Chapter 4 The Unexpected Encounter

"No, Mom! I've told you! I'm not ready for a serious relationship with anyone! I don't want to! So please don't force me again!"

Bam!

The expensive phone slammed onto a chair, utterly disregarded by its owner. He didn't care, choosing instead to continue his journey.

"Damn it! Why is mom pushing me again?!" The man couldn't help but exclaim, hitting the steering wheel of his car once more.

His brief conversation with his mother had significantly disrupted his focus this morning. He had been struggling to concentrate on reaching the office, but now his mind was consumed by something far more irritating.

He hated being pressured into marriage. Despite his mature age, he still couldn't commit to anything serious. There were many things on his mind. Besides work, there was one personal issue that he hadn't been able to resolve.

"Kara Isabelle! This is all because of you!" He muttered angrily, clenching his fists tightly.

With his jaw clenched, he pressed harder on the gas pedal. His speed increased, recklessly navigating the deserted streets ahead. Until he suddenly realized that a small child was crossing the road, holding a beautiful flower.

"Oh, no!"

Beep!

***

With sweat dripping down her forehead, Kara hurriedly walked through the corridors of a large hospital in the city center. She hadn't stopped looking around, searching for her son with prayers constantly uttered in her heart. Especially since she had received information that Arka had received several stitches in his wounds.

Oh God, how did it get so bad? What had happened exactly? Kara didn't know the clear chronology because the informant had only instructed her to come to this hospital immediately.

"Nurse! Where is the patient named Arka?" Kara asked, her breath becoming more labored.

The nurse gave her directions. At first, Kara felt a little confused when she found herself in a distant and deserted area. But eventually, she breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her son's voice from a distance.

"VVIP room?"

"Yes, Ma'am. The man who brought Arka earlier requested the best treatment in this hospital," explained the nurse before walking away.

After taking a deep breath, Kara finally moved forward to open the closed door. In her heart, she continued to hope that Arka's condition wasn't as bad as she feared.

But unfortunately, when the door opened, Kara was surprised by something else. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw a man smiling and hugging her son tightly.

"No! This can't be!" She murmured, clutching her clothes tightly.

For a moment, Kara stood frozen as if forgetting her original purpose. Her whole body stiffened until the two men of different ages looked in her direction with furrowed brows.

"Mommy! Come here, Mommy! This is a Good Uncle who helped me!" The little boy called out first, waving his tiny hand.

With her breath becoming even more shallow, Kara finally stepped forward, trying to control the surge of emotions erupting in her heart. Although she wasn't ready to meet the man, she realized that she couldn't avoid it any longer. So for now, she just smiled as if she didn't recognize the man in front of Arka.

"Oh dear, what happened? Why did it turn out like this, sweetheart? What happened suddenly to take you away from me?" Kara asked, trying her best to focus only on her son.

"Sorry, Mommy! Arka just wanted to give you a flower, so you wouldn't be sad anymore! But it's hard to cross the road, Mommy! Arka couldn't wait for cars and motorcycles to pass, so I suddenly ended up like this." The little boy said, looking down with regret.

Staring at the bandage covering the stitches on Arka's knee, Kara gently wiped it. She couldn't bring herself to scold her son, because somehow this incident happened because of her carelessness.

"It's also mommy's fault, Sweetheart! Mommy is sorry! Can you forgive me?" Kara said, looking at the brown eyes in front of her alternately.

Those brown eyes were not the same as hers. The beautiful color reminded her of someone else, someone who had captivated her until she fell into his trap. But regardless of that, Kara couldn't deny that delving deeper could make her feel at ease.

"Yes, Mommy! Now Arka is okay! Mommy shouldn't worry anymore, okay? Arka promises won't do this again!" Arka smiled afterward as if the stitches on his body were nothing.

"Is that true? Mommy just wants Arka to promise, never to go far away from me again. Wherever Arka goes, you must tell Mommy. We must always be together. Mommy is like this because mommy loves you, sweetheart. Mommy doesn't want to lose you!"

"Yes, Mommy! Arka promises! Arka loves mommy too!"

Arka extended his tiny pinky finger in front of his mother. In this situation, Kara couldn't reply anymore. She didn't know whether to be angry or grateful now, because those two round eyes in front of her could always change her mood quickly.

"Oh, Mommy. Arka wants to introduce you to the Good Uncle who helped Arka! He's the one who made Arka stop crying before Arka went into the scary room with Uncle Doctor!"

"The scary room?" Kara's forehead furrowed afterward.

"Yes, mommy! You can ask the Good Uncle directly!" Arka replied, making Kara silently suppress her nervousness.

Slowly, the little boy's tiny fingers began to reach for one of Kara's hands. And not only that, afterward the owner of those chubby cheeks also reached for the large hand of the man in front of him. With a bright smile, he joined the two hands together. Until both adults in front of him fell silent for a moment, their gazes locked together.

"Good Uncle, this is Arka's mommy! Her name is Kara!" He introduced with a smile.

With unbearable palpitations, Kara remained silent, waiting for the man's response. His gaze seemed to imply something far beyond her expectations. Especially after he held her hand with a friendly smile on his face.

"Hello, Kara. I'm Barra! Barra Piterson! I'm sorry if this meeting hurt Arka. Earlier, I-"

"Can we talk outside?"