A Sense of Guilt ✔

Chapter 22

Incandescent with rage Katherine stormed out of the house and called a cab to take her to Durty Nelly's. The dive bar was the last place she'd normally frequent but she welcomed the change of scenery. She ordered a brandy, something she rarely never drank, and then called Donnie.

'I need Shannon's phone number now,' she insisted when he picked up.

'Are you okay Katie, you're not going to do something stupid?'

For once she didn't wince when he called her Katie. 'No Donnie, I'm going to do what I should have done a long time ago.' She was getting no straight answers from Joe, so she might as well speak to Shannon herself.

'Look this isn't Shannon's fault. Whatever you think is going on, it's down to Joe.'

'I don't know what's going on, that's why I want to speak to Shannon myself.' She had to raise her voice to be heard over the background noise. 'Please text me her number.'

There was a long pause and then Donnie spoke. 'Okay, I will.'

'Thanks, Donnie,' she said ending the call and almost instantly her phone buzzed with a text alert. She opened the message and then saved the number to her phone, her nerve momentarily deserting her. Donnie was right, whatever was going on was down to Joe, and yet she couldn't help blaming the over made up trolley dolly. She took a sip of her drink and hit the call button next to Shannon's number. She might not even answer anyway.

After three rings Shannon picked up. 'Hello?'

Katherine could hear the hesitation in her voice, she probably thought it was a sales call. She cleared her throat. 'This is Kat, Joe's fiancee.'

'Oh!'

Katherine paused wishing she'd rehearsed what she was going to say. 'What's going on with you and Joe?' she asked, her palms clammy.

'This is a conversation you should be having with him,' Shannon said.

Katherine scoffed. 'I have.'

'So what's he said?'

'That you're friends, that he's your confidant.'

'I have confided in him,' Shannon told her.

'That must be nice for you, knowing your ex-boyfriend hides your secrets from his fiancee,' Katherine said trying not to sneer.

'I never asked him to do that, I assumed he would tell you actually.'

'Well yes, cos that's normally how it works in a relationship,' Katherine snapped. 'But you're secrets are extra special aren't they.'

There was a long silence at the end of the line and Katherine was about to end the call when Shannon spoke up. 'I was pregnant, my boyfriend didn't want to have a baby so I allowed myself to be coerced into having an abortion.' Katherine inhaled sharply. 'There, you know, so can you leave me alone now.'

Katherine was startled, she couldn't think why Joe wouldn't tell her that. 'I'm sorry that happened but I still think you've crossed a line with Joe. He can't be your friend or confidant or whatever you want to call it.' She knew she'd never get her relationship back on track with Shannon in the background.

'Fine I won't see him,' Shannon said.

'And I'll be telling Joe he can't see you,' Katherine replied cringing at how controlling she sounded.

'Yes do that, I'd appreciate it,' Shannon said before terminating the call.

Katherine sat back feeling distinctly let down. So much for the big confrontation, she'd psyched herself up for.