Chapter 74
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 74<\/p>\n
Bonnie\u2019s heart jumped. Without even thinking, she blurted out, “No.”<\/p>\n
Shirley didn\u2019t give away whether she believed her or not. She set the celery on the cutting board, nudging Bonnie aside as she started chopping. “Let\u2019s not talk about the past. I don\u2019t care why you and Lawrence broke up. What matters is he made you lose hearing in your left ear, ruined your reputation, and pulled our family apart. Those are facts, aren\u2019t they?”<\/p>\n
Bonnie just nodded. Of course she knew.<\/p>\n
“So, I don\u2019t care why he\u2019s back or what he wants. You\u2019re not allowed to get tangled up with him again. If you do, don\u2019t blame me for not recognizing you as my daughter.” Shirley\u2019s tone was calm, but there was no mistaking the seriousness in her voice.<\/p>\n
She absolutely meant it. It was different from the harsh, angry words she\u2019d thrown out three years ago. This time, Shirley was clear.<\/p>\n
If you mess up again, you\u2019re not welcome home.<\/p>\n
Whenever Shirley thought about those photos and videos, about relatives, friends, and neighbors pointing at Bonnie behind her back, calling her a homewrecker, saying she was shameless, her heart twisted with pain.<\/p>\n
Bonnie had always been her source of pride, the daughter who outshone everyone else from the time she was little. But Lawrence had ruined that.<\/p>\n
How was Shirley supposed to forgive him? She couldn\u2019t even say, \u201cLet it go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie glanced at the streaks of white in her mother\u2019s hair and suddenly remembered what Helen had told her.<\/p>\n
Just act a little sweet, and she’ll come around.<\/p>\n
She hesitated, then gathered her courage and hugged her mom. Shirley, surprised, paused in the middle of chopping and stiffened.<\/p>\n
“I won\u2019t, Mom. I won\u2019t make the same mistakes again.”<\/p>\n
Shirley made a sound of acknowledgment, patted Bonnie\u2019s arm, and lowered her voice. “Go have tea with your dad. That tea Aiken brought looks good. Try it, and since we’re taking things from him, be sure to invite him out for a meal. Don\u2019t just accept things for nothing.”<\/p>\n
With just the one kid, he couldn\u2019t really claim he favored boys too much. He liked to think he\u2019d poured plenty of love and energy into Bonnie, which was part of why her chaotic relationship had left him so furious and disappointed.<\/p>\n
But that had been three years ago.<\/p>\n
Bonnie couldn\u2019t think of anything else either, so she went back to the kitchen to help her mom cook. For their first reunion dinner after so long, Shirley had made a bunch of dishes. Bonnie carried them out one by one, finally feeling a little of the comfort she used to know.<\/p>\n
Every dish was something she loved.<\/p>\n
“If your stomach gives you trouble, start bringing your own lunch and cut back on takeout. Stop eating all that junk,” Shirley said, putting a chicken wing on Bonnie\u2019s plate. “Are you even a hundred pounds now? You look so thin.”<\/p>\n
Bonnie was cracking crab legs for her parents. She glanced up and said, “Pretty close, I guess. I\u2019ve just been working a ton of overtime lately, so I look skinnier. I\u2019m not all bones, though.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-742","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/742","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=742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}