The Workaholic

Chapter 1

Karen came from a distant family.

Her mother was loving and caring, while her father was a workaholic who cheated on her mother for several years because she always forgave him and tried to keep the family together.

After almost 20 years of marriage, they divorced and her mother fought to make ends meet just to feed both of them.

Desperate for help and comfort, her mother turned to her family for help, but with them as allies, you didn't need enemies.

Fed up of struggling for years, Karen went to university to become a social worker and worked odd jobs just to survive as she studied.

For a while, after she had finished studying at the age of only 20 years old, she spent a year just working here and there until she landed a job as a social worker. Shortly after that, she got serious with her high school sweetheart who had always been by her side and inherited a fortune from his family as well as the family company.

They married and had twins after 7 years of marriage who they named Annabelle and Carla, who were now 13 years old.

"Girls! Breakfast is ready! You're going to be late for school!" shouted Karen from the kitchen.

A few seconds after calling them, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Good morning!" greeted her daughters with smiles as they sat at their kitchen bar waiting to be served.

"Morning girls, hurry and eat, the chauffeur is waiting for you," said Karen, placing their plates of breakfast in front of them.

"Yes Mom," they responded before digging into their food.

As they ate, the youngest Carla began looking around and saw something or someone missing.

"Where's dad?" she asked her mouth still half full, making Karen chuckle slightly at her puffed-out cheeks full of food.

"He's at work honey, he won't be back tonight," she replied, her heart pained when she saw her daughter's expression drop into disappointment.

"Again?" sighed Annabelle.

"Yes, your dad is very busy honey, but even though he isn't here, he still loves you deeply," she said, giving them her best smile to ease their disappointment.

"That's what you always say," complained Carla.

"Because it's true, now go," ordered Karen softly.

After inhaling the last of their breakfast, they took their stuff and were driven to school by their family chauffeur.

Shortly after they left, Karen headed out to work.

"Morning!" greeted Karen, after spotting her best friend and colleague, Sophia.

"Hey Karen!" she replied, her face immediately brightening up at the sight of her.

"How was your weekend?" asked Karen.

"All good. The kids, my husband and I went out for a weekend away," she replied happily.

"Cool," said Karen casually as they walked together to the employee restroom to get their morning coffee.

"How about you?" asked Sophia as she waited for the machine to pour hot, steaming coffee in her personal mug.

"The usual. Me and the kids just hung about home," replied Karen shrugging.

"And your husband?" asked Sophia, her eyebrows slightly raised as Karen stiffened a little.

"...He was working." she eventually replied, her face cast down as she fiddled with her fingers to try to disguise her dejected feelings.

"Again? He hasn't really been around recently has he?" asked Sophia, knowing how sad it actually made her friend feel.

"Not really," replied Karen in a small voice, still not looking up.

"He wasn't like this before, what happened?" asked Sophia, not wanting her best friend to be hurt again knowing her history.

"He got busier I guess." she shrugged, looking back up to get coffee at her turn.

"You guess? Didn't you say that you wouldn't accept a repeat of what happened to your mom?" asked Sophia, trying to remind her friend of her words to save her from the same fate as her mother hopefully.

"Yeah, but I can't pressure him about it. He's having a hard time too," she argued, knowing somewhere in her heart that though she said that in the past, it would take a lot out of her to actually hold to her words.

"Is he? I don't mean to be negative but coming from a divorce that made me believe marriage was impossible before I found my current husband, I tend to not mince my words when I'm the one suffering because of my husband's actions. Don't be afraid to say what you need to say, you'll regret it otherwise," she advised, not wanting to push Karen further.

"I guess, thanks Sophia," replied Karen, taking her coffee mug and heading to her office with Sophia.

"No problem," she said, giving her shoulder a reassuring pat.

No matter what, Sophia was always there for her.

She was the first to welcome Karen into her new job and eventually, they became good friends.

Sophia knew Karen's story and Karen knew hers, they were a great duo together, and they supported each other.

At the end of work, like always Karen went to pick up her daughters from their distinguished private school.

"Hey girls, had a good day?" she asked after they ran to her happily and each kissed her on the cheek which she returned.

"Yeah!" they replied.

"Good."

Getting in the car, Karen took them to their after-school activities, and then they headed home for the evening.

"Go up and do your homework, dinner will be ready soon," said Karen as they passed the front door.

"Okay," they replied without argument.

Doing as told, Annabelle and Carla headed upstairs while Karen began cooking.

Once she was done, she called her husband to check up on him, but hearing ring after ring, she understood that once again he wasn't available.

Giving up, she simply texted him the usual text.

'Hey, I'm just checking up on you. Are you eating well? Are you resting? Me and the kids miss you, come home soon, okay? I love you.'

The text sent, Karen sighed heavily, perked up, and called her daughters down to eat.

Their plates now empty, she sent them to bed after spending some quality time with them.

"Good night Mom."

"Night sweethearts," she said as she kissed them both.

With them in bed, Karen looked at her phone sadly because once again, she had no answer.

As she sat and waited she felt defeated.

She knew no matter how much she waited; no one would walk past that door.

"Another night spent alone I guess," she mumbled sighing before heading to bed.

Once again, another week had passed without Eric really being present.

Looks like this was about to be one bleak December for Karen.