I can remember. Even when I began to understand and fear the power they hold over us, I couldn't stop myself from walking into this fire. Only if he knew...that I'm...burning"

Late night,

Ekim's phone buzzes by the nightstand. It's a text from Kannat:

"Are you awake? Let's go for a walk".

Ekim buried her face in her palms to squeeze the remaining sleep from her skull. Getting up from bed she quickly grabs a jacket and sneaks out of the house; slipping past the Guards unnoticed.

Outside, under a streetlamp Kannat was leaning against a bike, his hands in his pockets, looking effortlessly perfect.

Kannat (With a smirk): " Took you long enough, I was about to leave already."

Ekim: " Yea, right. You'd wait here all night if I didn't show up."

Kannat ruffles her hair affectionately, and she laughs despite the ache in her chest from the unspoken words on the tip of her tongue. They started Walking, with the unspoken feelings hanging heavily in the air.

Ekim ( inner monologue):

"No Kannat, You'll never know. I'll make sure of that. Because if you knew, everything would change and I'd rather have you as my best friend...than not at all.'

Next morning Ekim wakes up to the voice of her mother, Ferida, calling her and her sister Hazal for breakfast. Her mind is still clouded with memories of the last night walk with kannat, which she tries shaking off.

At the breakfast table, morning rays pour through large glass windows, filling the room with a clean golden brightness. Her sister Hazal is flipping through her medical textbooks, while Cemal sits reading the news on his tablet. The head maid is placing the dishes for breakfast, Ferida moves between them, pouring tea.

Ferida: "Ekim, hurry up. You'll be late for the class"

Cemal ( Without looking up from his tablet):

"Don't worry, Kannat will wait for her even if she is late"

Ekim freezes mid step in the stairs, her eyes darting to her father. His tone is casual, but his statement felt loaded.

Ekim (approaching the table)

"I don't need Kannat to wait for me. I can manage on my own."

Cemal (smirking):

'Of course you can, but he wouldn't let you. His loyalty to you is stronger than you think"

Hazal raises an eyebrow, sensing the underlying tension. She exchanges a glance with Ekim, who avoids her gaze.

Hazal: " Maybe it's better if we stop depending on others so much"

Cemal gives her a sharp look, but Hazal is not the one to back down. Ekim picks up a fresh apple from the frit basket and heads towards the door, desperate to escape the conversation.

"I'm leaving. See you all later"

Ekim gently pulls the door shut.