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Karina stepped into her apartment and shut the door behind her. Exhausted, she slipped off her sandals and headed to her room, making her way to the open window. The warm summer day was in full swing. The sky was a flawless blue, not a cloud in sight. Outside, kids were playing noisily in the courtyard, the hum of traffic drifted up from the street, and one of her neighbors had cranked their music way too loud. Karina stared off into the distance, lost in thought. Earlier today, her boss had announced that she was shutting down the company and moving abroad with her husband. Karina wasn’t the only one left jobless—plenty of her coworkers were in the same boat. No one saw it coming, and everyone was shaken.
Finding a new job would take time, and Karina was nearly out of money. Just a couple of weeks ago, her mom had undergone surgery, which drained almost all of her savings. And to top it off, the landlord of the apartment she rented had informed her two days ago that the rent was going up. Her mood was at rock bottom. She gazed out the window, trying to gather her thoughts, but nothing seemed to come together.
Karina desperately craved some kind of support. She wasn’t the type to spill her problems to friends, fishing for sympathy or help. The only people she could truly open up to were her mom or someone she loved. But her mom couldn’t handle any stress right now, which left only Alex—her boyfriend. He was a great guy, kind and caring. Lately, though, Alex had been swamped with work. He often mentioned some big project that could be a game-changer for his career. Without getting into specifics, he’d claimed he was on the brink of a major breakthrough.
Karina grabbed her phone and dialed Alex’s number. He picked up almost immediately.
“Hey, Alex!” she started. “Got a minute?”
“Hey, Karina! I was just about to call you, but you beat me to it.”
“I’m not interrupting, am I? I just really needed to talk to someone.”
“I need to talk to you too. It’s important,” Alex said, pausing for a moment.
Something in his tone unsettled Karina. It was as if he had something big to say but didn’t know how to say it. A wave of anxiety washed over her, but she managed to keep her voice steady. “Okay, you go first. Did something happen?”
“Nothing bad… It’s about that project I told you about. They approved it today, and I’ve been named the lead manager.”
“Congratulations! I’m so happy for you! Should we celebrate tonight?”
“No, Karina… Just hear me out, okay? Part of the deal with this project is that I have to move to Canada. That’s where we’re setting everything up. Do you get what I’m saying? You’re an amazing girl, kind and genuine. I’ve loved spending time with you… If things were different, I’d be thrilled to build a life with you. But you have to understand—this kind of opportunity comes once in a lifetime. I can’t let it slip away. I’m leaving in a week.”
Karina went silent. Inside, a storm of emotions raged, but she couldn’t bring herself to say a word.
“Hello, Karina, are you there?” Alex clearly expected some kind of response.
“Tell me, when did you find out you’d have to move to Canada for this project?” Karina fought hard to keep her overwhelming emotions in check.
“I’ve known from the start, but I didn’t want to worry you. What if the whole thing fell through? Then I’d have wanted to stay with you.”
“I could go with you to Canada. My English is pretty good,” Karina said, immediately feeling a pang of embarrassment. She’d never been one to beg for anything, but she so desperately wanted to stay with Alex.
“That’s not possible. They’re only issuing a work visa for me—they made that clear from the beginning. They need someone without ties, someone who isn’t held back by anything in their home country.”
“So, you’ve been dating me all this time, knowing you’d leave me the moment this project came through?”
“Karina, why are you putting it like that? We’ve had a great time together…”
“I thought you loved me and wanted to be with me forever. I had no idea I was just a temporary distraction for you! Something to pass the time until your career took off.”
“If you want, I can visit you sometimes. We can stay in touch as friends. Think about it—would you turn down a job offer in Canada?”
“Yes! For the person I love, I would. Or I’d at least try to figure out a way for us to go together. And I definitely would’ve told you upfront that I was waiting for a career opportunity and might have to leave the country at any moment!” Karina was almost shouting now.
“I didn’t think you’d react like this,” Alex said, sounding genuinely surprised. “I was hoping you’d be happy for me and that we could stay friends.”
“Alex, I love you. I would never trade you for a career! But if this is how you feel about my feelings… Go to your Canada! Have a safe trip!”
Karina ended the call. Her gray eyes quickly filled with tears, and she broke down crying. For a few minutes, she waited, hoping Alex would call back. She longed to hear him say he’d changed his mind, that he loved her and would never leave her. But her phone stayed silent, and she realized his decision was final.
She needed to pull herself together. Start looking for a new job, check listings for apartments—maybe there’d be a decent place at a reasonable price. And, of course, forget about Alex. Karina tied her thick chestnut hair into a ponytail, went to the bathroom, and splashed water on her face. Then she returned to her room, sat at her desk, and powered up her laptop. After spending two hours browsing apartment listings and finding nothing affordable, Karina switched to job postings. There were a few promising openings. She sent her resume to two employers and glanced at the clock. It was already evening.
She headed to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she found only a half-empty carton of milk, leftovers from yesterday’s soup, and a jar of ketchup. She needed to hit the grocery store. She wasn’t really hungry, but Karina felt the urge to cook something. Anything to keep busy and avoid dwelling on her problems. Changing into a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt, she let her hair down and stepped outside.