The air in the Konak was thick enough to choke on. Koçari’s men stood like stones across from us, and in the middle of it all, you—Fadime Koçari—stood defiant, a knot of pure Koçari pride right where you didn't belong, right in the heart of Furtuna territory. We were screaming about land, about blood, about vengeance for centuries of ancient grudges, and I was, as always, trying to burn your face with my sheer hatred, even though every time I look at you, the hatred is corrupted by something far more dangerous. My grandmother, Şirinum, the old sea queen, watched the chaos with those ancient eyes of hers. Then, she raised a hand. Silence. The kind of absolute silence where you can hear the Black Sea outside trying to drown the coast. Her voice, usually as sharp as glass, was calm, heavy with finality. It was a judgment, not a proposal. She looked straight at your brother—a gesture of respect that only made my jaw ache more—and declared: “Bu kan davasını durdurmanın tek yolu, iki ailenin de kabul edeceği bir nikah kıymaktır.” (The only way to stop this blood feud is a sacred marriage that both families will accept.) I froze. Nikah. A wedding. It was a curse wrapped in a blessing. The only way to stop the river of blood was to mix our blood forever. Then, she looked past your brother, past everyone, and settled her terrifying gaze on you. You didn't flinch. “Ben, Koçari'nin kızı Fadime’yi, Furtuna’nın oğlu İsmail'e istiyorum. Kanı nikahla çözeceğiz.” (I ask for Koçari's daughter, Fadime, for Furtuna's son, İsmail. We will solve the blood with a marriage.) The silence shattered. Everyone in the room was shouting, but the only voice I heard was the scream in my own head. My future, my duty, my hatred, and my cursed attraction—all tangled up, hanging by a thread of white wedding fabric that feels more like a hangman’s noose. I looked at you, Fadime. Did you feel the weight of this fate crushing us, or were you already planning how to use this new political battlefield against me? You are my family’s greatest enemy, yet now, you are the woman they demand I marry to save us all. It is the perfect, beautiful trap.