Avery Kane Deveraux sat in her office, her pen hovering over a document she had been trying to review for the past hour. No matter how hard she tried to focus, Margaret’s words echoed in her mind: “You might want to ask Shawn about his perfect little life.”
Shawn had always been honest, supportive, and reliable. He was her anchor in the chaos of her world. But Margaret’s insinuation had planted a seed of doubt that she couldn’t shake. Was it just a desperate attempt to rattle her, or was there something real behind it?
Her phone buzzed, breaking her thoughts. It was a text from her best friend, Janice:
Dinner tonight? You look like you need it.
Avery sighed, knowing Janice could always sense when something was wrong.
You’re not wrong. 7 PM at our usual spot?
The restaurant was dimly lit and bustling with chatter when Avery arrived. Janice was already waiting, sipping a glass of wine.
“You look like you haven’t slept in a week,” Janice said as Avery slid into the seat across from her.
“That’s because I haven’t,” Avery admitted, picking up the menu.
Janice set her glass down, her sharp eyes narrowing. “Alright, spill. What’s going on?”
Avery hesitated before lowering her voice. “It’s about Shawn. Someone—someone I really don’t trust—suggested that he might be hiding something from me.”
Janice’s eyebrows shot up. “Shawn? Hiding something? That doesn’t sound like him.”
“I know,” Avery said quickly. “But ever since Margaret said it, I can’t stop thinking about it. What if there’s something I don’t know? What if…” She trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
Janice leaned forward, her expression softening. “Aves, you have to talk to him. Don’t let this fester. If there’s nothing to it, great. If there is, wouldn’t you rather know now than later?”
“I don’t want to create tension before the wedding,” Avery said, fiddling with her napkin. “What if I’m overreacting?”
“What if you’re not?” Janice countered. “Look, I get it—you’re under a lot of pressure. But keeping this to yourself isn’t going to make it better. You trust him, right?”
“I do,” Avery said, though her voice wavered.
“Then talk to him,” Janice urged. “If he’s the guy we all know he is, he’ll be honest with you.”
Avery nodded, though her chest still felt tight with uncertainty.
Over the next few days, Avery tried to brush off her doubts, but Shawn’s behavior only added fuel to the fire. He had always been open with her, but now he seemed distracted, slipping out of the room to take phone calls and avoiding eye contact when she asked how his day had been.
One evening, as they sat on the couch watching a movie, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and immediately flipped it over, his jaw tightening.
“Who was that?” Avery asked, her voice casual but her heart pounding.
“Just a work thing,” Shawn replied quickly.
“You’ve been getting a lot of ‘work things’ lately,” Avery said, trying to keep her tone light.
Shawn offered a small smile. “You know how it is—projects piling up.”
Avery nodded, but doubt gnawed at her. Shawn had never been this evasive before.
The next morning, Avery woke up early to prepare for an important meeting. As she sipped her coffee, Shawn’s phone buzzed on the counter. He was still in the shower, so she glanced at the screen out of habit.
Her breath caught when she saw the message preview:
From: Unknown Number
We need to talk before it’s too late.
Avery’s heart pounded as she stared at the screen. The words sent a chill through her. What could this mean? Who was texting Shawn from an unknown number?