Chapter 11
Shawn’s expression clouded, and he slammed the door shut.
The tremendous roar echoed through the house, and Kathleen’s smile broadened as she carried her plates to the sink.
That night, as she lay in bed, she couldn’t sleep at all. It wasn’t her being picky about the bed, but more like she just couldn’t settle in.
Just as she picked up her phone, an unfamiliar number flashed across the screen. It was midnight. No one she knew would call at this time.
The phone rang repeatedly, and Kathleen answered it.
“Kathleen, I want to see you.”
Although she didn’t know the number, she recognized the voice.
Ryan’s tone was soft, almost pleading. “Can you come to the hospital, please?”
Kathleen recalled seeing that video of him getting beaten up. She figured his injuries must have been severe if he was still in the hospital.
Before hanging up, she changed her mind and asked, “Which hospital are you at?”
…
The hospital was quieter at 1:00 am than during the day. It gave off a false sense of peace, as though illnesses were non-existent.
Kathleen found Ryan’s room. His VIP room looked more like a luxury hotel than a hospital ward.
When she walked in, she saw him lying in bed, dressed in a hospital gown. His face was battered and swollen, and he had casts on both arms and legs.
“Kathleen.” Ryan’s eyes lit up as he saw her, and he tried to sit up, but the brace around his waist made any movement painful.
He winced and gave up before falling back onto the bed. Forcing a smile through the agony, he continued, “I thought you wouldn’t come.”
Kathleen stood at the foot of his bed and measured him from head to toe. It was clear that Shawn hadn’t held back.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Ryan gazed down at his limbs in the cast and looked oddly aggrieved. “No.”
“Do you know who did it?”
At the mention of the culprit, Ryan’s expression darkened with anger. “I don’t know, but when I find out who’s behind this, I swear I’ll murder them!”
Upon hearing this, Kathleen’s heart skipped a beat. However, she remained calm. “There’s always someone stronger than you, so you should be more cautious before someone gets to you first.”
His gaze remained fixed on her while she spoke, and for a moment, she thought he had figured something out.
“You still care about me.” His eyes lit up with hope. “I knew that you still love me.”
Kathleen opened her mouth to cuss at him, but she swallowed them back down. Instead, she stated, “I’m married.”
“I’m sure you don’t love him,” Ryan asserted with confidence. “We’ve been together for two years. There’s no way you moved on that fast. Kathleen, divorce him and let me marry you.”
Her eyes narrowed with a glint of contempt after seeing his confidence. “I don’t love you.”
“Impossible! I found out you transferred your job back here because of me,” he replied, getting worked up. “Kathleen, I swear I’ll never betray you again.”
Kathleen was never one to believe in someone else’s promises, especially not from someone who had broken their word before.
“I have no intention of betraying my husband or my marriage.”
After learning that Ryan didn’t know who had assaulted him, she didn’t plan to stay a second longer.
She took one final look at the casts on his limbs and advised, “Get some rest.”
“Kathleen!”
She shut the door behind her and cut off his voice.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Sometimes she wished people like him would stay in the hospital forever.
…
Kathleen had been out for an hour. When she left the house, she had made sure to be extra careful not to awaken Shawn.
Now, all she had to do was sneak back in quietly.
As she entered the passcode, tension coiled through her body, and a deep frown furrowed her brow with each button she pressed.
She wondered why there wasn’t an option to silence the passcode entry, as the beeping felt far too loud in the silence.
When the lock clicked open, she clenched her jaw tightly. In the dead of night, even breathing seemed loud enough to wake someone.
Kathleen pulled open the door and slipped inside, carefully shutting it behind her. The sound of the lock clicking in place nearly stopped her heart.
The moment she took off her shoes, she breathed a sigh of relief. However, at that moment, the light turned on, and she froze.
Katherine had never panicked like this before. It felt like she had just broken into someone else’s house and been caught red-handed.
She wanted to run, but her feet seemed stuck to the floor, which meant she couldn’t move.
The house felt like a frozen cave as it was cold and unforgiving.
Kathleen took a deep breath and slowly turned around. As expected, Shawn stood there with a chilly look and eyes that were colder than ice. He was extremely pissed.
She forced a weak smile. “Oh, you’re awake!”
“Explain yourself,” he demanded flatly with a blank expression.
She bit her lip and lied, “I just went out to get some fresh air.”
He stared at her, disbelief written all over his face.
“I went to the hospital.” She sighed and decided to be honest.
The realization hit him immediately, and his gaze grew darker. “You went to see your ex?”
Kathleen didn’t like the way he said “ex”. It sounded odd, almost suggestive, coming from his lips.
“I just wanted to know if he knew it was you.”
“And?” Shawn’s gaze was keen.
“He doesn’t, but he won’t let this matter go,” she replied honestly.
Hearing this, Shawn let out a cold snort. “What is he gonna do?”
He clearly didn’t see Ryan as a threat, but Kathleen thought he was being a bit too arrogant.
She warned him, “He’s not exactly a saint, so you should still be careful.”
His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he turned and walked to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He asked casually, “Did you tell him it was me?”
“Why would I?” Katherine wasn’t an idiot to betray him. If she had the strength, she would’ve beaten Ryan up as well.
Shawn took a sip of water, and his gaze darkened as he stated, “He’s your ex.”
“And you’re my husband,” she blurted out.
When Kathleen realized what she had just said, her eyes brightened as she looked at him.
He stood frozen with the cup in his hand, repeating her words silently.
“Shawn.”
He looked up at her coolly.
Then, she walked over and stood in front of the counter between them. A grin appeared on her face as she assured him, “You’re the most important person in my heart right now. So, don’t ever question how I feel about you.”
“Stop talking nonsense,” Shawn muttered and set down the glass.
At the sight of him about to walk away, Kathleen’s heart raced, and she stepped in front of the bedroom door to block him.
“Move away.” He frowned.
“I really like you.”
What was there not to like about a good-looking man like him?
Shawn stared at her and saw the genuine glint in her eyes. “How much do you like me?” he asked, stepping closer and closing the gap between them.
Katherine didn’t move but tilted her head slightly to meet his eyes. “I like you so much that I want to have your child.”
If he really was going to die, she believed it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have his child. Once he was gone, she wouldn’t remarry but would raise the child on her own, and life would be just fine.
Upon hearing this, he narrowed his eyes at her and thought she had quite the guts. “Are you pregnant?” he asked, looking down at her belly. “Are you looking for someone to take responsibility?”
“What?” Kathleen was perplexed by his question. She wondered what was in his mind that led him to make such an assumption.
“You broke up with your ex, discovered you were pregnant, and decided to marry someone so they could bear the responsibility randomly,” he explained as though he had it all figured out.
She stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
Seeing the look on her face, Shawn took a step back, and his expression darkened.
