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“Oh, wow,” Neri breathed as two wobbegong sharks darted up the glass, following the contours of the curve. Her endless fascination with this world never failed to punch me directly in the chest.
She belonged down here.
With me.
I stopped on the threshold of the living room. The space wasn’t overly large with a comfy couch, chaise, and kitchen. No TV. No computers. When we were down here, we wanted no sign of the human world. No way for others to find us. Up there, we were a power couple. Nerida Avci and Aslan Kara, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and philanthropists.
But down here...we were just us.
Two souls stripped of wealth, importance, and endless to-do lists.
Down here, we were nothing more than two people in love.
I clenched my jaw as I drank Neri in. I’d come to get her. She’d said she’d come to bed the minute she’d finished sipping her chamomile tea, but it seemed she’d gotten distracted.
Again.
I’d known she’d be unable to ignore the song of the sea, especially after we’d been staying at our second home in Turkey for the past month.
We’d purchased a house in Izmir a few years ago.
Ayla had come house hunting with us, and in some strange twist of fate, we’d bumped into Çetin—Cem’s old doctor who’d removed my leg and kept me alive. He’d returned to his family in Izmir after I’d taken over, and when he’d spotted me on the waterfront, strolling hand in hand with Neri and our perfect daughter just up ahead, he’d cut us off and bowed.
He apologised for his role in my torture.
He kneeled for cutting off my tattoo.
He cleansed his soul of all the things he’d done against his wishes.
And I’d forgiven him.
I knew how hard it was to resist Cem’s convincing.
Çetin wasn’t a bad man. He’d just been...persuaded, like me.
Ayla bombarded him with medical questions, and somehow, the family vacation I’d promised after a week spent in Istanbul with my generals turned into Ayla’s first initiation into the healing profession.
The only dark spot on our reunion was the whispered conversation I’d shared with Çetin just before we left. He’d asked how my heart was after the endless shocks Cem had given me.
I pressed a hand to my familiar aching chest and stepped away from my wife and daughter. Once we were out of hearing distance, I said, “Is there something I should know, Çetin?”
He flinched and said quietly, “Did Cem tell you the truth about what happened the night you passed out before the raid, or did he say it was nothing more than a panic attack?”
I stilled. I dropped my hand. I didn’t like where this conversation was going because I’d always suspected it’d been so much more. “What’s the truth?”
Çetin winced harder this time. “I can’t be sure, as I didn’t have the equipment to do an echocardiogram, but...in my trained opinion, I believe you suffered a silent myocardial infarction.”
“What the hell is that?”
“A mild heart attack. Normally, most people aren’t aware of them. That’s why they’re called silent. But...your system was under immense stress. It had been for years. I’m not surprised you passed out.”
“Wait. You think I had a heart attack?” I stumbled back and shot a look at Neri and Ayla strolling out of listening distance behind us.
“Only mild. You’re young and strong and will most likely be fine, but...I wouldn’t be doing my duty as a doctor if I didn’t warn you that the excessive use of electricity could have caused permanent scarring on your heart. Next time you’re back in Turkey, come to me, and I’ll run some tests. I work at the local hospital now. You need to be aware of your risk of stroke or future health complications—”
“I’m fine.” I sliced my hand through the air. “We won’t mention this again.”
“But—”
“I said, I’m fine.”
He’d nodded, gone to say farewell to my wife and daughter, all while I trembled with fear.
It’d been my dirty secret until last year when my left arm had gone numb, and I’d lost my balance that I prided myself on. Considering I was well used to hopping when others walked and stayed in shape with strength, cardio, and weight training, my power didn’t protect me from the slam of dizziness as my heart twisted strangely in my chest.
I’d fallen over in the kitchen.
Neri had come running and called an ambulance.
I’d cancelled that nonsense, but Teddy insisted on driving us to the hospital, which involved numerous tests and meeting with cardiologists.
Turned out, Cem had ruined me...just not in the way he’d hoped.
Mentally, I was stronger than ever, but physically, I had a weak spot.
Just one.
The very thing that existed to love Neri was the one thing that would end up killing me.
Neri had withdrawn from me for a little while, absorbing the ramifications of living with a soulmate that had a dicky heart. Any moment, it could stop. I could live for decades, or I could die tomorrow.
