Chapter 17
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 17<\/p>\n
Bonnie slipped into the front seat beside Daniel, quietly picking up on his tense mood. She didn\u2019t ask, just turned her head and watched the city rolling by outside the window.<\/p>\n
At a red light, Daniel found himself stealing a glance at her profile\u2014sharp lines, quiet coldness. They\u2019d met thanks to a mutual friend at the firm. Since then, their conversations on WeChat had always been brief, almost too brief. Bonnie never typed more than a handful of words at a time.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d never shared anything about her past, not her relationships, not even the smallest personal like or dislike. There was nothing for Daniel to go on. He didn\u2019t even know how things had ended between Bonnie and her ex, the one who looked like he came from old money.<\/p>\n
And now, that man\u2019s Maybach was following just behind them.<\/p>\n
Daniel had this weird feeling, like any minute that flashy car would floor it and rear-end him without a second thought.<\/p>\n
Traffic thickened as they got close to the restaurant. Daniel tried to resist the urge to ask, but finally, he blurted out, \u201cBonnie, how many relationships have you had?\u201d<\/p>\n
She seemed surprised, then looked down a little, her voice soft. \u201cJust one.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pressed on, trying to sound casual. \u201cWould it be okay if I ask why you broke up? I mean… you\u2019re so gorgeous. Honestly, if it were me, I don\u2019t think I could ever let go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie stared at her hands, her reply steady, almost flat, nothing like the nervous energy in the air. \u201cMy ex died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s hands stiffened on the steering wheel. He glanced in the mirror at the Maybach still trailing them, its driver sitting straight as ever. Bonnie said he was dead.<\/p>\n
That must have left a pretty deep scar.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t bring it up again. Once they got to the restaurant, he specifically avoided any personal topics.<\/p>\n
Dinner was mostly quiet. Bonnie picked at her food, skipping the sashimi, barely eating\u2014it seemed she had a sensitive stomach.<\/p>\n
Daniel kept things polite. They chatted about work, stuff at the design institute, real estate, nothing more.<\/p>\n
When they finished, Bonnie offered to catch a movie together, but Daniel shook his head and said it was getting late. Maybe next time.<\/p>\n
But Lawrence knew he didn\u2019t have the right to say anything anymore.<\/p>\n
He leaned against his car for a long time. Window after window lit up in the apartment complex, but he had no clue which one belonged to Bonnie. For all he knew, she could be texting her date right now while he stood out in the dark.<\/p>\n
A sharp, bitter ache clawed at Lawrence\u2019s chest. The reality that someone else might end up with Bonnie one day stung like acid\u2014eating away at him from the inside out.<\/p>\n
Almost without thinking, he pulled out his phone, typed her number into the search bar. Bonnie\u2019s contact popped up. Her profile picture was just a landscape\u2014rolling fields, distant mountains, clear blue sky.<\/p>\n
He tapped through, hoping for more, but her social feed only showed a sunset. He wasn\u2019t a friend, he couldn\u2019t see anything else.<\/p>\n
There wasn\u2019t a single photo of Bonnie saved on his phone.<\/p>\n
He crushed the cigarette between his fingers and snapped the filter, then peeled off his phone case with one hand. A tiny photo slid out\u2014it was a little crooked, the edges yellowed from being touched too many times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-685","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/685","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=685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}