Page 21 of Beautifully Damned
?Chapter XIV?
Ayla
I don't know if I manifested it… if I wished on some broken star or whispered it in a sleep I don’t remember having, but here it is: Roman, giving me a phone—for five minutes.
I’m sitting on a leather chair in his office, staring at a phone like it’s a grenade, and he just... handed it to me.
“Five minutes. Use them wisely,” he tells me.
My father’s voice crackles on the line. “Ayla?” Baba’s voice is hoarse, strained. I press the phone harder to my ear; I wish I could crawl through it and hug him.
“Baba,” I whisper. My throat burns.
“Are you okay,kizim?” His voice has never sounded so comforting. Yes, our family is dysfunctional. Yes, I hate a lot of the things my Baba does in the name of being the head of the mafia. Yes, sometimes I doubt if he even cares for me as much as for the underground. But I love him.
“I’m okay,” I say, even though I’m not.
“We’re working on it. We will get you out of there.”
I nod, as if he can see me. “I know, Baba.”
There’s a shuffle before my mother’s voice cuts through like sunlight breaking storm clouds. “Ayla?Sen iyi misin? Tell me you’re eating. You’re too skinny already.”
The tears start falling without my permission. “I miss you.”
“You’re coming home soon, I promise,tamam mi?”
I nod again, wiping my face with my sleeve. “Tamam,” I choke out. “I love you.”
There’s a rustling again before a male voice comes through. “Ayla.”
“Emir?” I breathe, the world narrowing.
Roman, who has been pacing throughout the phone call, stops suddenly. The second I said Emir’s name, his entire face shifted. Something dark ripples through him.
“Are you okay?” I whisper. “Did they hurt you?”
“No. No, Ayla. I’m okay. I should be asking you that.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m sorry for putting you in danger. If I hadn’t—”
“No,” he cuts me off. “Don’t you dare say that. I should’ve protected you better.”
I shake my head. “You couldn’t have stopped it. None of you could.” We all know when the Pakhan wants something, he will get it.
Roman’s back is to me now, but I can see the tension in his shoulders as if it's vibrating under his skin.
“Ayla?” Emir’s voice softens. “Just hold on a little longer, okay?”
“I’m trying,” I whisper. “I’m really trying.”
“I know you are. You're stronger than all of us put together.”
I laugh through my tears. “That’s not true.”
Roman moves before I can register it. He reaches for the phone, but I’m not ready to let go.
“Wait—”
