Chapter 9
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 9<\/p>\n
Bonnie hadn\u2019t slept a wink. She just stared at the ceiling until morning crept in, exhausted and hollow. Fridays usually brought a little happiness, something to help her through the week, but not today. She felt like a ghost, barely present as she shuffled out of the subway station on her way to work. Someone in a rush nearly knocked her over. He called out a quick apology while racing ahead, and Bonnie, still in a daze, tucked her hair behind her ear and thought only about getting some breakfast.<\/p>\n
A gentle tap landed on her shoulder. Bonnie turned and saw Helen, her college roommate and current colleague.<\/p>\n
Helen had been by her side for five years straight. Through heartbreak and all the gossip, Helen never left her. They even got their jobs together at the Cabinda School of Architecture and Design, straight out of school. Their friendship was the real deal.<\/p>\n
Bonnie offered her a small, tired smile.<\/p>\n
Helen threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling Bonnie close as she studied the dark circles under her eyes. \u201cYou look completely wiped. Did you sleep at all? I called you a bunch of times just now and even sent texts on the subway, but you didn\u2019t notice anything. You were just standing there, totally out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The subway during the morning rush was insane, way too packed for Helen to push through and check in sooner. Instead, the two of them walked side by side toward the convenience store.<\/p>\n
Bonnie\u2019s lashes trembled. \u201cDidn\u2019t sleep… Insomnia, again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen frowned. \u201cInsomnia, again?\u201d She paused, a spark of curiosity lighting up her eyes. \u201cWait, weren\u2019t you having dinner with that guy Nestor set you up with last night? Don\u2019t tell me you guys stayed up talking all night. Did you actually like him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie turned toward Helen. There was no point hiding things between them. After a few seconds, she finally spoke, voice soft. \u201cLawrence is back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen just stared at her. Silence stretched out, longer than ever. There was shock at first, then it hardened into anger. \u201cAre you kidding me? That jerk is still breathing? So every single curse I\u2019ve sent his way these last few years has gone to waste. Why didn\u2019t he end up in some disaster with his homewrecker in America?\u201d<\/p>\n
She rolled her eyes. Now Lawrence was settled, wife and kid, living his happy-ever-after. Life really wasn\u2019t fair.<\/p>\n
They reached the store, and Bonnie managed a faint, almost bitter smile before pushing open the door.<\/p>\n
After that, Bonnie never spoke Lawrence\u2019s name again. Still, everyone else kept talking. The names Bonnie and Lawrence, real or not, got stuck in all the gossip\u2014across classes, departments, the whole university.<\/p>\n
All those videos and photos might have been deleted, but no one could stop the rumors. People said Bonnie was never his real girlfriend, that she was the other woman between Lawrence and Hannah. They painted her as the mistress who chased after him even when Hannah\u2014the ‘real’ girlfriend\u2014got pregnant. The stories just kept spinning, getting worse every time.<\/p>\n
Not once did Bonnie defend herself.<\/p>\n
Helen knew the truth. Bonnie was never the homewrecker. She was the one who got hurt, caught in a storm she never started.<\/p>\n
After the breakup, every single night, Bonnie hid behind her bed curtain. She cried quietly so the others wouldn\u2019t hear, pressing her fist to her mouth. Helen saw the deep, purple bite marks on her hand more times than she could count.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-677","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}