UNCHANGEABLE - TIAOM

19

kim kicks her car door close and carries the sleeping katrien in her arms into the jung compound.

"she fell asleep crying," she says as she meets up with pie and her mom at their doorstep. "maybe i should carry her directly to her room so she won't wake up."

they lead kim to katrien's bedroom to tuck the kid in. when she's left alone, kim murmurs one more apology and kisses the kid's forehead. she heads out of the room and sees pie standing with a phone against her ear.

"... yeah. she's sleeping now. let's talk to her tomorrow about it."

pie's gentle voice is so soothing and kim can't help but smile. she stood there staring, admiring how elegant pie looked in her long white nightdress. but there's still a hint of jealousy inside knowing pie's talking to her husband--or ex-husband-to-be. pie hasn't talked to kim yet. the ambiguity of their relationship sends kim to uncertainty.

pie turns around and meet eyes with kim. "yes. that would be great. goodnight, peter," she says, not breaking the gaze. she hangs up the phone, and kim takes it as a sign to approach.

"hey."

"hey."

"umm." kim looks to her left and right as if she's searching for something. it was undeniably awkward and she's sure pie can feel it too. "i don't know if there's any better way to say this, but katie knows everything now and she hates me."

pie raises her brows. "she what?"

"i'm sorry. but she overheard your mom and your husband talking about this other person involved with you." kim sighs. "and i don't want to pretend and lie to her. i told her it was me."

"gosh." pie brings a hand to her forehead. "i'm sorry. this is all my fault."

"hey. it's not your fault. i should be the one apologising. she's got every right to hate me."

pie massage her temple this time and kim notices how she look so stressed like she hasn't been sleeping well for days.

"i don't know what to do anymore..." pie says, almost helpless. "whichever path i take, someone will always get hurt... it s you, or me, or katie, or peter..."

"hey. hey. calm down." kim reaches out, cupping pie's elbows, the latter leaning in the touch and breaking down in kim's shoulder instantly. "hey. it'll be okay."

"i don't know what to do anymore, kim..." pie's frame shakes, her hand clutches kim's sleeve. "i don't know what to do anymore. this is all my fault..."

"there's no point trying to find out who's at fault or who's to blame. what you need to do is find a way to fix this."

"but what should i do? i don't want to hurt anyone anymore..."

kim rubs pie's back. "look. the more you try not to hurt anyone, the longer people around you will get hurt. you just have to decide, and be firm with it."

pie looks up at her. "but how?"

"ask yourself, what do you want?"

"i can't do that, kim," says pie, pulling back and wiping her tears with her fingers like a kid. "because no matter what i choose somebody will always get hurt."

"people are already getting hurt. and the more you're stuck with this indecisiveness, the longer all of us will suffer."

"but how can i be happy with my decision if i know i've hurt you, or peter, or katie in the process? i can't take that, kim. especially katie, she's the last person i wanted to hurt with my decisions."