Chapter 169

Ayleen sat in the waiting lounge, her boarding pass clutched in her hand. Her mind was still replaying every moment with Selina, every tear, every confession.

Her phone vibrated in her lap. A familiar name flashed on the screen.

“Uncle Ibrahim?” she answered.

His voice came immediately, tense, hurried. “Ayleen, where are you?”

She straightened, her fingers tightening around her bag. “I’m at the airport. Is everything alright?”

There was a beat of silence. Then, his voice came through again, slightly wheezy.

“Take the next flight to Ankara. We’re all going there.”

Ayleen’s blood ran cold. “What? Why? What’s wrong?” Her heart pounded as silence stretched on the other end.

And then he spoke, his next words making her pound.

***

Ankara.

Everything was painted in black—the clothes, the shades, the solemn hearts burdened with sorrow. The cemetery felt like an abyss, an unending stretch of grief where time had slowed to an u