Chapter 44 - Sorry not sorry
"Hey girl! I just had lunch with your friend Patrick, and he said he can help introduce you to the wedding party. Isn't that great? I can start working on Sarah's wedding asap."
Olena read the message as she was waiting outside Levi's school, and her stomach dropped.
Here she was, thinking of ways she could avoid crossing paths with Patrick in the future, then Bessy went ahead and scheduled an appointment for her.
"Bess, tell him there's no need. If you're really tied up, I can go introduce myself to them. I don't need a chaperone."
"But he left already, dear. He said he would see you in his office at 9am tomorrow. Tell you what - why don't you two discuss this directly? I feel weird passing your messages back and forth. I'll send you his number, 'kay?"
Olena felt her mood sinking deeper as she read Bessy's reply. There was no way she'd call him. Besides, she didn't think he'd agree anyway.
If she ever harboured hopes that Patrick would choose to be the bigger man and let the past go, she'd better forget them now.
His offer to introduce her to his family's close circle was surely another veiled threat, just like the ones he had handed to her at the tailor's this morning.
He clearly hated her for running away and is now out for revenge - and it was easily handed to him on a silver platter.
If Olena had a choice, she would want to avoid any more encounters with him because he reminded her of the one mistake she did that cost her the life that she knew. And she didn't want Robert to find out that she had met Patrick, and then get the wrong impression.
But Olena was at a dead end.
If she chose to run away, Bessy won't be able to manage on her own and would have to sell out or buy her out and get a new partner. Or if she chose to stay but avoid Patrick, he could ruin her reputation - and their business along with it.
There was no other way but to cooperate and hope Patrick would eventually drop his idea of revenge.
Why did it have to happen now? Olena groaned to herself. Why now, when Dream Weddings had become a lifeline to her, and not just a hobby.
She had barely won custody of Levi back then, having had to fight fiercely to prove that she was capable of providing him with a good home and a good life. That - and with a bit of luck and support from a sympathetic judge - helped her win custody. Levi was barely 7yrs old then.
If she lost the business, who knows what Robert will do? True, he had been more civil this last year. Maybe because it has been a long time and he had decided to start forgiving her. Or it could be that having a new girlfriend had taken the edge off her Olena's betrayal.
But Olena couldn't shake off the cruel words he had thrown at her five years ago, when Olena had confessed her mistake and begged for forgiveness.
"I'm taking Levi."
It was her biggest fear - then and now. She would rather die than lose her son.
And she was always afraid that when Robert tried for custody again, she may not be as lucky. After all, Robert's family was more than financially capable of supporting Levi's education even through Ivy League schools. And his family was, without question, more stable than hers.
While Olena's family could barely be called that - her alcoholic father had been out of touch since she was in her teens, while her mother was out enjoying the life she had missed out on in her younger years.
Olena was on her own.
And with Levi no longer a child, the court may very well have a change of heart.
Fear clutched at her heart, making her chest heavy and her breathing difficult, until she caught sight of Levi approaching - and her mood lifted.
"Hi honey!"
"Mom! Did we have something on today? I don't recall any..." Levi greeted her sheepishly.
"We didn't," Olena replied with a smile. "I wanted to surprise you. We had a good day at the office and I thought you deserve a treat for being a good sport through all those times I worked long hours."
"Cool! So where are we going?"
"Well... It's my treat to you, so you tell me where?"
"Uhm... Can we play at the arcade and then get some ice cream?"
"Sure honey. Just don't throw a tantrum when I beat you at one of those machines," Olena teased him.
"Come on mom, you just got lucky that one time!"
Laughing at Levi's pouting expression, Olena swore to herself she will find a way out of this mess - and it won't cost her her son.
----------------
It was almost midnight, and Patrick was still wide awake in his study, deep in thought.
He had already gotten over the shock of seeing Olena again after all these years, but his mind was still buzzing with his inner debate.
Part of him wanted to get back at Olena for all the pain he went through. But another part wanted to get back together with her.
He must be some masochist, Patrick chided himself. It wasn't even as if Olena welcomed him with open arms.
On the contrary, she seemed hell bent on avoiding him - even feared him - though Patrick couldn't fathom why. She was the one who did the hurting! What right did she have to be scared of him?
At the very least, he had expected her to feel guilty for making a fool out of him. He can still remember that day like it happened just yesterday.
Patrick had been on his toes that whole weekend, wanting to rush to Olena's side but at the same time held back by his promise to give her time.
And he gave her what she asked for, damn it. She didn't know how much willpower it took to stop himself from reaching out to her those two days.
At the same time, while he was waiting, he had been on a high. It was difficult to put into words the kind of rush he felt at the thought of finally being with her.
But as his calls went unanswered that Monday, he had sunk deeper and deeper into darkness. If it weren't for his friends, Patrick wasn't so sure if he would have been able to get out of that hell hole.
So no, she didn't have a right to be scared of him. She should instead he begging for his forgiveness
Anger, confusion, desire, longing all warred inside him and Patrick felt like he was being torn apart, limb by limb, in different directions.
But one thing was for sure - regardless what he wanted to do about it, Olena could still affect him like no other woman can.
She was still his Achilles' heel, and the plan that he had set in motion was proof of that.
When Bessy was telling him about Olena over lunch earlier that day, all Patrick could think of was that he had to keep Olena here at all costs. Somewhere where he could easily find her.
And holding on to her through her job was the best strategy he could think of. Because if anything, Olena was a stickler for professionalism, that much he knew.
So no matter how distateful or scary it was for her to see him again, Patrick was pretty sure she would be there at his office tomorrow as scheduled.
And despite his resolve, Patrick found himself looking forward to the next day.