Chapter 65
A few years back, he got into a scrap and caught hell from his grandfather, but luckily, no one ever figured out why he was fighting. This time around, he couldn’t let his family know he’d thrown punches over Allison. Otherwise, the whole engagement might get pushed back or even called off.
John wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, feeling a chill run down his spine, and quickly said, “I know.”
“Go sort out the paperwork,” Joshua said, keeping his tone cool.
“Yes, Mr. Fisher,” John replied.
Shawn was laid up in a nearby hospital bed and could hear every word of their conversation. He raised an eyebrow with a mocking grin, “A grown man scared of his family finding out he was in a fight? What a baby.”
Joshua just smiled, tossing a challenging look his way, “The only person in the family who needs to know is my fiancée.”
The words “my fiancée” cut deep, like a knife straight to Shawn’s heart. For a moment, it was like all the fight and strength drained out of him, leaving him slumped on the bed, staring vacantly at the IV drip as it slowly released its drops. The physical pain was nothing compared to the heartache he felt inside.
He just couldn’t wrap his head around Allison being engaged to someone else. Was it because he had told her he’d never marry her, so she went and found some random guy to get under his skin? Yeah, that had to be it. Allison loved him too much to live without him. How could she be with anyone else? How could she?
With that thought, Shawn turned to Joshua, a slight sneer in his eyes, “Did she hire you to mess with me? Isn’t there a trend of renting boyfriends online? How much do you charge per hour? I’ll pay you ten times more–ditch her, right now!”
Joshua chuckled, raising an eyebrow, “If that makes you feel better, yeah.”
Allison looked at Shawn like he was nuts, “Are you serious? You think I’d go to the trouble of hiring a fake fiancé just to trick you?”
Shawn seemed set in his belief that Joshua was just a stand–in hired by Allison. Allison scoffed, “Get over yourself!”
John soon wrapped up Joshua’s paperwork, and Joshua got up, ready to move to a private room. Allison took on the role of a caretaker, holding Joshua’s IV stand as she carefully walked beside him out of the room.
Shawn couldn’t stand seeing Allison being so attentive to another guy. Unable to help himself, he reached out to grab her wrist. But a bodyguard quickly stepped in, slapping Shawn’s hand away, “Sir, please, show some respect.”
Joshua gave Shawn a hard look, “Touch her again, and I’ll make sure you regret it.”
Shawn shouted back defiantly, “Go ahead! You think I’m scared?”
Just as it looked like things were about to kick off again, Allison jumped in to calm things down, “Alright, alright, let’s keep it cool. We’re in a hospital.”
This time, Joshua listened and didn’t engage further, following his assistant out of the room.
…
Kate had tagged along with Shawn to Oak Lake. She was out with some girlfriends when she heard Shawn had been beaten up and rushed to the hospital in a panic.
“Shawn, what happened to you?” Kate cried when she saw Shawn’s face, swollen like a balloon.
Shawn stayed silent, staring out the window, lost in his own world. Kate, teary–eyed, asked, “Who did this to you? Did you call the cops?”
Still, Shawn said nothing. Kate kept talking, but Shawn finally snapped, “Can you just leave me alone?”
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Chapter 65
Sniffling, Kate murmured, “I… I want to stay and help you.”
Seeing Shawn hurt like this really got to her.
“You don’t need to,” Shawn dismissed her, “I’ve got a nurse coming. You can go.”
He couldn’t stand to see Kate right now. If it weren’t for her, things with Allison wouldn’t have spiraled out like this. Since Allison left, thoughts of her consumed him day and night. It was ridiculous. Only after she was
gone did he realize Allison was the one he truly loved.
