Author's note: thanks for your patience. I wanted to post more chapters but things happened. Hope you enjoy this. Thanks so much for your love and support for this story. Hopefully we get to the end soon.

Chapter 18

She stood by the door of the living room, worried. Arthit had come home thirty minutes ago looking really upset. He came alone, thank god, and Rin didn't have to play nice with Kongpob.

She couldn't help worrying however, even though she was still in the outs with Arthit. They had fought just last weekend and what Arthit said and how he treated her still stung. Yes she was in love with him and probably always will be but that didn't mean that she was only looking out for herself and no one else. It is because she loves him, cares about him so much, that's why she didn't want him to be with Kongpob. It is just too sudden.

After saying he wasn't going to love anyone else but his soulmate, Kongpob did a one eighty and decided to be with Arthit? Rin had every right to worry about the sudden change. Arthit is so blinded by love he just can't see that Kongpob is merely using him. Rin has to show him somehow. She has to make it clear to Arthit that he was trusting the wrong person.

"I can't believe you mom. When are you going to stop making excuses for yourself? "They've be talking a little loudly in the room for a while now, but Rin couldn't make out any sentence. This time Arthit was even louder. He came out of the room with an angry burst, door slamming, and his feet heavy on the wooden floors, with his mother on his tail.

"Arthit what would you have had me do? I was young and afraid. I didn't know what to do with you. You were so small and fragile—"

Arthit turned. "I thought I was your son, but you sold me off all these years. To her no less and all you can say is that you were young?"

"I made a mistake."

"Yes, one that is running my life."

"I don't understand what you mean by that Arthit. Stop getting angry and talk to me."

"That's the thing," he flung down his hands. "I can't talk to you right now. You sold me off years ago and you didn't even tell me. I can't stand to look at you. Why in the world you kept acting like my mother when you already gave me away all these years I will never know."

He made to leave but paused. "No, I know. I saved you from dying in poverty so of course you couldn't tell me because you knew I would run away, that I would never want to see you again."

Arthit, mom's tone turned warning. "Don't talk to me that way, Arthit. I know I did wrong giving you away but I didn't tell you because I was so ashamed. I had no choice."

"Yeah well I don't believe you. Or rather, I can't believe you. You've really made things difficult for me this time, mom." He shrugged his shoulder and nearly walked into Rin but she avoided him.

Like they've been doing for almost two weeks, Rin and Arthit did not talk to each other. Arthit's mom looked like she wanted to say something. She followed Arthit to the door but not out with him. Her hands were restless and her body nervous, she obviously didn't have the right words to say. They were all in the outs now. Arthit may not be able to forgive his mother for this. His hatred for his stepmom was too deep for him overlook what his mother has done.

Still Rin couldn't let it end like this. She didn't want to keep this cold war going between them. Arthit may have been the one in the wrong here but with all that is going on, it only felt right for Rin to be the first to reach out.

So she made her decision and walked past Arthit's mom. "Rin?"

She ignored the call because she was mad at her too. Sure it was not her business but that was a big lie, or a big secret. It was inexcusable.

Nevertheless, Rin hurried down the pathway and slowed when she saw Arthit was still at the gate, hesitating to leave maybe. He looked miserable. Perhaps he also didn't want to leave things the way they are, perhaps he was hoping she would come.

"Arthit," Rin called. He turned, looked at her and looked away. Yes, there was guilt all over him. Did he seriously come to both make up with Rin and quarrel with his mother?

"Hey, are you okay." She asked

He looked at her again and rolled his eyes away, shaking his head. "How can I be okay, Rin? My mother has been lying to me all this time."

"yeah, I heard".

"I don't understand why she did it, how she could."

Rin sighed. "I don't know. I just know that when you are in a lot of trouble, anything can seem like a good idea, especially when it's your only option."

Rin knew that truth to the bottom of her core so she wasn't really mad at Arthit's mom for giving him up, she was mad about her keeping it a secret. How can she think it would remain a secret forever? Nothing ever does. She regretted letting her brother rule over her and making her do things she didn't want to do. If only she had been capable of standing her own against him at the time. Maybe she would have turned out better.

Arthit shook his head and didn't say anything back. He looked torn now, not quite as angry as before.

"Even if you are angry, Arthit. I wish you wouldn't give your mom the silent treatment."

"You mean like you've been doing?" his retort made Rin recoil and she couldn't believe him.

"It's not—you treated me like an idiot, Arthit."

"And I am sorry." He sighed. "I am not in a good place today, Rin. I don't think I have been in a good place all week."

"Because of what your step mom said?"

"There is that, but... Paula is back and she wants my forgiveness and she is pretending that she has changed and then there is Kongpob."

Rin tried and failed not let disgust enter her tone. "Kongpob?"

Arthit rolled his eyes but didn't call her on it. "He has found her. His soulmate."

Rin shifted in place and didn't say anything immediately. Dealing with what she was starting to think of as Arthit's very unhealthy obsession with Kongpob always left her feeling raw and in need of a strong drink. "And what did you decide to do?"

The right thing to do, she thought, was let Kongpob go if he still wants to be with his soulmate. He has been dragging Arthit along for a long time and it didn't look like he would ever stop, not even after his so called soulmate came into the picture. The only way to end this was for Arthit to finally put his foot down and end this ill fated relationship. Somehow Rin knew that Arthit hadn't made that smart decision. Smart wasn't a word Arthit could be called where Kongpob was involved.

"He promised me that he would stay with me. He loves me Rin and I believe him." He exhaled and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have any other choice but to believe him because he isn't walking out the door like I thought he would."

Rin tried, she really tried to not poke, to not kick at their new truce and to hold on to what she had to say but Arthit was making a big mistake. A mistake that was going to break him in the end. Rin just couldn't let it happen without at least trying to stop it.

"Please listen to yourself, Arthit. That guy told you he isn't walking away but I bet you he also has plans to be with his soulmate too. You said it yourself that he isn't going to stop loving them and he is always going to choose them over you. Are you seriously just going to keep waiting for him to leave you first? To hurt you?"

Arthit swept his fingers through his hair, his body tight and agitated. "You don't have to tell me that Rin."

"No, apparently I have to because you are not thinking very clearly. You never are." She threw her hands, wanting to shout at Arthit but barely managing to keep her voice down.

"Look, Rin. I appreciate your concern but I know what I am doing?"

"Really?"

"He promised me, Rin and honestly, I don't really care. As long as he is a part of my life I don't want to think of anything else."

Rin froze with a gasp. "What are you saying Arthit. That you are willing to be a mistress in this relationship."

He scoffed and shook his head as if Rin was the one who has lost her mind. "That's not what I mean."

"I think that is exactly what you mean. You are okay with any scrap of affection Kongpob gives you, even if it is not genuine, even if he belongs to someone else. If that isn't mistress behavior then I don't know what is."

"You are blowing things out of proportion, as usual. I don't even know why I told you. Oh maybe I thought you could put aside your feelings for a moment and listen to me. "He started to walk away but Rin couldn't let him go. She followed him while yelling.

"oh I am the one who won't set aside their feelings then, not you who is so blinded by his one-sided love he can't even see his left from his right anymore."

"It is not a one-sided love." Arthit turned a hot glare at her.

"I don't know what you call it Arthit but when someone doesn't love you back as much as you love him and isn't willing to put as much effort as you do everyone else calls it a one sided love. And what you have is even worse. It is a pathetic and miserable one-sided love."

She was throwing words now, hurtful ones and she couldn't stop herself. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

"I guess you would know all about it, won't you." Arthit threw at her and Rin flinched away. "Maybe you should take your own advice and stop hanging around me looking for scraps of my affection."

"I—I care about you! "She shouted, hurt a tight ball in her throat. "I don't want you to punish yourself and ruin yourself over someone as selfish as Kongpob. I don't care if you love me back; I just want you to... "Her voice cut off and she had to swallow tears, "I just want you to look out for yourself for once. To see that you are better off without Kongpob. That's all and I hate how you just belittle my feelings for you. "

She brushed off tears and shook her head. "God, Arthit, you are such an ass." She said and turned back to the house. They had been talking loudly and walking into the street and Rin only noticed this now as she had to walk back into the compound.

She met Arthit's mom at the door and she really wanted a hug. She was sniffing and breathing heavily in order to keep from falling apart. Arthit's mom looked like she would give the hug too, she just needed Rin to reach out to her, to just show even the smallest sign that it was welcomed but Rin couldn't do it because now she felt pathetic. She was this charity case who overstayed her welcome and was merely hanging around when no one wanted her.

She ignored the moment and walked past without a word.

The next month was long with Rin working double shift. Paying for an apartment and feeding and all the other bills had been taking all her attention. She had moved out of the house after the fight with Arthit which felt like a wound that would never heal. It festered the longer it was left unattended and she was the only one who seemed to be noticing.

Arthit's mom was still keeping in touch but it just wasn't the same. Everything seemed to have bad blood in it now. Still Rin remained civil with the family. She didn't want to completely cut them out of her life, even if it was becoming harder and harder to see herself as a part of them with each passing day. The painful part was, despite telling Arthit to leave Kongpob and insisting that Kongpob was not right for him, Rin couldn't see anything that was so wrong.

The few times she has seen them—ran into them a few times at school and at her place of work (the café) – they've been really happy. It didn't seem like Kongpob had left Arthit after finding his soulmate. Rin was willing to accept that maybe she was wrong about all of it. Maybe this was going to last and it wouldn't hurt and destroy Arthit. Maybe she judged Kongpob too harshly.

Half way into the next month, the awkwardness between her and Arthit didn't lessen and they tried, Arthit really did. He tried to bridge the gap between them but Rin didn't see a gap, she saw a tear. A large hole ripped out of her life where Arthit used to be. She didn't know what Arthit was to her anymore and sometimes she wondered if she was still in love with him. It was a hollow feeling.

It wasn't until one day, almost two months later that things really started to break apart. Rin thought she was starting to get the hang of living alone and Arthit's mom had stopped bothering her about moving back in. She thought she could see something going well for once in her life and that was when she ran into Kongpob's fiancée, Nue.

She wouldn't have said a word to her if Nue hadn't tried to avoid her like the plague, putting a book over her face as if they hadn't just locked eyes with each other. Nue hadn't kept her end of the agreement and had refused to answer Rin when she called still it was rude of her to just simply ignore Rin.

That was why Rin circled the building and waited for Nue by her car. Nue didn't spot her in time because she was coming from the opposite direction. When she turned to open her car, Rin was sitting on the hood and staring at her.

"Oh my God," Nue snapped her face away and went still, her hand still gripping the keys to her car.

"Hey, Nue," said Rin.

"I am not supposed to talk with you," she said, still looking away. "Please just leave me alone."

"Who told you that? Is it Kongpob?" Rin didn't have to see Nue's eyes to know the answer. She figured Kongpob got to her and convinced Nue not to go with the plan.

"I know you care about P'Arthit, Rin but you can't come between him and Kongpob."

"I know."

"Even if you think that their relationship is set to failure."

"Set to failure?" Rin didn't know that. Sure she thought she did but she was wrong. Every evidence pointed to the fact that Kongpob and Arthit are the hit couple. They belong together. It may look like a one sided relationship but Rin didn't know the full story and she certainly didn't have the right to choose for Arthit.

"Listen, " Nue finally looked at her."P'Arthit made his decision and it's better for you if you accept it."

"I already have." Rin made a fist as she said this. It grated her when people think that she was just going against what Arthit wanted for selfish reasons. "So if you are avoiding me because you think I am against their relationship, don't. I am past that. If Arthit wants to be with Kongpob and Kongpob wants to be with Arthit, then so be it."

"Well, that's... good." Nue sighed. "What happened to make you change your mind?"

"I just realized that my concerns weren't necessary anymore. Kongpob found his so called soulmate and still chose to stay with Arthit."

Nue stiffened."Kongpob did?"

Rin frowned at her. "You would know better than me right, after all you are closer with him. I don't know for sure since I have never met her nor do I want to."

"No, I don't know anyone like that. I mean... there is this girl I have seen Kongpob walking around with but I didn't know."

"Walking around with?"

Nue must have seen Rin's suspicious look and quickly said," no, no, it's nothing like that. From what I could tell they are just friends. I have only seen them together twice."

"Where?"

"A furniture store—" she stopped abruptly. "I shouldn't be telling you this, Rin."

"I told you," Rin glared at her. "I don't have any plans of getting in the way. Since I have been hearing about his soulmate for so long I am just curious about who it is. Arthit never told me that Kongpob and his soulmate were hanging out together."

"Like I said, I don't know if she is his soulmate. Maybe she's just a new friend."

"Yeah maybe. Except Kongpob has been out of this country for four years and I don't think he has made any new female friends. Did you recognize her?"

"You are assuming I know all of Kongpob's old friends. I don't."

"Well then it could be her, his soulmate. Where did you see them together"

"Rin, is it really important that you know?"

Rin thought about it and realized she wasn't behaving wisely. She was over thinking again and trying to stick her nose where it wasn't wanted. "It is but...I guess I shouldn't."

"Well, if it bothers you I guess you could just see her first. There is no reason to believe that she's Kongpob's soulmate but..."

"But what?" Rin called out to Nue when her eyes drifted away into thought.

"There is this... freaky way Kongpob reacted to her. I have never seen him act like that before. I guess I didn't think of it until now but he knew her, even though it was their first time meeting. He was so weird, we ran out of there as if the devil was chasing us. I think it's the same girl I saw him with that day. "

Rin groaned and swept her hair behind her ears. "Okay. That matters why?"

Nue rolled her eyes. "you told me everything about Kongpob's soulmate. You said he loves her very much and is using P'Arthit's feelings for his own amusement. Yet, he chose to stay with P'Arthit. I guess I just want to know if that's really her, you know."

Rin sighed and shook her head. "A moment ago you told me to forget about everything and move on."

"Yeah you are right. Kongpob and P'Arthit are happy together, there's no reason to go poking about. Forget I said anything." Nue shrug her shoulders and the two of them fell into silence. They looked at one another and just knew what they were going to do. They both wanted to know individually but would have given up if the other person didn't feel exactly the same.

That is why they appeared together two days later at agro company in Nue's car at lunch, watching two people walk out of the company, talking and smiling at each other.

They should have given up, but they needed to see more so they tailed them as they walked. Nothing was really going on with these two people. Rin could almost call the relationship platonic. She told herself she never came here expecting to see something else, but it was nice to be sure.

"I think it is safe to say that she isn't Kongpob's soulmate, " Nue sighed and took a sip of her drink. "God I can't believe we followed them around for four hours. Don't they have other things to do than be tougher and talk."

Rin checked her phone and it has been that long. They were both insane for stalking these two people. If Arthit ever found out they were toast.

"Anyway, I think we should leave now. I am exhausted and I still have to attend the party my father is forcing me to attend."

"oh." Rin was done snooping and thought the same thing. She ditched one of her shifts for this and nothing came out of it.

"We could follow them again tomorrow," Nue suggested hopefully and Rin narrowed her eyes at her.

"I think we saw all we needed to see. They went to a café, a pet store and then they did some shopping. It is plain to see that there is nothing going on here."

"Right, of course." Nue didn't end it there however. "But isn't he becoming friends too quickly with this girl. Tell me something doesn't look fishy in their interaction."

"So what."

"So," Nue laughed incredibly. "We find out what is really going on, for P'Arthit's sake."

"No, I don't want to."

"yeah you do or you wouldn't be here."

"Look, Nue—"

"Just one more day. That's all we need and if nothing happens then we will call it."

"Why?" Nue didn't seem entirely interested yesterday so why did she change her mind. "Is it because you are in love with Kongpob."

"Well..." she took her time but Rin could tell Nue wasn't good at lying or making things up. "I just want to know. I don't buy all these soulmate nonsense and I gave up on Kongpob because I thought he was gay but if he isn't then why am I giving up so easily."

"Nue."

"I know. I don't look like the stubborn type and I should be cool and say goodbye to my first love just like that, but... I want to know if there is a small chance there. If there isn't then... I guess I'll be able to give up."

Rin didn't agree but she accompanied Nue two times after that and they were soon noticed by Kongpob.