He remained silent, but his response was clearâhe wasnât interested.
With a heavy sigh, Lily watched as Shawn, a man of deep emotions, walked away. Katherine had hurriedly pulled Joelle from the cafe, her mind clearly elsewhere.
âLook, isnât that Shawn with Lily?â Joelle asked.
Katherine looked up quickly but didnât see them.
âFeeling jealous, Kathy?â Joelle teased.
âNot at all!â Katherine retorted, her tone tinged with annoyance. Joelle had been convinced Shawn wouldnât pursue Lily, yet there they were, seemingly connecting. His alleged interest in her now seemed superficial.
âShawn would definitely think youâre jealous of Lily if he saw you now.â
Katherine dismissed the idea.
âYouâre reading too much into it! Shawn is free to be with whomever he chooses. Iâm just glad heâs finally leaving me be!â
Joelle was about to respond when she turned and saw Shawn standing just behind Katherine.
âShawnâ¦â
Katherine turned her head. It couldnât be Shawn, could it? But she was wrongâit was indeed him.
Shawnâs expression was a stark contrast to the smiles he usually wore; it was as if the weight of his emotions had finally cracked the facade.
âI need to attend to something, Iâll leave first,â he said.
Joelle and Katherine both yearned to offer words of comfort, but Shawnâs expression made them hesitate, fearing that anything they said would only add to his embarrassment.
It was a universal understanding that some words were better left unspoken.
Katherine felt a twinge of reluctance as she watched Shawn leave, even an impulse to rush over and apologize.
However, reason prevailed, holding her back and preventing her from acting on that impulse. She was convinced that, with time, Shawn would come to understand.
âJoelle, letâs go too.â
Joelle stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the two figures walking away from each other.
They were two perfectly good people. Why did fate seem determined to keep them apart?
With a sigh, Joelle shook her head and followed Katherine.
As the evening drew in, Adrian settled beside Joelle in the study with two cups of coffee.
âDid you find it out?â she asked.
Adrian nodded, his hand reaching for the tablet that lay beside him.
âThis is what Callan managed to dig up.â
Joelle quickly skimmed through it.
âSevere aplastic anemia?â
.
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