Patience Heart

Karina's Determination Part 1

It had been weeks. Almost every day, I saw her—this young woman with distinct oriental features—sitting in the lobby of Chattame. She seemed lost, almost fragile, like she didn't belong in the bustling corporate world around her. At first, I thought maybe she was an intern, given how young she looked. But as time passed, she became a regular fixture. There she sat, waiting for something, or perhaps someone.

I didn't care much at first. I had my own problems to deal with—Adam was gone, and Mama Dee had been pushing me toward Mr. Lee. "You should take this opportunity, Ellie," Mama Dee said more than once, her eyes filled with concern. "It'll help you forget about Adam. He's gone, and you need to move on."

And she wasn't wrong. Adam's sudden disappearance had torn me apart in ways I never could have anticipated. He left a void in my life that I didn't know how to fill. Every time I thought of him, I felt the ache in my chest deepen. It was like trying to breathe with half a lung. But no one knew how deep that wound really went. No one knew the full truth of what I was carrying—both emotionally and physically.

Mama Dee had noticed the changes in me, of course. She saw how broken I'd become and, with her gentle wisdom, nudged me toward Mr. Lee. He was everything Adam hadn't been—steady, reliable, always present when I needed someone. He was the kind of man who made sure things got done without ever asking for anything in return.

But what Mama Dee didn't know—what no one knew, except Mathias—was that my pain wasn't just emotional. My circumstances were far more complicated than anyone realized. I was carrying Adam's child, and the weight of that secret had been suffocating me every single day since he left.

It was a truth I kept buried deep, a reality too heavy to share with anyone else. Mathias, somehow, had sensed it long before I could even say the words out loud. He was the only one I trusted with the full scope of my heartache, the one who saw through the facade I wore every day. The secret wasn't just a burden; it was a ticking clock, with every day that passed making it harder to face the truth of what my future would look like.

Every time I thought about Adam, the hollow feeling deepened, knowing that he had no idea what was happening, no clue that he had left behind more than just me. There was a life growing inside me—our child—and I didn't know if he'd ever come back to learn the truth.

And with Karina now in the picture, searching for him, the pressure felt unbearable. What would happen if she found him first? What if Adam moved on without ever knowing?

It wasn't just about Adam abandoning me; it was about the baby growing inside me, the future I hadn't planned for, and the man who was supposed to stand by me through it all disappearing before I could even tell him.

And now, with Karina looking for him, trying to track him down, I felt the pressure building, the uncertainty gnawing at me. I was at a crossroads, unsure of which path to take—tell Adam the truth and risk everything, or continue this quiet, agonizing journey alone, with only Mathias's support to keep me grounded.

Lately, I'd found myself having lunch with Mathias more often. It wasn't planned, but it became part of my routine, something I couldn't resist falling into. Mama Dee was pleased, and I, well... maybe this was my way of moving on. Or at least pretending to.

Today, after another lunch with Mr. Lee, I noticed her again—the girl in the lobby. She was still there, looking more determined than usual. My curiosity was piqued, but I shrugged it off. Mr. Lee was talking to me about some project when it happened.

"Mr. Lee, please!"

The voice came out of nowhere. I turned to see her—the girl—standing, her hands trembling as she spoke, her voice desperate.

"You know me, right? I'm Adam's girlfriend, Karina. We've met a couple of times with Adam. Do you remember?"

Adam's girlfriend.

I had heard of her before—Karina, Adam's younger girlfriend. Mama Dee had mentioned her a couple of times, in passing, almost as if testing the waters to see how I'd react. I remember brushing it off, unwilling to acknowledge her existence back then. I convinced myself that Karina wasn't important. She was just some fleeting part of his life, someone who didn't matter as much as I did.

But deep down, I knew. I always knew. I just didn't want to admit it. My heart had blinded me, made me ignore the truth because, in the end, Adam was all I could see.

And now, here she was—Karina. Adam's younger girlfriend, standing in front of me, making everything I had tried so hard to forget come crashing back with just a few desperate words.

Beside me, I could feel Mr. Lee tense. His expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he listened to Karina. But he didn't speak, not right away. Instead, he gently placed his hand on the small of my back. It was such a subtle gesture, but it startled me. It was as if he was protecting me, shielding me from the storm that Karina was about to unleash.

"Go ahead," he whispered softly, his voice steady despite the tension in the air. "I'll handle this."

Numbly, I nodded, my legs feeling heavy as I stepped into the elevator. I didn't look back as the doors slid shut, but Karina's voice echoed in my head. Her words replayed over and over, each one piercing through the haze of my denial.

Karina. Adam's younger girlfriend.

I had known all along, but now the reality was undeniable. She wasn't just some distant thought I could ignore anymore. She was here, fighting for him. And I... I was nothing more than a part of his past.

I waited for Mathias, my emotions swirling in a confusing mix of anticipation and dread. The cold air of the lobby felt heavy, and my mind couldn't stop racing. Karina's sudden appearance earlier had shaken me, leaving behind a sense of unease I couldn't quite shake. She wasn't just some shadow from Adam's past—she was here, in my world, trying to reach him.

When Mathias finally appeared, his usual calm presence seemed to ease some of the anxiety gnawing at me. But I couldn't hold back my question.

"Why is Karina trying to meet you?" I asked, my voice betraying the vulnerability I felt. I needed to know. Why was she so determined?

He paused for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, in his steady, reassuring tone, he answered, "Karina is trying to find out where Adam is. She's been looking for him for a while." His gaze softened as he continued, "But I told her I couldn't give her that information. It's confidential."

His words lingered in the air, and I knew there was more. Mathias wasn't just withholding Adam's whereabouts for professional reasons. He was doing it for me. Protecting me from the emotional whirlwind that Adam still stirred in my life, even though he was thousands of miles away.

The truth was, Mathias knew how much I had been preparing myself to meet Adam again. To tell him about my pregnancy. My heart tightened at the thought, the weight of it pressing on my chest. With Mathias's help, I had been slowly gathering the strength I needed to face the man who had abandoned me at my most vulnerable. The plans were already in motion—two tickets to Shenzhen, a place to stay.

The idea of seeing Adam again was terrifying, yet it felt necessary. I had to confront him, if not for my own closure, then for the sake of the child growing inside me. I couldn't keep running from the reality of it. But Karina's sudden appearance, her desperate attempts to track Adam down, had thrown everything off balance.

What was she hoping to achieve? Did she still believe she could be with him, unaware of everything that had happened? And what would happen when she found out about me... about the baby?

As these thoughts swirled in my mind, I felt Mathias's steady presence beside me, anchoring me in the moment. He had been more than just a boss; he had been my support, the one who gave me the courage to face what lay ahead. And now, I couldn't help but wonder—was it Adam I truly needed to confront, or was it time to let go of the past and forge a new path for myself?