Chapter 04

“Searching for The One”

After years of heartbreak and one-sided love, I reached a point where I told myself: I need to settle down. I need to get married.

I was in my early 30s by then. My adoptive mother had passed away when I was 28 after a long, brave battle with kidney failure. She had been on dialysis for more than 15 years — a fighter in every sense of the word. And through it all, my adoptive father never left her side. Their love, though not perfect, was loyal. I know she dreamed of seeing me married before she passed, but life didn’t give her that moment. That thought stayed with me. It added another layer to my urgency.

Motivated by her memory and a longing to build a life of my own, I started widening my social circle. I joined multiple communities, attended gatherings, and said “yes” to new experiences — partly to meet new people, but also to chase that hope of finding the one.

But the chase took a toll.

In those years, I pushed myself hard — emotionally, physically, even spiritually. I stayed out late, went to clubs, travelled far and often, spent countless hours socializing, laughing, hoping. On the outside, I was thriving. On the inside, I was slowly burning out.

Eventually, the exhaustion caught up with me. I underwent surgery not once, but twice — first for my appendix, then my gallbladder. My body had been trying to speak to me for a while, and I finally listened. My adoptive father, gentle as ever, never protested against my choices. He just reminded me, again and again: Take care of your health. Be safe.

He was right.

After all the social events, all the face-to-face connections, and all the hopes that didn’t bloom into anything lasting — I turned to the digital world. Online dating became my final path, my last effort I knew that time to find love.

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This story is a part of my personal journey. Please do not copy or reproduce any part of it without permission. Sharing is welcome with proper credit and a link to this blog

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