Julian's POV
The tension in the room was killing me, coupled with Gabriel's furious breathing and the knowledge that at any second, the ringing of Catherine's phone would betray her presence. I watched Gabriel's thumb hover over the phone screen, ready to expose our lie.
The ringing tone finally came but it wasn't from the balcony. Instead, it erupted from my bedside table. My phone was the one ringing.
I stared at it, for a while, wondering if that was really my phone or Catherine's. I regained myself and lunged for the phone, seizing it before the second ring could sound. An unknown number was calling.
"Who is it?" Gabriel demanded, his voice still holding suspicion, as his eyes fixed on me. "Go on. Pick it up!"
I flipped the screen and answered instantly, putting the phone to my ear. "Hello?"
The voice that answered was unmistakably feminine, and weirdly familiar. "Catherine?"
Gabriel chimed in. "Put the call on a loudspeaker."
