Chapter Text
Istanbul, 1920
In the end, for all of Halit’s efforts to find her, it had been nothing but pure luck – or perhaps destiny - that finally gave him a lead.
Resat and him had developed a solidarity of sorts in the months after their rescue of Mustafa Kemal – ostensibly from a shared sense of victory over George, but also from a shared sense of loss over the departure of “Peride”, which they took care not to speak of. Resat had been beside himself with disappointment when he realised that Peride had left without a trace, without so much as a word of goodbye to him.
Halit, who was more than familiar with how it felt to lose “Peride” so suddenly, felt a measure of pity for Resat, though mostly for the fact that he was well aware the woman Resat thought he loved was long dead. He supposed he was better off in several respects - his own “Peride” was alive, and had cared enough to bid him farewell. Even at that final moment with her, there had been so much she was still holding back from him. They seemed cursed to remain trapped in a never-ending dance of half-truths. Yet in the absence of any real explanations, he knew in his bones that she had meant every word of what she said to him before she walked away on that pier and out of his life – she did love him, and that would have to be enough for him until he saw her again. And he was determined that he would.
Now it was entirely uncharacteristic of Resat to turn up at the Garden Bar – but turn up one night he did, looking particularly mournful and settling himself in for a drink. Which turned into several drinks. And before he knew it, Resat was rather drunk, and the conversation shifted to what they typically never spoke of. “I wonder where she is," Resat said ruefully. Halit said nothing, raising his glass to his lips and sweeping his eyes over the crowd chattering excitedly.
“It must have been something to do with that strange machine of hers….” Resat mumbled. Halit turned back to Resat. “What do you mean?” he asked casually. “I do not know what it was…..it was like nothing I had ever seen," said Resaid, struggling to explain. "She held it her hands, and it was George and her, talking on it….I would not have believed it otherwise."
Halit frowned. So that was how she had convinced Resat.
“And that private detective friend of hers…,” Rasat went on dejectedly, “I knew he was up to no good when he sent me on a wild goose chase after that man saying he had kidnapped Leyla…who knows what he’s done to lead her astray.”
Resat had Halit’s full attention now. “Tell me more about this man, Resat.”
As Resat continued his story, slurring his words along the way, Halit smiled. He knew exactly what he had to do.