Iplikci, Serdar, Mert, Koray, and Ahtem stopped in the middle of the parking lot near their cars. Karakaya and Tranba left, the Baisal locked up and set the store on the alarm. Defne looked around her relatives and friends not only by blood, but also by fate, and said:

- We will not say a word to grandmother and Esra that her father put her on a poker bet. This will traumatize her psyche.

- And it will undermine the health of Mrs. Turkan, - added Mr. Hulusi judiciously.

Defne looked at him gratefully and smiled. He closed his eyes, wordlessly promising her that his support would always be with her. Neriman, watching this silent dialogue, only theatrically rolled her eyes. She has long come to terms with the fact that Black Mamba, daddy Hulusi, has an irrational but deep sympathy for Defne. And, oddly enough, she has it too. But the old man has even more irrational sympathy for Mrs.Turkan. Although understandable. It seems that he fell in love in his old age. The fact is scandalous but funny. It will even be interesting to see what happens. Neriman widened her eyes in amazement and covered her mouth with her hand. What thoughts are wandering in her head? She blesses her father-in-law, whom she recently dreamed of seeing passing into another world, to get married. And what did these Topal do with her?! Exactly, they know some kind of love spell! Everyone is bewitched from them.

- Aunt, what's wrong with you? Omer asked worriedly.

- Ay, Omyush, - Koray intervened. - Don't you understand? Nero has a new wave of shock. And how can she not? I cannot understand it! Father put the Clever Girl on the line! What kind of scoundrel you have to be?! Skinny, I'm sorry! Although he is your dad, he is a rare scoundrel.

"I still have the hope that I'm not his daughter," Defne muttered barely audibly.

But Omer heard. And he looked at her worriedly. Allah! What is going on in the soul of his beloved wife now? She urgently needs hugs, kisses, and a long heart-to-heart talk. Exactly in this order. But first, they need to get home.

"Defne is right," Serdar spoke up and scratched the back of his head anxiously. - Esra and grandmother must not know the details. For both, it will be a blow. But the court session and the newspapers...

- I will ask Onder Gumuskaya to close the hearing. And the investigation too," said Mert. - Then nothing will be leaked to the media.

- Thank you, - Defne smiled at him. - That would be great. I do not want this story to appear on the pages of newspapers and the whole of Turkey talking about us," she in turn looked at each of those present. - Only we know about what happened. Let this remain our secret.

- Neriman, do you hear? - Mr. Hulusi asked his daughter-in-law sternly.

- Ay, daddy! And when was I chatty? - she was indignant. The father-in-law raised an eyebrow ironically and she backed down. - Well, okay, I was! But that's only when the gossip isn't about the family. Otherwise, my lips are sealed!

"And stay silent," he instructed her.

"Koray, this also concerns you," Omer turned to his friend, looking innocently at the sky. - You will not say a word to anyone or anywhere.

The latter slowly lowered his head, examined him contemptuously, and exclaimed:

- Off! Omyush, stop talking nonsense! Take Skinny and go home. Diana misses her parents and is crying, and they are giving out instructions here. Without you, we know that we need to keep our mouths shut. We are not small! And grab Mert. He is on your way!

"I'll take Mert," Ahtem suggested and slapped Omer on the shoulder. - And you really, go. Baby Emine and grandmother Turkan are waiting for you.

"And Nihan," Serdar muttered. "I'll have to tell her." She noses out if I lie. I will not get off alive. But she won't say anything to anyone. Can only smash the prison to get Kadir Shishmaz and tear him to pieces.

"Nihan is like that," Defne agreed and nodded at the cars. - Let's go home! They are waiting for us.

Four cars pulled out of the parking lot and rushed along the highway, each in its own direction.

Mert was sitting in the front seat next to Ahtem. The latter looked at him thoughtfully from time to time and finally spoke:

- Mert, I have a serious conversation with you.

"Speak, Mr. Ahtem," the boy replied.

Ahtem, looking in front of him and driving the car, said:

- Just let's agree, we answer honestly and directly. By the heart. Conversation between men and no one will ever know about it.

"I agree," said Mert without a moment's hesitation.

- Do you like Esra? - The man asked him directly and softened the question a little. - This is not an idle curiosity and I will explain everything. But first, answer the question. Do you like Esra?

"Yes," said Mert clearly. - I like her. But how did you guess?

- It was not difficult. Your reaction when Shishmaz put her on the line was very eloquent.

- Maybe, but what does this have to do with you? - Mert looked at his profile point-blank.

The man's face was pensive and stern. He stopped the car near Mert's house and turned to him.

- Banu likes you - he explained.

Mert turned pale and shook his head.

- No ... you're wrong. Banu and I are only friends.

- I'm not mistaken - bitterly said Ahtem. - I know that shining look. These are the eyes that Banu is looking at you with. And she is very impressionable and vulnerable. I have gone through a whole series of tragedies and I do not want the girl, whom I love as a younger sister, to suffer.

"But I can't bring myself to love her," said Mert, confused.

- Nobody can make himself fall in love ... or stop loving, - Ahtem smiled sadly. - I only ask you to communicate with her exactly, as with a friend. Give her time to sort out her feelings and, perhaps, she will outgrow this love and understand that you are not her destiny. All three of you are still children. Don't take your relationship to the next level yet. Stay friends.

Mert listened attentively. He frowned, bit his lip, but listened. And in his mind, he understood that the man was right. The heart wanted something else. He wanted to love, to confess his feelings, to hear in response that reciprocal love exists, but ... Ahtem speaks correctly. Esra is only fourteen. And then there is the vulnerable, who survived a lot of suffering, Banu. He can't hurt her. Let there be only friendship for now. A real, strong friendship.

Mert nodded his head and replied:

- It will be so. Fear not, I will not offend Banu or cause her suffering.

Ahtem held out his hand to him and the boy shook it tightly.

- Well done, Mert! Decided like a real man and a good person. My respect to you! - He saluted with two fingers and nodded at the door: - Run home. Mom is waiting for you and is worried.

- Goodnight! - The boy wished and got out of the car.

Slightly hunched over and thrusting his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker, he slowly walked under the lanterns to the entrance. Ahtem looked after him. He knew the guy would keep his promise. Will do it now. But what will happen in a few years? Will the heart of the fragile, tender girl Banu break then?

Parents were worried in vain. When they returned home, their Bead slept sweetly in the company of her cousin and guarded by the faithful Kid. The grown-up puppy, resting its head on its paws, lay between Emine's crib and Iso's stroller. Its eyes were closed, but the ears twitched sensitively to all the sounds and rustle around.

Omer and Defne dropped in to see their daughter, made sure she was fine and went down to the dining room. On the table, cups with tea gleamed like amber and baklava smelled sweet. The Topal family was sitting around the table. Grandma looked thoughtful, and Nihan jumped with impatience.

- Sit down already! - She shouted at the hosts of the house. - I'm going to burst with curiosity! - Waiting for Omer and Defne to sit down, she ordered: - Tell me!

Iplikci exchanged glances and Defne replied to her friend:

- Everything was according to the plan. Kadir Shishmaz appeared at exactly nine. The others were already waiting for him at the gaming table, and he had no choice but to take the place prepared for him. The chair at which three video cameras were aimed. They filmed everything! All bets, every word, and movement of Shishmaz. And then the police came to the casino and arrested him.

- Now the court will deprive him of parental rights? - The grandmother was delighted.

"Now they will put him in jail," Serdar answered abruptly with malicious joy. - The detective hired by Omer found women from whom our father fraudulently fished out money. They agreed to file a complaint with the police. So that the prison term is provided for him. And if in prison the mafia, whom he owed get to him, and kills him, we will not cry.

- Definitely not! - agreed with him Nihan. - Our son does not need such a grandfather! Let's get rid of him and forget his name.

- We need to call Esra, - Defne changed the subject. - She worries.

She took the phone out of her pocket and wanted to dial the number, but Omer stopped her by holding her arm:

- Wait a minute. It seems to me that Esra does not need to return to Istanbul before the trial. Let her stay on the island for now. And when everything is over and Shishmaz is deprived of parental rights, she will return. I spoke to the investigator. He said there will be no hitch. The trial will take place in a couple of weeks.

"Omer is right," Serdar supported him.

Grandma and Nihan nodded their heads in agreement. Everyone missed the cute Esra, but her peace of mind and safety were above all. Defne sighed and agreed:

- So be it. I'll talk to her.

Esra, on the other side of the world, also concluded that it would be better for her not to return to Istanbul for now. Let everything end and even the shadow of Kadir Shishmaz will not remain above her. She misses her home and family, but she will endure for a few more weeks. Until then, she and Banu will help Maya and Theo. They are in the high season now. Many visitors and all with children.

"We get along very well with the kids," the girl admitted proudly. - Their parents are happy. We also help Maya with cooking and cleaning. She says that we are her assistants and she has never had such a good summer.

"You are smart," Defne praised her, and tears glistened in her eyes.

And this golden girl, innocent and pure, monster-father was ready to give to the vile lechers to be torn apart? He has no heart. There is no humanity. And there is no conscience either. If he decays in prison, she, Defne, will not pity him for a second.

Defne, lost in her thoughts, did not even notice how frantically she clenches her hand into a fist. But Omer noticed. And covered her with his. He squeezed lightly and smiled at his wife. She responded with a tortured and grateful smile. She said goodbye to Esra and put the phone on the table.

"It's too late," she said wearily. - It's three o'clock in the morning...

The Topal family seemed to wake up from a dream. They got to their feet and were getting ready to go home. They took Iso from the nursery and hurried to the exit. Omer called a taxi for them and went to see them off. On the street, before getting into the car, grandma Turkan stroked his cheek and said:

- Thank you, son! Thanks for everything. I am so glad that then, a year ago, I believed you and ordered Defne to return to her husband. This was the most correct decision of mine. Although, Allah is witness, how hard it was for me then. My girl thought that I had betrayed her, drove her out of the house...

- Aunt Turkan, enough emotions for today! Nihan ordered her unceremoniously into the car. - Your decision was the only correct one and brought an ocean of happiness to Defne. This is a fact and now let it go. And now - home! Iso doesn't care what time we go to bed. He will wake up at six. Omer, bye!

The taxi drove off carrying the gloomy Serdar, the sleeping Iso, and the waving women. Omer also waved back at them and remained standing until the taxi disappeared around the bend. And then he went home with a brisk pace. He found Defne in the nursery. She managed to change into thin, cotton pajamas and lose her hair. They lay in a luxurious, shiny mass on her shoulders and back. Defne looked at her daughter and her face was sad and thoughtful. Omer approached her, kissed her warm shoulder, and quietly asked:

- Can't keep your eyes off her?

"I can't," she answered just as quietly. - Emine is so perfect, so beautiful. The most beautiful girl in the world.

"The most beloved girl in the world," Omer added and straightened the satin blanket, hiding his daughter's tiny arms under it. And then he hugged Defne by the shoulders and led to the door. - Let's go. There is very little night left. And you need to rest.

"You too," she reminded him fairly.

Omer kissed her temple and replied:

- I am a strong man. I can handle it. And you are a fragile woman and you need strength. Do not argue with me!

"I won't," Defne promised.

But in the bedroom, she was in no hurry to go to bed. She sat down on its edge, raised her worried face to her husband, and said:

- Omer...

- Yes, darling, - he squatted down in front of her and took her hands in his. Defne hesitated and he encouraged her with a smile and then ordered: - Speak.

She took a full chest of air and blurted out:

- I want to do a DNA test.

- DNA test? - asked the taken aback Omer. - What for?

"I want to know for sure if I'm his daughter or not," Defne explained fervently.

Looking inquisitively into her eyes, Omer asked:

- If you know for sure, will it become easier for you?

- Yes! - Defne answered without hesitation.

The next morning, impeccably elegant and confident, Omer and Defne Iplikci entered the investigator's office. He rose to meet them and invited them to sit down.

- Let's get started? The man asked with a tight smile. The couple nodded.

The conversation was short. Omer and Defne answered the questions in detail and clearly, signed the protocol and the investigator said that they could leave. But the Iplikci were in no hurry to go. They looked at each other and Omer turned to the investigator:

- Captain, we have a request. My wife wants to do a DNA test to make sure that Kadir Shishmaz is really her father.

"Or not my father," Defne added quietly.

Omer took her hand, intertwined her fingers with his, and spoke to the policeman again:

- Is it possible?

"Yes," he replied calmly. - Now I will call our expert. She will take the material from you, Mrs. Defne, then from Kadir Shishmaz, and in a few days, she will tell you the result.

He called the internal phone and soon a short-haired woman of about thirty in a medical jacket over a black shirt-cut blouse entered the office. After a short greeting, she opened her briefcase, took out a glass test tube, removed a cotton swab from a sterile package, and asked Defne to open her mouth. Scribbling it down the inside of her cheek, she placed the stick in the test tube, capped it, and made a mark with a marker.

"I already have the suspect's biological material," she said dispassionately. "An hour ago he was trying to simulate an epileptic seizure. I was called to confirm whether a doctor's help is needed or not.

Defne just shook her head. What else can you expect from a bastard and a crook?

- And what was your verdict? The investigator asked almost cheerfully.

The woman smiled ironically and replied:

- No one has died from a bar of soap in the mouth and a bitten cheek. Healthy as a bull. I'm sure the psychiatrist will confirm my diagnosis.

"I have no doubt," said the investigator. And then he looked at Iplikci and seriously promised them: - I will do my best to ensure that the evidence base is complete and faultless. So that no lawyer could find a loophole and get this monster out of prison.

Defne was startled by his last words. She frowned in dismay and asked:

- Is it possible? Is he able to hire a good lawyer?

- No, not in a position, - the investigator reassured her. - There is no money left on his account. He withdrew the last five thousand dollars yesterday and put it on the line in the game. Kadir Shishmaz is penniless and will be protected by the state defender. And he is also a father. And he has two daughters, - the guardian of the law transparently hinted.

Defne sighed with relief and closed her eyes. Everything is going right. The way it should be. She still cannot say: "It's over," but the nerve knot inside has weakened. Kadir Shishmaz will be punished and will disappear from their lives.

The Iplikci went out into the street. Defne stopped and put her face to the sun.

"How good," she whispered. - It seemed to me that all this month I had not seen the sun. There was a dense fog around and it was hiding in it. And now I see the sun again. And this is wonderful!

"Then let's take Emine and go to the sea," Omer suggested. - You will rest and enjoy the sun.

Defne thought about it. There was work in the office, but Omer was right - she needed rest. She was extremely tired during these weeks and her internal generator was in urgent need of recharging.

- Let's go! She agreed.

On the way to the house, Omer called Zehra and asked her to prepare a picnic basket. And then he told Sukru that for today he and his wife are free. He will sit behind the wheel and dinner in the evening he and Defne will also cook themselves. The driver smiled a grateful smile and replied:

- Thank you, Mr. Omer! Then Zehra and I will visit our eldest son and daughter-in-law today. They invited us to dinner. They want to tell something important.

- Ay, brother Sukru! Defne exclaimed. - Let it be good!

"Have a good evening, then" Omer wished in turn.

At home, a basket loaded with all sorts of goodies, folded blankets, and a pair of sun loungers, as well as Emine Diana, who was jerking her legs in her stroller, dressed for a walk, were already waiting for them.

- Thank you, sister Zehra! - Defne thanked her and rushed upstairs to change.

In the dressing room, she opened a drawer with swimsuits, hesitated a little, thinking which to wear or not, but then resolutely grabbed one and began to change. When Omer entered the room, she was already buttoning the buttons of a long, bright turquoise sundress with a flying skirt. Omer looked at her and whistled:

- You decided to drive me crazy today?

Defne only smiled slyly, grabbed a wide-brimmed hat, and left him alone to change, while she easily ran downstairs and grabbed her daughter in her arms. Satisfied, Emine smiled at her mother and hummed something that only she could understand. Defne kissed her on the cheek and whirled around the room, singing a funny song.

Omer, dressed in khaki shorts and a white T-shirt, appeared at the top of the stairs. His gaze rested on his wife and daughter. Defne's open, serene smile filled his chest with joy. She hadn't smiled like that for a long time - easily and carefree. The situation with Kadir Shishmaz and Esra pressed on her, kept her in constant fear and anxiety. And today it stepped aside. Defne finally believed that everything would be fine and allowed herself to let it go. She feels the taste of life again and enjoys the little things.