Halfway to Faith

Halfway to Faith

Chapter 1 – An Unexpected EncounterThat morning, the famous salon in the small town was already filled with customers. The scent of hair dye and the constant hum of hair dryers filled the busy space.Lisa stood in front of a large mirror, carefully combing through the hair of one of her regular clients. Her hands moved skillfully and confidently, as if every strand of hair had a story only she could understand.“Lisa, the usual please. Don’t cut it too short,” the woman said with a smile.Lisa chuckled softly.“Don’t worry, I know exactly what suits you best.”In that salon, Lisa’s name was well known. Even though she was still young, her talent as a hairstylist made many clients willing to wait just to have their hair done by her.Her fair, soft skin, large round eyes, and firm yet friendly personality made people comfortable around her.But behind that warm smile, no one truly knew Lisa’s story.The girl from a remote village in Sabah had gone through many struggles to reach where she was today.Just as she finished the last haircut of the morning, the salon door suddenly opened.A tall man stepped inside.He was neatly dressed, his expression serious. Clearly, he didn’t look like the usual customers who came to the small-town salon.Some of the staff exchanged curious glances.The man walked straight toward the counter before his gaze stopped directly on Lisa.As if he had come only for her.“Are you Lisa?” he asked calmly.Lisa raised an eyebrow slightly, confused.“Yes… I’m Lisa.”The man took a slow breath before saying something that would change Lisa’s life forever.Lisa never expected that a simple meeting at the salon where she worked would change the course of her entire life.Born and raised as a Buddhist in a small village deep in the land below the wind, Lisa had always lived by the principles and beliefs she grew up with. Love was never something complicated in her world—until she met Noah.Noah was a widower, a man burdened with the responsibility of raising five children on his own, including a pair of twins. Mature, persistent, and unexpectedly gentle, Noah kept returning to the salon where Lisa worked, finding reasons just to see her again.What started as brief conversations slowly turned into something neither of them could ignore.But Lisa knew one painful truth.Between her faith and her heart, she might one day be forced to choose.And that choice could change everything.