Finding Tine Teepakorn

Chapter 23: I need to find Tine

Sarawat's POV

"This is it. This should be the Cartier store."

I looked up from my phone and onto the Cartier showroom in front of me. There are two Cartier stores in the city.  But this is the only store that falls between Tine's office and his apartment, so this has to be the one where Tine bought the ring he gave me. The other store is on the other side of the city, it doesn't make sense for Tine to drive all over there.

Why am I even here at this store?

Because I still can't seem to figure Tine out. Or rather who Tine was before he had his accident.

I was heartbroken when Tine turned down my proposal, but when he left that night, I also felt relieved.

Relieved because I realised that if Tine had said yes to me at that moment, I would have always felt guilty of tying him down knowing fully well that he didn't remember everything that had happened in the last three years, including why he broke up with me. I would have felt like I took advantage of him when he wasn't even in his right mind.

If Tine had said yes that night, I would have probably been scared every day of my life worrying about what he would do once he regained all of his memories. Would he even be happy with me? Would he still want to be with me? Or would he run away like he did three years ago?

So, when Tine took out this ring at the restaurant and told me he had actually bought it months ago, it confused me even more. Tine and I hadn't even met since we broke up. Why would he just go and buy a ring for me? If he really wanted to reconcile, shouldn't it start with meeting me first?

And that weird game of Two Truths, One Lie that he insisted on playing that night he got absolutely shit drunk — I still remember the first thing he said when we started playing that game and it has been haunting me since Tine told me about his memory loss.

He said:

1- I forgot the last three years of my life

2- I work for the NIA 

3-I am not in love with you

I thought he was too drunk to even play the game properly, but he was actually telling me the truth when said he forgot the last three years of his life. And then he told me he still loved me, so the last one was the lie. But what does that even mean? Does that mean he works for the NIA?

It sounded too crazy for me to even give it a second that, but then that night, Tine took me to a restaurant run by an ex-NIA agent, and I realised Tine's friend Max, who he has been talking about for ages — is also in the NIA.

"No, that still does not make sense. Tine works at a law firm. I know that. I have read about the cases he handles in the news. He can't be working as a corporate lawyer and an NIA agent at the same time." I sighed. "If he was, dad would have known about it and he would have told me too. Dad would never hide something like this from me, and neither.. neither would Tine, I hope."

Tine also mentioned something about a 'corporate conspiracy' when we were playing that game, and when he said he couldn't trust anyone at work, it almost felt like the dots were connecting.

"What the hell have you been hiding Tine? What were you doing before you had your accident?"

I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair. "I guess I'll just start with this store then."

I walked across the street and entered the store with a big smile. I obviously didn't have the bill for this ring, and I needed to do whatever it takes to get more information about when Tine bought this.