She Bet I’d Never Leave—So I Did / Chapter 7: The Night He Stopped Answering
She Bet I’d Never Leave—So I Did

She Bet I’d Never Leave—So I Did

Author: Lori Joseph

Chapter 7: The Night He Stopped Answering

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Shawna was single again.

A bunch of rich girls threw a "singles party," getting drunk and wild at karaoke.

They crashed in a row on the couches.

No idea what time it was when someone, half-awake, grabbed their phone.

"Whoa! Big news!"

That shout woke a few of them.

"That mysterious Winters heiress actually showed up in Chicago!"

One girl waved a hand, still half asleep.

"No way. Didn’t they say she was abroad for treatment? No one’s seen her in ten years!"

"For real! It’s all over the trending topics!"

Phones started making the rounds.

The room, which had cooled off, buzzed with excitement again.

"It really is her! And she’s got a guy with her! They say she rushed back overnight to take him abroad!"

"Wow, PR didn’t even have time to react. How urgent was this?"

"Let me see, let me see!"

"Huh, this guy... why does he look so familiar..."

"Shawna, Shawna!"

Someone nudged Shawna. "Look, doesn’t the guy in Sarah Winters’ arms look like... your husband?"

Shawna had been awake for a while. She just didn’t care.

But she didn’t like watching the Winters family’s drama.

"How could that be your husband?"

She took the phone, rolling her eyes. "He’s too scared to even leave Chicago, let alone go abroad..."

But the moment she glanced at the photo, her fingers tightened around the phone.

It was pouring at the airport.

Under a black umbrella, the woman’s figure was elegant, her face cool and aloof.

She stood in front of him, shielding him from the rain.

But Shawna knew Jack Quinn’s build, his silhouette, too well...

Impossible.

Shawna slammed the phone down.

Jack Quinn, with Sarah Winters? Impossible.

He’d even asked her to his apartment tonight—

probably missed her after not seeing her for a month.

Shawna picked up the wine on the table.

Took a sip.

Pulled out her own phone.

Scrolled to Jack Quinn’s number, about to dial.

She glanced at the time.

Three in the morning.

Forget it. He’d be asleep at this hour.

But then again—Jack Quinn always picked up, no matter the hour.

Shawna lit up her phone again.

Dialed.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is no longer in service."

The words blinked on the screen. Final as a slammed door. The silence that followed was heavier than any argument. For the first time, Shawna stared at her reflection in the black glass of her phone, realizing just how far away he’d gone.

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