Defne sat down in front of the puppy, gently scratched it behind the ear, and said in a soft, bubbling voice:

- Allah! Miracles and more! How did you get this mattress in here? Isn't it big?

- Fighter! - Omer squatted down next to his wife and stroked Kid's shaggy head. - It wanted it. See, Emine has a loyal protector and friend.

"The best thing you could think of is to give Emine a puppy right now," Defne looked at her husband gratefully. Rising to her feet, she bent over the crib and stroked her pink cheek gently. - They will grow together, and Bead from the cradle will know what friendship is.

Omer also stood up and stroked his daughter's other cheek with the same gesture.

- She will know many things from the cradle. What love is! Care. Mercy.

- She will know that daddy loves her, - Defne said with slight sadness, and Omer's heart sank. Her childhood pain was still a nail in her.

"She will know that dad loves mom more than life," he said and kissed her warm temple.

Defne smiled at him and bent over the crib again. Emine was waking up. Sulking, twisting her legs, and rubbing her face with her fists. Not letting her cry, Defne took her daughter in her arms and turned to Omer:

- Dad, get the bath ready. Let's swim.

***

Mirai's first impulse was to slam the door in front of her father's aristocratic nose, but the man accustomed to commanding resolutely stepped through the threshold and stopped in the middle of the hallway. The girls came out of the kitchen and stared at the guest with curiosity. Mert appeared next. Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned his shoulder against the wall and looked defiantly at his grandfather.

- Good evening! - He greeted, but no one answered him.

Only Jeren asked Mirai:

- Mom, who is this?

Mert answered for her. Looking intently at his grandfather, he said:

- This, my sister, is the person who was the father of our mother.

- Our grandfather? - Asli asked in surprise.

- He was once, - still glaring at the gray-haired man, answered Mert. - Now we have no grandfather or father.

"Quiet, boy," the man said sternly. - Show respect for your elders.

"I'm fine with my upbringing," retorted Mert. - Mom took care of it. And I respect the elders when they deserve it...

"Mert," Mirai said, softening her stern tone with a soft smile. - Go to your room. Change your clothes. Let's go to the cafe to have ice cream, - she looked at her wristwatch. - In ten minutes.

The girls, glancing at their grandfather, slipped past him and disappeared into the back of the apartment. Mert slowly followed. He almost hooked the guest with his shoulder, but no longer deigned him with a look. He walked into the living room and plopped down on the sofa, showing with his whole appearance that he was here, next to her, and would not allow anyone, especially grandfather, to offend his mother.

Mirai straightened up and, looking her father in the face, said:

- I am listening to you. If possible, be short. We have plans for the evening.

She did not invite the guest to enter the room, and he remained standing in the middle of the corridor. The old man tried to keep his head straight, but there were pain and remorse in his eyes. The voice sounded measured and stern.

- I came to ask for forgiveness. I am very guilty before you. Very much. Know that I am remorseful and sorry. If I could turn back time, I would have acted differently.

Mirai was silent for a minute, scanning her father's face with an impenetrable gaze, and then asked:

- Do you think that such things can be forgiven?

- I'm your father! He reminded haughtily.

- And I was your daughter! - She did not raise her voice. In another room, behind the wall were her girls, and Mirai was not going to frighten them with screams and hysteria. "But you abandoned me and my children. Gave up your only daughter. For my nonexistent guilt, you closed the door of your house in front of us and left us on the street. Knowing that Mehmet threw us out without money and we are threatened with starvation. How can such cruelty be forgiven, Dad?

"I thought you disgraced me," the old man replied hoarsely.

"So, your feeling of shame was stronger than your fatherly love," Mirai did not ask but affirmed. - Then what do you want now?

-То see you and my grandchildren. Yes, I made a mistake, but now I want to fix it. Come home. "He looked disapprovingly at the cramped hallway." - Enough for you living in а hut when there is a huge mansion. Children will have everything they want and you too...

"My children have everything they need," Mirai interrupted him harshly. - And our "hut" is a wonderful, warm, and cozy home for us, in which we are happy.

- Do you refuse to return to the mansion?

Mirai looked at her father without blinking. For seven years, she managed to forget how domineering, self-confident and impenetrable he can be. A man who did not allow objection and disobedience. His word was law, and everyone had to obey him implicitly. Except she's not a little girl anymore. She is a woman who went through hell and knows the value of every crumb in her life. And she knows her father's price too.

"Our home is here," Mirai said firmly.

"Won't you even try to forgive me? - It seems that this thought shocked him.

- Why not? I forgive you, - Mirai proudly lifted her chin. "I forgive you for your pride, your cruelty. I forgive our wanderings and all the horrors that we have experienced over the years. I forgive you for trusting the criminal and not your daughter. But there is one thing I cannot forgive you. Never. The fact that my mother died without seeing me and the children. That you did not fulfill her last will and did not let us say goodbye. That she left unhappy with a huge pain in her heart. I cannot forgive you for this.

The man turned pale and his shoulders dropped. At one point, he lost all his arrogance and became what he was - a lonely old man who made an unforgivable, cruel mistake that destroyed his whole life. He turned and walked towards the door. Opening it, he looked at his daughter for the last time and said:

- I'm proud of you. You can deny it, but you are the real Gumuskaya. Strong and proud.

"I would never give up my child," Mirai objected, looking into his eyes. - I would fight for him until my last breath.

- Then you are stronger than me and bolder than your mother. Be happy, daughter.

She said nothing in reply. The old man, as if agreeing with her silence, nodded his head and went out the door. Mirai doubled over and grabbed her stomach. The pain that she had held in the heart gushed out and burned all the insides.

- Mother! - Alarmed Mert in the blink of an eye was there and supported her arm. - What's the matter? Are you sick? Maybe call an ambulance?

She straightened up and shook her head.

- It's all right now. Don't need an ambulance. I'll drink some water now, and everything will pass.

Mert darted into the kitchen and returned a second later with a glass of water. Mirai eagerly drained it and smiled at her son.

- It's gone. A spasm, I guess. Call the girls. Let's go get some ice cream.

Mert gazed into her face as if looking for something in it. And then in a trembling voice, he said:

- I'm proud of you, mom!

***

Emine woke up twice at night, demanding her mother's breast and warm milk. And both times, before the baby's crying was heard, the puppy ran to the parents' room. Growling quietly, it began to pull the blanket off Defne. She woke up and heard a snort in the next room, which after a minute turned into crying. She silently, so as not to wake Omer, slipped out of bed and hurried to her daughter. But every time he woke up and followed.

- Well, why did you get up? - arranging the baby near the breast, she asked. - Go to sleep.

But Omer just smiled silently, sat on the floor next to the chair, and waited for Emine to be fed. And then he wore her in his arms and hummed an unpretentious lullaby in a velvet voice. It was so sweet that Defne was reduced to tears.

In the morning, the baby woke up at dawn and raised her parents. While Defne was busy with her daughter, Omer prepared breakfast. Toast with cheese and ham, coffee for himself, and tea for Defne. He installed the baby swing-chair in the dining room, where he laid Emine and the baby was next to her parents while they ate breakfast. Soft swaying lulled her and she fell asleep.

- Are you going to Sapphire today? - putting the empty cup on the saucer, Omer asked his wife.

- Not. Seda and Kartal will do the routine work, while I will stay at home. I'll try to do sketches if Emine will allow, - she looked at her daughter with a smile.

- She will, - Omer, too, looked down at the pretty face. - She is smart and knows that her mother is a brilliant designer and she needs to draw.

He got up from the table, kissed his daughter on her tiny fist, and his wife on the cheek, and said:

- I have to go. Today I have a bunch of meetings. But I'll try to be free early. I can't imagine how I can survive the whole day without you," he complained in frustration and warned: "I'll keep calling." Keep your phone with you.

- Okay, - promised Defne and got up to walk her husband to the door. But first, she stopped the swing, fixing the chair in one position.

Sukru was waiting for the boss near the car. He greeted both of them and addressed Defne:

- Zehra will come a little later today. But don't you worry. She will have time to handle everything.

- Ay, brother Sukru! - Defne was indignant. - And when I doubted Zehra. Of course, she can. And if not, then my hands also grow from the right place. I'll do everything myself.

Sukru waved his hands and exclaimed:

- What are you saying! You have a small child and a job! You can't overwork yourself.

Defne laughed and promised:

- Okay, I will not.

Omer, who was watching their dialogue while standing at the open back door of the car, smiled with satisfaction and blew a kiss to his wife with his lips. She blossomed and said:

- Come back soon. We are waiting.

The Mercedes drove out of the yard. The massive, openwork gates closed behind it, and Defne hurried into the house. Emine was asleep. Kid was sitting next to her, his shaggy head resting on the seat next to the baby. Smiling to such unconditional devotion, Defne stroked it and called:

- Kid, are you hungry? Come on, I'll feed you.

It removed its head from the child seat and obediently trotted after Defne.

The weather was fine outside. Warm, sunny, calm. The air in the garden was saturated with the scent of wildly blooming tea roses and ripening cherries. Defne decided that it would be more comfortable to work in the shade of an old apple tree than in the office. And for Emine Diana, fresh air will come in handy.

Taking her drawing supplies, Defne carried them into the garden and put them on a wrought-iron table. Then she fed her awakened daughter, put her in the stroller, and rolled her outside. The puppy ran after. As soon as the hostess set the stroller in the shade by the table, it stretched out on the grass next to it and laid his redhead with dark brown ears on its powerful white paws. Defne sat down at the table and began to sketch.

The sensation of being looked at suddenly arose and sparked unaccountable fear. Ice creeps crept down her spine. With an unconscious gesture, grabbing the handle of the stroller, Defne sharply raised her head. The male face outside the gate looked more like a vision and disappeared in a split second. A very familiar face. The same as fourteen years ago. Time had no power over it. Blinking, Defne again looked closely at the openwork net of the gates. Behind them was a deserted, shady street.

- What was this? - She muttered and looked at her daughter's clapping eyes. - I just saw your grandfather. Can you imagine? He disappeared from our lives fourteen years ago. Two months before the birth of Esra. I never saw him again. Not in reality, not in a dream, not in a nightmare. And now I had a vision. Probably, childbirth and how your daddy loves you, stirred up the subconscious, - Defne shook her head and resolutely said: - Okay! Forget it. It's not like there's anything to see.

The rustling of tires and the creak of brakes were heard outside the gates. The large, black Mercedes pulled up next to the mansion. The gate creaked and Zehra entered the courtyard with a pile of envelopes in her hands, followed by Sukru carrying a bulky box of groceries. He nodded to Defne and went through the back door into the kitchen, while his wife went to the hostess.

- Good day! She greeted. - I was a little late. Sukru took me to the supermarket for groceries.

- It's okay, - Defne smiled. - Emine and I did a great job. Only the lunch was not prepared.

"I'll quickly cook tarhana soup," Zehra promised and handed Defne the top envelope. - Here. This one is for you. And the rest to Mr. Omer. I'll put them on the table in the lobby.

- Okay, - Defne took the envelope in her hands and asked a little anxiously: - Zehra, when you drove up to the house, did you see a man on the street? Slender, thin, dark with gray hair.

"No," the woman answered confidently. - The street was completely deserted.

Defne sighed with relief, smiled and, nodding to her at the door, cheerfully ordered:

- Run to cook lunch. You teased me with one word "soup", and now I am dying of hunger.

"I'm running," Zehra smiled at her and disappeared into the house.

Defne looked at the envelope and, seeing the return address, dumbfounded whispered, addressing her daughter:

- Mom's bead and the letter is from Bora Bora from Maya. I wonder what she tells us.

She opened the envelope and took out a sheet of paper covered in neat, small handwriting. Glancing through it, she pressed the letter to her chest and laughed happily.

Omer returned home and ran into Zehra on the threshold.

- Mr. Omer, Defne, and Emine Diana are in the living room, dinner on the stove, - she reported. - I'm leaving.

- Hurry up. Sukru is waiting for you, - said Omer and went straight to the living room, from which the sounds of a merry melody were heard.

Emine Diana rocked in the baby swing- chair and looked very pleased. Defne was dancing around her and humming something. Seeing her husband, she rushed to him and, grabbing his hands, whirled around the room.

- It happened! It happened! It happened! She sang triumphantly.

Omer hugged her, stopped her, and hugged her tightly. She leaned back in his arms and looked into his face with a beaming look.

- It happened!

- What happened? - smiling a happy smile, asked Omer.

- Maya is pregnant! Eight weeks! She and Theo are in seventh heaven and say that we were sent to them from above. And this storm was to lead us to their doorstep. It was not a punishment, but a blessing!

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Omer muttered looking at her laughing lips. - When the plane fell into the water, my heart stopped.

"But you understand how much you love me," Defne replied fervently.

"I already knew how much I love you," he said. "But then I realized how fragile and vulnerable life is. That you need to catch the moments and live them to the fullest. Fulfill desires and dreams.

- Yes? - Defne asked slyly. - And what do you want now?

- Now? - He invitingly arched an eyebrow and smiled an enticing, beckoning smile. - Now I want to kiss you.

He put his hand around the back of her head and covered her laughing lips with his mouth. The kiss was both hot and gentle. Butterflies fluttered in Defne's stomach. She hugged her husband's neck and clung tightly to his body.

- Whoa! - Demandingly called mom and dad Emine.

They parted their lips, looked at their daughter, then at each other, and laughed softly.

***

The sun was shining outside. Flowers bloomed violently. It smelled like tea roses and cherries. Defne painted at the table under an old apple tree. Emine slept in the stroller, and there were serenity and grace in the air. The man appeared suddenly. He grinned a sly smile and grabbed Emine from the stroller. Eerie fear and horror paralyzed Defne. She opened her mouth, but her chest tightened with a spasm and the sounds rose in a lump in her throat.

"Pa... pa...," she managed. The man's eyes lit up with fury, and Defne trembled under his gaze.

And suddenly the red hair on Emine's head turned black, and she was no longer a newborn, but a one-year-old baby.

- Esra..., - Defne whispered and held out her hands to her. - Sister...

The man laughed ghastly and took a step back.

- She is mine! - In a harsh voice, he declared and began to retreat.

Defne ran after him and screamed:

- Not!!!!

She sat up abruptly in bed and ran her hand over her face. Her heart was beating wildly in the chest, and cold sweat rolled down her back. Omer, too, grabbed hold of her shoulders.

- Darling, what happened?! He asked, hoarse from sleep.

- Nightmare, - Defne answered hoarsely and covered her face with her hands. - So creepy...

Omer put her on the bed and pulled her head to his chest. Embracing her with both hands, he began to rock her, persuading:

- Calm down. It's just a dream. See, we are okay. We are in our house. Emine is sleeping.

- Emine! - Defne got out of his embrace and rushed headlong into the nursery.

The baby was snoring peacefully in her crib. Defne took her out and held her to her chest. She was tangible and warm. She smelled of milk and something else infinitely tender and dear. Defne touched her forehead with her lips and froze, allowing herself to feel the feeling of a tiny, precious, endlessly beloved life in her hands. Sleep-inspired fear still held her in its tenacious fingers. But a fierce determination rose above it. Defne realized that she would not allow anyone to take Emine from her or offend her. Will turn into a tigress and tear anyone who tries to harm her to pieces. Will protect her until her last breath.

Omer stood in the doorway and watched the change of emotion on Defne's face. And when in the diffused light of the night lamp he saw her lips clench and turn white, he came up and hugged her. Gently wrapped his arms around and hid his girls, protecting them from all winds and unexpected storms.

- My soul, Emine is sleeping. Don't bother her, "he said in a velvet voice. - Let's go to sleep too.

Defne looked into his eyes and asked:

- Let's take Emine to us. I really can't leave her here alone now. I can't.

Omer silently hugged her by the shoulders and led her into their room. The puppy got up from his doggy bed and followed. It lay down on the rug by the bed and laid its lop-eared chestnut head on its thick paws.

Omer and Defne lay, afraid to move, at the edges of the large bed, and Emine Diana was sleeping in the middle. Defne still looked alarmed and Omer, smiling softly, held out his hand to her. She immediately put hers in it and interlaced her fingers with his. Everything fell into place. The fear is gone. Omer holds her hand. Emine is sleeping next to her. The rest is not important.

***