Chapter 1889
*
Karina gasped, urging Wilfred to put her down immediately. Only then did he regain some composure. "Sorry, I forgot about your condition," he said, visibly annoyed with himself for being so careless.
Karina, however, didn't seem too bothered. Although the first trimester required extra caution, it wasn't as though being picked up was entirely off-limits. It just meant she needed to be more careful.
After basking in their shared excitement, Karina suddenly thought of the orphanage. Her expression turned hesitant. "But now, in my condition... what about the orphanage?"
Wilfred looked up at her. "Do you still want to go?"
"Of course I do!" Karina replied without hesitation.
The renovations weren't complete, and she couldn't just abandon the autistic boy she had been helping. She had put in so much effort. How could she give up halfway?
But she was worried Wilfred might object.
While he was silent, Karina started piecing together arguments to convince him, preparing to speak.
To her surprise, Wilfred said, "Then go. Just be careful, and it should be fine."
Seeing her shocked expression, he chuckled lightly and added, "I'd never stop you from doing what you're passionate about. Marriage isn't a chain to hold you back. I want you to stay true to yourself and do the things you love."
Karina felt deeply moved, her heart swelling with gratitude for her choice to marry him.
However, mindful of her pregnancy, she made sure not to overexert herself. Instead of visiting the
orphanage every two days as she had before, she reduced it to every three or four days.
When Karina returned to the orphanage after a three-day break, she was surprised by what happened next.
As soon as she walked in, Dylan, who rarely expressed his emotions, grabbed her hand without a word and led her toward the classroom.
Karina was both startled and delighted but didn't resist.
Dylan brought her to a table-his
usual desk for lessons. On it was the block puzzle they had been building
hether last time. Back then, they
finished half of it, but now it
was fully completed.
Karina smiled warmly, crouching down to gently pat his head. "That's amazing! Did you finish it all by yourself?"
Dylan shook his head and pointed toward the door.
Karina turned to look and saw several other children from the orphanage, along with a few caretakers, standing outside. They had apparently been watching for a while.
Feeling slightly self-conscious, Karina straightened up and apologized. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to come as often recently. I've had some things to take care of."
The caretakers waved it off. "Miss
Norman, just the fact that you remember us is enough. But this little one here... he's been missing you. We've caught him staring out the window quite a few times lately. He never used to do that before."
Karina felt a pang of guilt.
Staring out the window meant he was waiting for someone. With his parents gone, who else could he possibly hope to see?
"Dylan," she said gently, crouching back down, "I'll try to visit more often, okay?"
Dylan extended his pinky toward her. "Promise?"
"Alright, pinky promise no backing out for a hundred years!" Karina said with a warm smile, sealing the small but meaningful promise with Dylan.
As she left the orphanage, she
originally planned to head straight
home. But just as she stepped outside, & voice called out from behind her-one she thought she would never hear again in her lifetime.
Fresh from her phone call with Wilfred, a happy smile still lingered on her face.