An awkward silence thickened in the air, heavy enough to slice with a knife.
Anna sat with her arms crossed, her glare sharp enough to pin Shawn to the wall. Betty, anwhile, sat beside her, cheeks flushed crimson, her hands fidgeting nervously in her lap as she tried very hard not to et anyone’s eyes.
"Y-you should have called before visiting ," Shawn finally managed, shrinking deeper into his seat. He was now fully buried inside a hoodie, its hood pulled so low it almost covered his nose. Despite the droplets of water still dripping from his damp hair, he refused to take it off as if the thin fabric could erase the embarrassnt that had just occurred.
Anna’s brow twitched. "We did ring the bell for soti," she said flatly. "It’s just that your ears apparently decided to stop working. And besides," she added, eyes narrowing, "you already gave soone a spare key to your ’fortress,’ didn’t you?"
Betty’s blush deepened to a shade of tomato. She quickly glanced at Shawn and then looked away, staring hard at the floor as if it could swallow her whole.
"I didn’t know you’d be... busy," she muttered, her voice small and mortified. "You said I could use the key if you didn’t open the door, and... you didn’t open the door."
Anna sighed dramatically, rubbing her temples. "Sweetheart, there’s a difference between a rescue mission and barging into a man’s ho while he’s—" she stopped herself, shuddering. "Never mind."
Shawn groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Can we not talk about this anymore?"
"Gladly," Anna snapped, crossing her legs and leaning back, though the corner of her lips twitched like she was holding back laughter. "Honestly, Shawn, of all the ways to greet your guests half-naked wasn’t the image I expected."
"That wasn’t a greeting!" he shot back, voice cracking from pure mortification.
Betty covered her mouth to muffle a giggle, and that only made Shawn’s ears turn bright red.
He sighed, trying to compose himself, and muttered, "I’ve been working nonstop for three days. I thought I could finally take a quick shower before continuing."
Anna raised an unimpressed brow. "Three days? You’re lucky you didn’t collapse before we showed up."
"Or worse," Betty chid in softly, her tone now gentle. "Starve. You didn’t even touch the food I brought yesterday."
"I did," Shawn corrected quickly, pointing toward the empty plate. "I just... ate it after you left."
Anna shook her head, exhaling. "You need to take better care of yourself, Shawn. Finding Kathrine won’t an anything if you’re too dead to see it through."
At that, Shawn’s expression softened. He looked up, his eyes a little less flustered and a lot more serious.
"I know," he said quietly. "And... I might have found sothing that could actually help us this ti."
Anna’s teasing tone vanished completely, replaced by the calm, asured voice of soone who had already made up her mind.
"About that," she began, setting her coffee aside, "I think we need to change the plan."
Shawn, half slouched in his chair, lifted his hood just enough to look at her, brows furrowed. "Wait—change the plan? Hold on—" he straightened slightly, suspicion creeping in. "Am I being fired?"
Anna clicked her tongue, giving him a deadpan stare. "Don’t be dramatic. No one’s firing you. You’re my best comrade in this entire ss, how could I ever get rid of you?"
Relief visibly washed over Shawn’s face, though he still muttered, "Could’ve just said that first."
"Then why change the plan?" he asked, curiosity replacing his panic. "We can still wait until she—"
"That won’t work," Anna interrupted, her tone sharp, decisive. "Because she’s already given up."
Shawn froze, his words catching in his throat. "What do you an she’s given up?"
Even Betty leaned forward now, her wide eyes flicking between them. The confidence in Anna’s expression, the quiet surety in her posture it was enough to silence them both.
Anna reached for her phone, unlocked it, and turned the screen toward them.
"Because Kathrine’s been watching us the whole ti," she said calmly. "More specifically watching ."
Both Shawn and Betty blinked, trying to process her words until they saw what she ant.
"Wait—what is this?" Betty asked.
Anna’s finger pointed to one small detail on the screen. A single "like" among thousands. A na.
@Gloria.
Kathrine’s old account the one Anna knew belonged only to her which was after her cats na.
Shawn’s jaw dropped. "You’re kidding. She liked your post?"
"Yes," Anna said flatly. "Which ans she’s active, and deliberately toying with us."
Her tone wasn’t angry, but the subtle tightening of her jaw betrayed her irritation. "All this ti, we’ve been worrying about her, tracing her, trying to connect the dots while she’s probably been sitting sowhere laughing at our efforts."
Betty’s eyes widened. "Then... should we trace her location through this account? It’s proof she’s online. We can find her, right?"
Shawn nodded eagerly, his analytical brain already spinning. "Exactly. I can cross check her IP activity, narrow it down by—"
"No."
Anna’s voice cut clean through the air. Calm and Final leaving both Shawn and Betty look at her in disbelief.
"That won’t be necessary," she said, her gaze distant but sharp. "Because Kathrine will co back on her own."
Shawn frowned. "You’re sure about that?"
"Absolutely," Anna replied. "Kathrine’s the type who loves control. She thrives on attention, on mystery. She’s enjoying this little ga, the idea that we’re running in circles while she watches from the sidelines. But she won’t last long."
She leaned back, her expression softening just a little. "Luxury and attention are like oxygen to her. She can’t live without either. Once the thrill fades, she’ll crawl back to the life she left behind her comfort zone, her spotlight."
Betty looked at her in awe, as if she were deciphering a secret code. "You really know her well, don’t you, Big Sis?"
Anna smiled faintly. "She is my sister, I grew up with her. I know exactly what kind of stage she needs to breathe."
Shawn leaned back, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "So... we wait for her to make the next move?"
"Yes," Anna said simply. "This ti, we stop chasing. We let her believe she’s in control. And when she finally steps into the open again she won’t see us coming."
Her voice carried a quiet steel that made both of them exchange wary glances.
But as Anna’s confidence settled, her gaze drifted to the window. For a fleeting mont, a different thought flickered in her eyes, sothing she didn’t dare voice aloud.
If Kathrine really did co back...
’Then Daniel and she would probably find their way back to each other again,’ Anna thought, her fingers unconsciously curling into a fist.
That was supposed to be her goal, to end this marriage, to give him back the woman he’d once loved.
So why did her chest feel tight all of a sudden?
’No,’ she told herself firmly, cutting the thought short. ’I can’t go through that kind of neglect again. Not now when I got a chance to get over it’
Her heart warred with her reason, but her face betrayed nothing.
"Alright then," she said, standing up with quiet resolve. "Let the ga play itself out."
Outside the window, sunlight broke through the clouds. But deep down, Anna couldn’t shake the chill that ca with knowing. Yet she didn’t bothered to dwell much.
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