Chapter 42 #3
She pulled out her phone while waiting for her luggage.
Her thumb hovered over Orm's name for only a second.
Then she pressed call.
The phone rang twice.
Three times.
Then-
"Hello?"
Orm's voice.
Soft.
Sleepy.
And somehow enough to make Lingling smile.
"Hi."
There was a small silence.
Then Orm laughed quietly.
"You're already in Paris?"
"Just arrived."
"You should rest."
"I will."
"You always say that."
"I know."
Orm smiled on the other end.
Lingling could hear movement in the background.
Then a tiny voice.
"Mommy?"
Lingling's heart immediately softened.
"Is that Liam?"
"He's here."
There was a rustling sound.
A few seconds later, Liam's sleepy voice came through the phone.
"Wingwing?"
Lingling closed her eyes.
That one word nearly broke her.
"Hi, Baby Liam."
"You came home?"
Lingling swallowed.
"Yes."
"Did you fwy very far?"
"Very far."
"Did you eat?"
Lingling laughed softly.
"Not yet."
"You have to eat."
"I know."
"You awways tew me to eat vegetables."
"And now you're telling me to eat?"
"Yes."
"You're becoming very bossy."
"I'm four."
Lingling laughed.
Orm did too.
For a few moments, there was nothing complicated.
No four-year separation.
No regrets.
No painful questions.
Just a little boy talking to her from thousands of miles away.
Liam told Lingling about his day.
He talked about what he ate.
About the toy he played with.
About how he helped Mama Koy.
About the cartoon he watched.
And eventually, his voice became quieter.
Then quieter.
Then-
"Mommy..."
"Hmm?"
"Wingwing?"
"I'm here."
"I miss you."
Lingling's chest tightened.
"I miss you too."
There was another pause.
Then Liam whispered,
"Don't go away again."
Lingling closed her eyes.
"I won't disappear."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
A few seconds later, there was only silence.
Orm chuckled softly.
"He fell asleep."
Lingling smiled.
"I could hear it."
"He's been waiting for your call."
"Thank you for letting him talk to me."
"You don't have to thank me."
Lingling leaned back against the airport seat.
For the first time since arriving in Paris, she allowed herself to breathe.
"So..."
"So?"
"We're doing this."
Orm's voice softened.
"Yes."
"Even with the distance."
"Even with the distance."
Lingling stared through the glass windows.
Paris stretched before her, illuminated by thousands of lights.
"You know what's strange?"
"What?"
"Four years ago, I thought distance meant the end."
Orm became quiet.
"And now?"
"Now I think distance is just distance."
Orm smiled.
"Maybe."
"We still have our lives."
"Yes."
"You have Liam."
"And you have Paris."
"I have work."
"You're going back to being the pride engineer of your company."
Lingling laughed.
"That sounds terrifying."
"It should."
They laughed together.
Then the laughter slowly faded.
And what remained was something gentler.
"I love you," Orm whispered.
Lingling's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"I love you too."
It was simple.
No grand declaration.
No promises they weren't ready to make.
Just the truth.
The truth they had spent four years running from.
"I don't know what happens next," Lingling admitted.
"Neither do I."
"I'm scared."
"Me too."
"But I don't want to run anymore."
Orm took a breath.
"Neither do I."
"We'll take it slowly."
"One step at a time."
"No rushing."
"No pretending."
"No hiding."
Lingling smiled.
"And no disappearing."
Orm laughed softly.
"Agreed."
They stayed on the phone until Liam's breathing became the only sound on Orm's side.
Until the night in Bangkok grew quieter.
Until the sky outside Lingling's Paris apartment began to lighten.
Eventually, Orm whispered,
"You should sleep."
"You should too."
"I have work tomorrow."
"So do I."
"Goodnight, Lingling."
"Goodnight, Orm."
A pause.
Then-
"Come back soon."
Lingling closed her eyes.
"I will."
And for the first time, going back to Paris didn't feel like losing Orm.
Because this time, Orm was waiting.
-
The next morning, Lingling returned to work.
And just like that, the engineer everyone at the company knew returned to her element.
Meetings.
Blueprints.
Structural calculations.
Construction schedules.
Deadlines.
Design revisions.
Site inspections.
Emails.
More emails.
And somehow, even more emails.
Her colleagues immediately noticed something different.
Lingling was still Lingling.
Still demanding.
Still precise.
Still the woman who could stare at a structural plan for ten minutes and immediately find the smallest error.
But she smiled more.
She laughed.
She actually ate lunch.
And occasionally, while working, she would glance at her phone.
Not anxiously.
Not desperately.
Just with anticipation.
Because she knew someone was on the other side of the world.
Someone who loved her.
Someone who was trying.
And she was trying too.
-
Weeks passed.
Life slowly settled into a rhythm.
Orm returned completely to her work as an architect in Bangkok.
Her days were filled with designs, presentations, meetings, revisions, and deadlines.
And when she was working, Liam stayed with Mama Koy.
He had his little routines.
Breakfast.
Playtime.
Nap.
Cartoons.
Drawing.
Reading and math exercises.
Waiting for Mommy to come home.
Lingling, meanwhile, buried herself in her projects in Paris.
She became busy again.
The woman everyone admired returned to being one of the company's most reliable engineers.
But there was one thing she refused to compromise.
Every day.
No matter how busy she was.
No matter how exhausted.
No matter how late it was in Bangkok or how early it was in Paris-
They called.
Sometimes it was only fifteen minutes.
Sometimes an hour.
Sometimes longer.
Sometimes they barely talked.
Sometimes they simply stayed connected while doing their own work.
Orm would sit at her desk drawing plans while Lingling worked on calculations.
Liam would occasionally climb onto Orm's lap.
"Wingwing!"
And Lingling would stop whatever she was doing.
"Hi, Baby Liam."
"Wook!"
And Liam would proudly show her a drawing.
Or a toy.
Or something completely random.
Lingling always listened.
Always.
Because four years ago, she had lost so many moments.
She didn't want to lose any more.
-
One night, Orm arrived late at her parents' house.
She had spent the entire day finishing a design that was due the next morning.
By the time she reached the house, the lights were already dim.
She found Liam asleep on the big couch.
His small body curled beneath a blanket.
His favorite stuffed toy tucked beneath his arm.
Orm smiled.
She quietly approached him and brushed his hair away from his forehead.
"Baby."
Liam didn't wake.
Mama Koy appeared from the kitchen.
"You're finally here."
"Sorry, Mom. The design took longer than expected."
"I know."
Her mother handed her a plate.
"Eat."
Orm smiled.
"Thank you."
"You're too thin."
"Mom..."
"Eat."
Orm laughed.
"Okay."
She sat down and ate.
After dinner, mother and daughter moved to the garden.
The night was peaceful.
The lights around the house illuminated the plants.
The air was warm.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Orm finally said,
"Mom."
"Hmm?"
"I saw Lingling."
Her mother immediately looked at her.
There was no surprise.
Only recognition.
"I know."
Orm blinked.
"You knew?"
"Not everything."
Her mother smiled.
"But I knew something happened."
Orm lowered her gaze.
"We met in Phuket."
Her mother's expression softened.
"And?"
"We talked."
"Really talked?"
Orm nodded.
"For the first time in four years."
Her mother reached for her hand.
"And?"
Orm smiled.
"We forgave each other."
Her eyes became watery.
"We didn't immediately get back together."
Her mother squeezed her hand.
"We decided to take it slowly."
"One step at a time?"
Orm nodded.
"One step at a time."
Her mother smiled.
"I am happy for you."
Orm looked down.
"I love her, Mom."
"I know."
"I never stopped."
"I know that too."
A tear slipped down Orm's cheek.
"I thought I was protecting her."
Her mother remained silent.
"But I hurt her."
Another tear followed.
"I hurt myself too."
Her mother reached over and wiped her daughter's cheek.
"For four years, I watched you."
Orm looked at her.
"I watched you wake up every morning and pretend you were okay."
Her mother's voice trembled.
"I watched you work until you were exhausted because you didn't want to think."
Orm's lips trembled.
"I watched you buy tickets to Paris."
She laughed softly through her tears.
"Every year."
Orm smiled sadly.
"I wanted to see her."
"I know."
"Even when I couldn't talk to her."
"I know."
"Even when I only stayed nearby."
Her mother nodded.
"I knew."
Orm covered her face.
"I loved her so much."
Her mother pulled her into an embrace.
"And now?"
Orm slowly looked up.
"Now she knows."
Her mother smiled.
"Then perhaps the four years weren't completely wasted."
Orm frowned.
"How can you say that?"
"Because you both learned."
Her mother's hand gently stroked her hair.
"You learned what losing someone feels like."
She paused.
"She learned how to survive without you."
"And now?"
"Now you both know what you have."
Orm cried quietly.
Her mother kissed her forehead.
"You deserve to be happy, Orm."
Orm closed her eyes.
"I want to try."
"Then try."
"I don't want to rush her."
"Don't."
"I don't want to repeat our mistakes."
"Then don't."
Her mother smiled.
"And I want to meet her again."
Orm looked at her.
"You do?"
"I miss her too."
That made Orm laugh through her tears.
"She misses you."
"Then bring her home someday."
Orm's smile became wider.
"Someday."
Her mother kissed her forehead again.
"And when she comes..."
"Hmm?"
"Make sure she knows she has a place here."
Orm nodded.
"I will."
-
Across the world, Paris was already approaching dawn.
Lingling sat by her room window with a cup of coffee.