When she regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was Shawn, asleep from exhaustion by her side.
The sight of him tugged at her heart. She reached forward to drape his coat over him, but the slightest movement stirred him awake.
âHow are you feeling? Does anything hurt?â he asked.
Katherine shook her head. âWhat about your injuries?â
âIâm fine. Just some minor scratches, nothing serious.â
âAlright.â
Shawn reached for her hand, taking it in his, his eyes full of guilt. âIâm sorry. I shouldâve gone with you to the restroom.â
âItâs okay. Accidents happen,â Katherine said, holding no grudges about the incident. âBut if you hadnât found me sooner, I couldâve been in more danger, so I owe you one for getting to me before it was too late.â
Still, Shawn couldnât shake off the guilt. He shouldnât have brought her to the mountain. In his selfishness, he had unintentionally put her life at risk. He had passed that slope many times in his search but hadnât noticed her lying there, hurt and unconscious.
âHey, what is it? I said Iâm fine. Totally.â
âItâs all my fault,â he muttered.
Katherine, surprised by Shawnâs strong sense of responsibility, rolled her eyes and quickly changed the subject.
âIâm hungry,â she said, successfully interrupting his gloomy thoughts. âIf you buy me some food, Iâll forgive you.â
Shawn got up at once.
As she watched him leave, Katherine couldnât help but smile, finally realizing how to handle him.
On the bedside table lay her two phones. The old one, in particular, had a number of messages, all from Frankie.
âKatherine, where are you?â
âSeriously, donât scare me. Please reply. Iâm worried about you.â
As she read through the messages, Katherineâs smile slowly faded. Something felt off.
The messages had been sent around the time she had tumbled down the slope.
Shawn returned with the food Katherine had requested, still dressed in clothes that showed signs of dust and grime from his travels.
During his absence, Katherine had made several phone calls.
As Shawn entered, Katherine set her phone aside, feigning indifference as though nothing had transpired.
âDig in, itâs at the perfect temperature,â she said casually.
âShawn,â Katherine called out, a smile on her lips that didnât quite reach her eyes. Her gaze, firm and unyielding, stayed fixed on him. âIs there something youâre hiding from me?â
âNo, absolutely not,â Shawn replied quickly, but his words did little to ease Katherineâs concerns.
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