Volkan shrugged at his mother’s words. “I’m confident that Yasmin will learn to love me, too.”

“Volkan, my child, you could end up in another loveless marriage.”

Narin had been the first to admit she was wrong about Caria, to encourage Volkan to dissolve the marriage. But, like his father, he was a jealous and possessive man and hadn’t wanted to let Caria or their unborn child go. By the time he realized they couldn’t save their marriage, both she and his son were dead and he was left to pick up the pieces.

“Yasmin isn’t Caria,” he said, a hard edge to his tone. “I won’t allow history to repeat itself.”

Narin squeezed his hand. “I just want you to be happy.”

He moved his hand out from under hers and set it on top, taking the dominant position. “Your blessing is the only thing I require. Once I have it, I will move forward with my plans.”

She stared into his eyes, then nodded. “Of course, you have my blessing.”

“Blessing for what?” Volkan’s sister came breezing through the patio doors. Defne wore a floaty blue and white patterned sundress that hid the frailness of her body. “What are you planning now, big brother?”

She dropped onto the couch next to Volkan and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. He hugged her back, holding her unnaturally thin body to his. He’d spent years and thousands of dollars hiring the best doctors and nurses in the world, but she was slowly wasting away with very little explanation as to why.

The current belief of her medical team was that she had an unknown congenital disorder, similar to fibromyalgia that was as yet undiagnosed, or undetectable, with their current knowledge and level of technology. Defne had a host of secondary issues including anemia, vertigo, nausea, headaches, and general aches and pains. Her doctors encouraged her to get a lot of rest, eat healthy, and take moderate amounts of exercise when she was up to it.

Volkan’s worry for his sister caused him to spend more time at home than he might otherwise so she wouldn’t feel lonely or frustrated at being trapped in the house for long stretches when her illness flared up.

“Your brother is getting married again,” Narin said in a bright voice, picking up her teacup and sipping, her gaze on her daughter’s face.

For the briefest moment, a flash of fear showed on Defne’s face, but she quickly replaced it with a big smile. She grabbed her brother and hugged him, saying, “She’s a lucky girl, whoever she is.”

No, Volkan was the lucky one, because he made his own luck. And soon, he would have the perfect wife to fit into his perfect life.

Chapter Ten