Chapter 15
Jeremy sat in the car and watched Kathleen enter her apartment complex before calling Shawn.
He drove ahead to turn the car around, smiling as he teased, “How can you leave such a beautiful wife? Are you okay?”
“Is there something wrong?” Shawn’s tone was sharp.
“Have you known her before?”
“No.”
“She claims that you saved her life before, so she’s giving herself to you because of that,” Jeremy stated.
Upon hearing this, Shawn immediately assumed Kathleen was lying to him.
“And you believe what she says? How are you so stupid yet no woman has ever conned you out of all your money?” he mocked.
Jeremy was used to Shawn’s sharp words. “I’m naive, not stupid. She didn’t lie to me, and we parted on good terms.”
Shawn chuckled coldly and ended the call immediately. He contemplated Jeremy’s words and couldn’t believe Kathleen had come up with such a lie.
“Mr. Vance, Madam Smith is coming to see you tomorrow,” Colin reminded him.
Shawn had nearly forgotten about this.
Judy no longer worried about his health as it wouldn’t change a thing. Instead, her primary concern was securing the future of the Vance family.
“Turn around.”
Changing the route, Colin asked, “Are we going to pick Mrs. Vance?”
“Yes.”
On their way to Kathleen’s place, Shawn felt unusually conflicted inside. He honestly didn’t have to pick her up because his mother wouldn’t blame him either way.
The car came to a stop, and Colin asked, “Should I get Mrs. Vance?”
Shawn didn’t want to see her. After all, all that ever came out of her mouth were lies. She had disappeared for over half a month and hadn’t cared about
him.
Where was the love she claimed to have for him? He believed she was nothing but a hypocrite.
After a moment of hesitation, he answered, “I’ll go.”
As soon as the elevator stopped, Shawn heard knocking outside along with loud shouting.
“Kathleen, hurry up and open the door!”
Probably hearing the elevator door open, the man turned his head but didn’t stop knocking.
When Shawn saw Ryan, his eyes darkened instantly.
Meanwhile, a flash of displeasure flashed in Ryan’s eyes, but he ignored Shawn and continued knocking.
Just as Shawn was about to call the police, the elevator door opened again.
Two police officers came out and stared at them. “Are you the ones harassing the resident here?”
Shawn knew it was probably Kathleen who called the police. He stepped aside, creating space between himself and Ryan while staring coldly at him.
“No. I’m here to see my girlfriend,” Ryan explained.
Shawn frowned at his words.
The police then looked at Shawn and asked, “What about you?”
“I’m here to pick up….” Shawn pursed his lips before stating, “My wife.”
The officers exchanged a glance before one of them knocked on Kathleen’s door. “Open up. It’s the police here.”
Kathleen had been listening from inside. When the knocking finally stopped, she pressed her eye to the peephole, but Shawn was standing off to the side,
so she couldn’t see him.
After opening the door, the police asked, “Did you call the police?”
“Yes”
“Which one is harassing you?” The police turned slightly to the two men standing behind him
Kathleen was surprised by the question. As she followed the officer’s gaze, her eyes widened when she saw Shawn there.
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“Kathleen, I just want to see you, not harass you. If you had opened the door, I wouldn’t have kept knocking,” Ryan stated as though there was nothing wrong with his actions.
“I don’t want to see you.” She had no interest in seeing him at all.
Her words made him frown. “Let’s talk things over.”
The police listened to their conversations, then looked at Shawn, who remained quiet.
They wondered whether this was a case of someone getting caught cheating red–handed. However, with how calm and unfazed Shawn appeared, it didn’t seem like that was the case.
“He claimed that you’re his wife. Is that true?” the police asked Kathleen.
At this, her heart skipped a beat, and her eyes lit up.
She couldn’t believe Shawn had told the police that.
She was so happy that she couldn’t suppress the smile forming on her face, so she nodded. “Yes, he is my
Shawn frowned upon seeing her smile.
husband.”
“She already has a husband. Coming to her door and knocking relentlessly late at night is harassment,” the police scolded Ryan. “Leave now or come with us to the station.”
With the police there, Ryan had no choice but to leave. Despite feeling frustrated, there was nothing he could do about it.
Thus, he poured all his anger onto Shawn and glared at him before walking away.
Once he left, the hallway returned to being peaceful.
Kathleen stood at the door with a smile as she stared at Shawn.
At that moment, he regretted coming. He should have asked Colin to come instead.
She didn’t say a word and merely stared at Shawn, who cleared his throat awkwardly, commenting, “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“To my place.”
Kathleen was surprised that he actually took the initiative to pick her up.
“You’ll get annoyed with me there.” She didn’t want to ruin his good mood.
He hadn’t expected her to be so thoughtful that it actually caught him off guard.
“My mom is coming tomorrow.”
She instantly understood his intention.
“Wait here. I’ll grab my stuff.”
She went inside for a time and came out with her coat and laptop.
After locking the door, she pressed the elevator button.
When Shawn came to pick her up, he expected Kathleen would purposefully make things difficult for him, but she agreed so readily that it made him a
little odd.
She didn’t speak during the elevator ride.
As he stood beside her, he caught a faint scent lingering that seemed to slip beneath his skin and settle deep within him.
“Why did you leave so suddenly?” He sounded especially pleasant and clear in the small space.
She looked at him and answered in a very light tone, “Because you found me annoying.”
In that instant, Shawn felt as though his heart ached. He stared at the numbers on the elevator and went silent for a moment.
On their way back to his house, Kathleen looked at the messages in her group chat.
Everyone asked whether Jeremy was her husband, complimenting that he was really handsome.
She replied, “He’s not my husband.”
Her reply sparked an uproar in the group chat.
Someone even messaged her privately to ask if Jeremy had a girlfriend
Kathleen knew her reply would quickly shift their attention away from her. “Does your friend have a girlfriend?” she asked Shawn.
“Yes.” Then, he added, “Multiple.”
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Upon hearing this, she was left speechless. “He does,” she replied.
That coworker immediately sent a disappointed emoji, and Kathleen chuckled at the response.
Afterward, she put down her phone and didn’t look at it again
When they arrived, Kathleen followed behind Shawn and asked, “When is Judy coming tomorrow?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Do we have to sleep together?”
Shawn turned to look at her.
Kathleen quickly explained, “I’m worried she’ll arrive too early and want to check if we’re staying in the same room. I really have no ulterior motives.”
Looking at his expression, she realized her explanation was unconvincing.
“Forget it.”
With that, she started toward the room she used to sleep in but suddenly stopped. Turning back to him, she giggled. “Shawn, you told people I’m your wife.”
