CHAPTER 1
NORA
“I can’t wait to see you full and round with my child.” He caressed my cheeks, trailing soft kisses down my neck to my collarbone.
We are standing on top of a mountain, just a few feet from the cliff. It's called the lovers spot. Our favorite spot. A place we would go to, every once in a while, away from everything else. It is a beautiful place and site. Flowers everywhere. I am so happy to be here with the love of my life. My husband.
“Emir.” I whispered, very aroused by his passionate caressing. “Our child, you mean.” I teased.
He laughed and stared down at me. “You bet right. Ours. Our baby, a symbol of our love.”
I stared up at my one true love, my king, the king of my heart, body and soul. “I love you Emir. Please make love to me. I need you now.”
He bent his head down, trialing his nose down to mine, down to my lips before he crashed his lips to mine.
“I love you too, Maran. Making love to you is what I live for.” He whispered against my lips as he slowly bit down on my ear gently, trailing kisses down my neck then back to my lips again.
He ravaged my lips, cupping my breast in the process. He pulled back a little and stared deep into my eyes. “You, my Queen, belong to me. You are mine. Mine.”
With that, he crushed his lips down on mine again, kissing me passionately.
We were so lost in each other’s embrace, we were so madly in love, the passion between us was blazing so high in flames.
Suddenly I felt something was wrong. I felt as if someone had nudged me, and I slipped slightly down the cliff. I grabbed the iron handle on the bridge, trying with all my might to hold on to it. But out of nowhere, I suddenly lost my grip and footing and began to fall. Out of instinct, I got hold of a branch of tree below, and I held on to it for support.
I looked down, and couldn’t stop the instant panic I felt at that moment.
I looked down again, and screamed. There is no way I would survive a fall here.
To top it all, I am scared of heights. The thought of me losing my grip is even more horrifying than anything I have ever been afraid of in my life. Then panic shrugged through me like an electric bolt.
Where is Emir? Oh my God, is he safe?
I screamed and looked back up. But he was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared, like he was never there. How can anyone just disappear like that? I would have noticed, or heard him if he had fallen down the cliff.
Did he abandon me? Why would he leave me? No, my Emir will never leave me here to die. He knows that I am scared of heights.
"Emir!'' I shouted at the top of my lungs. ''Emir, where are you? Please help me. I'm afraid! I'm losing my grip. Please help. Somebody, anybody please help.''
I shouted and cried my lungs out for help, trying as hard as I could to hold on to the tree longer for help to arrive.
Maybe Emir has gone to search for help. Yes, that has to be the reason why he is not here with me.
Just as I was deep in my frantic thoughts, I felt something hit me hard on my head. The pain was so unbearable, I almost lost my grip on the tree branch at that instant.
I tried to look up to see what had hit me. It was a person bending down over me, holding something like an iron rod.
It seemed that I was hit by an iron. I tried to make out who the person was, but everything was so blurry, and I was losing consciousness. I could feel blood dripping down my face.
I tried with all my strength to hold on longer, but I lost my grip. I fell off. And continued falling, I waited for my definite death to come. But my fall did not stop, I fell and fell and fell.....
I jumped out of my bed, sweating and in tears. It was a dream. Again. A different dream each time, yet with the same man every single time. Emir. I keep calling him Emir.
I'd never met anyone by that name before, and it was strange that I kept dreaming about a very handsome man with that name. And each time I wake up sweating and crying.
I need help. I really do. This was getting out of hand, and I was scared I might be having some dream sickness. Is that even possible? Do people have dream sickness? I’m really going mad. I just hope my dreams don't turn out like the Elms Street movie one day, because they are beginning to creep me out.
I got off my bed and grabbed my iPhone. I was obsessed with my phone. The first thing I always grab when I get off of bed is my phone.
I checked the time, and almost had a heart attack. I have a damn flight to catch in two hours, and I’m just waking up? Who the f**k does that? I forgot to change my alarm, from nine o’clock from my usual wake-up time to eight o’clock.
I am traveling to Yildiz, a small town in Turkey, my homeland. I was born from a traditional Turkish noble family. My dad is a chieftain and a noble person in their community. He is the chief advisor to the king.
The king’s lineage is from the Ottoman Empire and I heard he is very feared and respected in Turkey. Due to issues between the government and the royals in the past, the Royals keep a low profile.
The King, I heard, is a billionaire in his own right, creating self-made businesses and job opportunities for his people. In other ways, earning the respect of his people, government and other leaders across the world.
I don’t know much about anything else, except what my dad always shares with me. He is proud of his king and country. I was raised in America after my parents divorced, and my mom moved here to the states.
I haven't been to Turkey since I was a baby, not even despite my grandma’s persuasion. My dad has always been a good father to me, always flying over with my grandma to see me. He has attended all the important events in my life, be it my graduation, or even small school programs and all my birthday.
There was just one problem though: my dad doesn't want me to go to Turkey. Both he and my mom hate the idea of me traveling there, and I don't understand why, especially since my mom was also born and raised there like my dad. She hasn't been there since she moved here with me when I was a baby, and she never talks about her own family.
I just don't get why they are both adamant that I shouldn't set foot there, even though my other extended family are all there.
I think it’s been overly selfish of me not to have really tried my best to visit him even once. Now he’s coming over for my nineteenth birthday, but I’ve decided to surprise him instead. Fly over to Turkey for my birthday, and spend it with my dad and grandma.
My mom is not happy about me going there, but she has to understand that I’ve been living with her all these years and I also have an obligation to my dad as much as I do to her.
I hurried to the bathroom to take a quick shower. I skipped washing my hair. Once done, I headed over to my closet to dress up. Choosing to wear a striped cami top with wide leg pants paired with white heels.
On my way to the living room, I grabbed everything I needed, including my trench coat.
In the kitchen, I met my mom, who looked overly worried. I don’t know what’s with her and why she was so worried. I was bound to visit my father sooner or later, so why not now?
It’s not like I’m going there to stay forever. I'm already studying architecture at Harvard in hopes of becoming an architect someday, and that’s not something I wanted to jeopardize. If she was this worried about me traveling for a little vacation, I wonder how she'd cope if I left for another city to pursue my career.
I approached my mom, who was standing by the kitchen counter. A glass of water in her hands. Looking right at me, with a blank expression.
“Mum, is everything alright?” I asked her. She continued to look at me without answering before she shook her head once and said nothing. “This is about me traveling to Turkey, right?”
She remained quiet. I gently reached out and held her hand, as I stroked her cheek with the other. She always liked it when I did that.
“Mom. Please, don’t do this. Lighten up a bit. It’s just a vacation.” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but the face that looked back at me was someone that was kind of terrified. Her eyes were wide, and her face was overly pale.
I dropped my hand from her face and grabbed both her cold hands. Her hands were so cold. “Good lord. Mom, what’s wrong? You are scaring me.”
She shook her head viciously. “Don’t mind me. It’s nothing.”
How does she expect me to believe that, for god’s sake, she looks pale?
“Of course something is wrong Mom, please tell me. You are really scaring me right now.”
“You won’t understand.”
“Well try me. At least give me something. You don’t want me traveling when I’m worried about you. Right?”
She looked up at me with a serious look, then held my hands in a tight grip. “It’s not safe for you there. Please don’t go there, Nora. You are not safe there.”
What? What does she mean by that? Mom is confusing the hell out of me.
“What do you mean by that? There is something you are not telling me mom.”
What’s going on here? Why is mom so scared?
“What’s not safe about me traveling to Turkey Mum?”