?<strong>Chapter 464:</strong>


    Without thinking too much, she sent a friend request. Whether Arlo epted or not didn’t matter.


    The nurse was right—if she didn’t take the first step, there would never be a story to tell.


    At the airport, Shawn was startled when he received a friend request from Katherine. It took him a moment to process what he was seeing.


    After all this time, she still hadn’t let go of Frankie? Why reach out now when she was about to get engaged to Bobby?


    Without hesitation, he epted the request and sent a simple question mark.


    But Katherine didn’t reply for a long time. Determined not to miss her answer, Shawn set an rm for when hended, just to be sure.


    Meanwhile, Katherine, having indulged in a bit too much wine, had dozed off on the couch. She woke up the next morning to the sound of her phone ringing, the haze of sleep and alcohol still clinging to her.


    “Hello?” Her voice was hoarse, a clear sign she had just woken up.


    “It’s me, Shawn.”


    Katherine nced at the caller ID. “Hi!”


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    “Are you free this weekend?”


    “For what?”


    “Come with me to an event.”


    “Why me?”


    “Stop asking so many questions.”


    Running her fingers through her tangled hair, Katherine relented. “Alright, what kind of event?”


    “An outdoor adventure survival course.”


    Katherine had heard of such experiences—part of the recent boom in domestic tourism. The image of her and Shawn, stranded in some remote wilderness, shed in her mind. It was the kind of situation that seemed ripe for unintended sparks. People had a way of giving in to temptation when loneliness and opportunity crossed paths.


    “Got it,” she agreed.


    “Oh, and bring Bobby along.”


    Katherine blinked, taken aback. “Huh?”


    Why bring Bobby? Wasn’t Shawn inviting her for a date?


    “The boss said the more, the merrier.”


    Katherine couldn’t think of a good reason to argue. “Oh, got it.”


    After the call, she reached out to Bobby.


    Bobby, always cautious about things like this, voiced his concerns immediately. “It’s one thing for Shawn to invite you, but why me?”


    Katherine could only shrug. “How should I know?”


    Bobby paused, thinking it over. “Do you think it’s one of those situations where a love turned sour, and now he wants to kill me off in the mountains?”


    “Honestly, it’s not entirely impossible.”


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