?<strong>Chapter 377:</strong>


    Here was a grown man, focused solely on her, and the intensity of it all terrified her. How could she not be afraid?


    “I’m begging you. Can’t you just let me go?”


    Shawn’s expression grew serious. “Let you go? So you can keep bouncing from one guy to the next? I can’t do that, Katherine. You can’t keep leading me on and then pretend you’re not.”


    “Who the hell has led you on?” Katherine cursed, but quickly caught herself, forcing her voice to calm. “Look, if you can’t deal with this, then we’ll just stop attending the same events. Where you are, I won’t be, and vice versa. We can act like we never knew each other, alright?”


    “No.” Shawn’s answer was immediate, his eyes never leaving her face.


    The air between them thickened with silence.


    The heat patch had started to expand in her palm, slowly warming up as it met the cool air.


    Katherine unclenched her fist, but Shawn’s grip on her wrist remained steadfast.


    “I’m not the viin you think I am. The real problem is that you’re still adjusting to what’s changed between us.”


    Katherine barely heard him, her thoughts scattered as she tried to figure out her next move.


    “Katherine, no matter whates next, I won’t put you in a tough spot. Just take your time and think it through. I’ll leave the country if you don’t feel anything for me. You won’t have to deal with me anymore. How does that sound?”


    Katherine swallowed hard, inching backward, trying to carve out some space between them.


    Her mind raced for an answer, but none came. Luckily, a car horn red from behind, cutting through the tension. It was her family’s car. Katherine jumped at the chance to escape.


    “Looks like my ride’s here. I’ve got to go. Goodbye!”


    With that, she hastily slipped out of the car and jogged away, leaving Shawn behind.


    When she stepped into her house, her phone buzzed—Shawn, again. It was as if he’d been waiting, counting the seconds since she left.


    Feeling a wave of frustration, Katherine bypassed her parents, who were glued to the TV, and stormed upstairs. After changing into her pajamas, she heard her mother’s voice from the hallway.


    “Katherine! Shawn just called. He said he couldn’t get through to you. Is your phone off? He’s been worried. Call him back when you can!”


    Katherine rubbed her temples, the weight of the situation pressing down on her.


    What could she even say?


    She and Shawn had been so close for so long that her parents were already in on it. How could she possibly date someone who’d be more like family? The thought seemed impossible.


    What was Shawn really thinking?


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