{ No matter what happens, I will stay with you. }
After a long, grueling night of searching and investigating everything that had transpired, Kenjin and Hakan had finally wrapped up their work. But was this truly the end of those incidents? Who could tell.
Time: 06:37 AM
Near Hakan's House
"My head is splitting," Hakan muttered, rubbing his temples.
"I know," I replied, keeping my eyes on the road. "And I'm truly grateful for your help."
"A promise is a promise. You'll help me with my own work whenever I need the backup."
"Yeah, yeah. I already agreed to that."
"I'll get off here. Thanks for the ride."
Hakan stepped out of the car, but instead of walking away, he walked around to my side, leaning over to tap on the window.
I rolled it down. "Forgot something?"
"Where are you sleeping tonight?" Hakan asked, narrowing his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't try to play dumb. With Mayar, Rina, and Yara staying at your place under Maria's care, I know you won't go back there out of respect for them."
I sighed, staring at the steering wheel. "True. I was actually planning to just sleep in the car."
"Oh, imagine what people would say," Hakan scoffed, a wry smirk playing on his lips. "A judge sleeping in his car... Come to think of it, maybe I should let you do it just to enjoy the view."
"Hilarious."
"Grab your things and get out. You're crashing at my place tonight."
"No, thanks."
"Don't make me smash this window to drag you out."
"Isn't your wife and son there?" I countered, trying to find an out. "I don't want to disturb them either."
"My boy hasn't seen you in ages; I bet he'd love the surprise. As for my wife, she won't mind at all. You've officially run out of excuses. Now, get out of the car."
"There's no escaping you, is there? Give me a second."
I finally gave in, stepped out of the vehicle, and walked alongside Hakan toward his house. The neighborhood was dead silent, and the house itself was wrapped in a deep, peaceful slumber. We slipped inside quietly, and he led me straight to the guest room.
Before closing the door behind him, he looked back. "I'll wake you up when breakfast is ready." Then, the door clicked shut.
"I can't even feel my feet anymore... All I want is to sleep," I muttered to myself.
I pulled out my phone and fired off a quick text to Maria:
– "Hey. Is everything okay over there?"
A few moments later, her reply lit up the screen:
– "Everyone is fast asleep here. I was just about to head to bed myself. It looks like they went through a lot today, and you did too. So please, just relax and get some sleep."
I locked my phone, letting out a breath of relief. It seemed everything was fine for now.
It had been a chaotic, exhausting day. I hadn't found any solid physical evidence at the crime scene... but what we uncovered today might just be enough. Tomorrow, I will pay a visit to Rina and Mayar. But as for right now...
"I just want... to sleep."