Mirage of Truth and Guilt

With his mind stuck on his sweet tormentor, he went to the Medieval town in the East of the Oriental state. A town that is stuck in the past, just like its name. Where it is even more difficult for women to have a voice, and anyone who dares to speak without permission will face deadly consequences. It seems like a dead place, as women and children stay inside the stone walls that they call home.

Because the vicious humans he had encountered in prison reside there. Men who enjoy hurting women and possessing their souls, while also being involved in drug and gun dealing.

Sinbad had warned them to keep drugs out of Oriental street, but it seems that they needed another warning. He also had to conclude a business deal that he had put on hold after his marriage, because he was too busy trying to break her.

When morning came, he found himself in his office, which he shared with Esra. His uncomfortable sleep was interrupted by voices coming from the meeting room. He got up, stretched his arms, cleared his view by rubbing his eyes, yawned as he adjusted himself, and then opened the loudspeaker that was connected to the meeting room.

"Esra, what the hell did you make me do?" Hakan's angry voice echoed through the loudspeaker.

He immediately removed the fake paint and saw Esra and Hakan loudly arguing.

"What did I make you do?! I simply told you to take his wife on a trip like this so I could handle him better. I couldn't allow him to fall in love with her again." She passed behind him, contemplating the sun rays that caressed her blonde locks, and made their way down to her freckles. Her green eyes peered through her thick, dirty blonde eyelashes, trying to catch the photons.

"She is Ahmet Kara's daughter! I tortured her, thinking she was someone unknown, just a fling for him." The anger was evident in Hakan's voice. He felt betrayed and was on the verge of losing everything if this didn't go according to plan. From his peripheral vision, he caught a glimpse of Sinbad on his phone ,looking through the fake mirror.

"Don't lie! She said she had the best time of her life. After all, even you, who swore to love your wife, couldn't keep it in your pants," she sneered, giving him a disapproving look. "You're just like all the rest."

"Esra, she lied to provoke him. You know this well.  Put it in your little brain, I will never betray my Sanem!" He poked her head, triggering her anger, causing her to push his hand away furiously.

"She provoked the lion then!" she asserted, moving away and fixing her hair in front of the mirror, oblivious to the fact that he was watching them. The mirror was a double glass, like the ones used in police interrogation rooms.

"Something has been bothering me, Esra. Sinbad is not the kind of person who lets others down. And even though they're enemies, if she is his wife, he would have come to save her. Tell me the truth, why didn't he come?" Hakan had been doubting ever since he saw the anger and guilt in Sinbad's eyes. He knew that Sinbad wasn't the type of man to leave a woman behind, even if she was his enemy. Something else must have happened, and he was asking the right person for answers.

"Because I drugged him. Although it hurts, he loves that little brat. Every time he climaxes, he chants her name in pure bliss. You don't know how much it hurts to do all the deeds, but someone else is there inside his heart, mind, and soul, taking the credit." Her confession, followed by a laugh, was intolerable to the one fuming with anger.

"Did you mess with his head on their first night too?" Hakan questioned her, feeling suspicious after hearing from him about other plans for that night.

"Yeah, I wanted to give him an impotent medicine, but that stupid fool gave him an aphrodisiac instead."

"Do you have any idea what he did to her? You are a woman too. How could you do this to another woman?"

"I didn't do anything to her, I told you, it was a mistake that night!" Her nonchalant response was like a dagger through the heart of the other person behind the mirror.

"A mistake that she paid dearly for. You are the worst kind of human."

"A killer and a criminal like you dare to defame me?! Don't make me laugh, Hakan." Her hysterical laugh grew louder.

"What is going on with you two? Your voices can be heard all over the place!"

"Sorry, grandfather!" She composed herself and bowed her head, speaking in a low voice.

"What is happening here?" Mazhar Ozturk asked after taking his seat on the throne chair.

"Your niece manipulated me, sir! She said if I wanted my money back, I needed to kidnap and torture Sinbad's wife, because she meant nothing more to him than a tool."

"What's the problem here?" Mazhar asked coldly, his blood starting to boil.

"Sir, she is Ahmet Kara's daughter, and we all know the policy that Sinbad implemented when he became the leader: 'No one touches family!' I broke that rule. I hurt the daughter of the man I owe so much."

"If Ahmet Kara loved and cared for his daughter as much as you do now, he would move heaven and earth to protect her. But he didn't, and he never will. He's not like me. As for my nieces' tears, I will burn them all!" Mazhar's voice grew louder.

"Yes! You put an innocent man in prison to take revenge on the KARA family for overruling you and putting you in prison!" Hakan asserted, feeling disgusted with himself and with them, as they showed no remorse for what they had caused.

"Why are you complaining? You regained your freedom just by tormenting him there!" the old man retorted, raising his voice.

"Why did you choose him, sir? I was there, and so were others!"

"HE dared to dishonor my family! Esra is the EMANET of her father, the day that Ahmet Kara killed him!"

"If this is true, then you should have killed him too. Why involve an innocent person in this revenge?! He may have refused to marry Esra, but there were plenty of other men willing to marry her and restore her honor. Or if you wanted, you could have forced him to marry her. Instead, you came up with this ridiculous plan."

"It wasn't ridiculous at all! She witnessed a murder, so he threw him in jail. Then, after a few years, I appeared, throwing false accusations towards her brothers. He, under my grandfather's instruction, grew to hate her. It was the perfect plan!" Esra narrated the evil plan that even the Devil himself would be astonished by.

"But everything slipped through your hands when he married her, right?" Hakan provoked, looking at the mirror and placing his palm against it.

"KEEP SILENT

THIS IS FOR SIBEL

SHE IS INNOCENT!

STOP HURTING HER!" this was written on his palm.

He knew that Sinbad would be witnessing this charade.

How did he know?

Just before Esra came to the office and found him there, he had come and watched Sinbad lying on that uncomfortable couch, sleeping. He had observed the painting and knew that it had a double meaning.

He had discovered this secret in the last meeting of the underworld. He had excused himself as Sanem was messaging him about something the baby needed. So he went into the office and, as people usually do when they are on the phone, he played with things around, waiting for a response from the other party. That's when he touched a button, and voices from the meeting room started to come through. But that wasn't the only thing he noticed. When he pressed the next button, the paint peeled away a little, and he removed it completely, revealing the view of the meeting room. At first, he was startled, but then no one seemed to notice him.

He understood how the two-way mirror worked and shook his head, admiring Sinbad's intellect.

Going back to the moment he saw Sinbad sleeping, he left a small camera on the wall behind his chair, covered with the files that were already there. This way, he could spy on Sinbad's movements. And when he woke up, Hakan started his plan.

"Everything came back to me when you kidnapped her, and he betrayed her in their own home, in their bed." Esra proudly spoke, infuriating the person watching behind the mirror.

"You are sick! Mentally sick! I lost this battle with him, so now I have to work twice as hard. My nightclub is burned down, and I can't afford to waste any more time with you two. I'm warning you, stay away from me, or I will not be responsible for my actions!" He threatened and left the room.

Discovering the truth left Sinbad, the Ruthless, on his knees. He was beyond shocked.

"Her truth was there all along. She didn't lie. They set a perfect trap for both of us," he cried to himself, completely destroyed.

"When you find the truth, come home, search for me.Don't say sorry or plead or anything like that. Pull out your gun and shoot me in the head once, then carry me and bury me without any ceremonies in the nearby forest. I will forgive you in that moment, and I will even lift my curse from you..."

Her request echoed in his head, and now it was no longer just empty words hanging in the air. He had accepted to do as she asked.

Now the question is: Can he end her life?

***

He got up, composed himself, took the gun from the drawer, and entered the meeting room with a surprised expression, holding his anger.

"Sinbad!" she exclaimed in shock as she saw his bloodshot eyes filled with rage directed towards her.

He secured his gun behind his belt and moved forward. She didn't step back. His lips curved into a smile, betraying his red eyes, as his fingers grazed her cheek and gently grasped her delicate neck.

"Sinbaaad," she cat-whispered, her eyes filled with panic, trying to indicate that her grandfather was present. But he paid little attention as his fingers tightened around her throat, restricting her air supply. His smile turned into a devilish grin as he pushed her against the nearby wall.

"Who do you think you are?" Her grandfather yelled at him.

"The one who rules here!" Sinbad roared, looking at him with the same hatred he had for her.

"You have find the truth!" She giggled madly, "Go ahead, kill her now!" she continued, provoking him. Like Sibel, Esra was also brave, some would even say insane.

He tightened his grip, further blocking her breathing.

"You better run, Esra! If I find you here when I come back..." he breathed his menacing words near her lips.

"What are you going to do, Sinbad? What did you do to her? I will enjoy everything she hates!" she dared to joke, even as oxygen was depleting from her lungs.

"Let go of my niece, or I'll blow your brains out right here!" her grandfather threatened, pointing a gun at his head.

He blinked his thick brown eyelashes, took a deep breath, released her, and turned to face him. In one swift motion, he disarmed the old man, causing him to fall to his knees. Esra, forgetting herself, rushed to help her grandfather.

"You have one hour to leave Oriental! If you're still here when I come back..." he spoke with utmost hate, spitting the words onto the old man's face, someone he once respected like his own father. At the same time, he struggled to restrain himself from tearing their heads off their bodies.

He marched out of the building, got into his car, and drove aimlessly.

You may wonder why he gave them time. One of his favorite things in this underworld is to give hope to those who are doomed. One hour may not be enough, but she will think so, and in the end, he will be waiting to deliver the punishment.

***

"Dede, we need to disappear now before he returns!" Esra exclaimed, helping him to stand.

"I will make him pay for hurting you!" her grandfather replied angrily.

"Dede, we need to go now! He is ruthless towards his enemies, and we are more than just enemies. We manipulated him to hurt the person he loved the most. You know how vicious he becomes with his prey."

"He dared to play with you, Esra. You are an Ozturk; you need to trust yourself. He is nothing compared to you."

"Now he is more powerful than ever. It seems like HAKAN has taken his side."

"HAKAN is another one who needs a lesson."

"For now, we need to go. Once we regain our strength, we will come back to avenge them!" Esra spoke as they sat in the car, driving away from his desire for revenge. Esra wasn't worried about her own life, but rather for her old grandfather, who was her only living family member.

As if they could easily escape his vengeful wrath!