Chapter 126
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 126<\/p>\n
All that gentle comfort only made Hannah feel colder, like every drop of warmth was being drained out of her. She sat there, numb, trying to process the fact that Odette and Lawrence had lured her out just to see a psychologist.<\/p>\n
Her hands curled into tight fists, nails biting into her skin. The sting grounded her, helped her hold herself together when everything else was falling apart. She kept her gaze down, eyes clouded with emotion she didn\u2019t dare let slip.<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, I\u2019m not sick,\u201d she said, her voice low. \u201cWhy do I need to see a psychologist?\u201d<\/p>\n
Odette tried to sound reassuring. \u201cSweetheart, it\u2019s not that I think you\u2019re sick. Your director just mentioned you haven\u2019t wanted to get back on stage, and you keep turning down the little performances. I was worried maybe being away from dance for so long, with the baby and everything, made it hard for you to come back. This is just a short consultation, nothing more, I promise, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
No matter how pretty the words, no matter how reasonable they tried to make it sound, Hannah knew these were just excuses. Maybe they even believed them. But that didn\u2019t make it better.<\/p>\n
She pressed her fingers harder into her palms, chasing pain because it at least made sense, unlike everything else. And now, after everything, she could finally see things for what they were.<\/p>\n
Lawrence was done playing along. He didn\u2019t want to fight anymore. The moment he got back and saw Bonnie, it was like a switch flipped, and suddenly, he came alive again.<\/p>\n
So here they were, hoping some appointment would \u201cfix\u201d her. And after that? What then? Did they think this would make it easier for him to leave her? To call it quits on this stunted, miserable marriage, and then run off chasing some new love?<\/p>\n
It felt so unfair. Why should she be the sacrifice, the one left behind, discarded when she\u2019d given up years of her life and sanity?<\/p>\n
Hannah fought back a scream. The car rolled to a halt in the parking lot, engine quietly cutting off. For a moment, there was just silence in the air, thick enough to choke on.<\/p>\n
She looked at Odette\u2014the woman she\u2019d started calling \u201cMom\u201d at barely nine years old\u2014and what she felt most was disappointment. Odette had agreed to this plan, even pushed for it.<\/p>\n
The mother who used to be her shield, her biggest fan, the \u201cmom\u201d who always picked her first, had chosen her real child after all. She chose Bonnie. Some truths felt sharp enough to bleed you dry.<\/p>\n
Half real pain, half performance, the more she cried, the worse it sounded.<\/p>\n
Lawrence slipped out of the car and leaned back, lighting a cigarette. It had been forever since his last one. The first drag burned his throat, making him cough.<\/p>\n
After a minute, he pulled out his phone and called Quentin.<\/p>\n
Quentin answered before the first ring finished. \u201cAre you here? I\u2019ll send someone out to get you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe another time,\u201d Lawrence said, voice raw and gravelly. He coughed again, sounding tired. \u201cHannah\u2019s not willing right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quentin paused, then spoke gently. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take time. She can\u2019t really accept that anything\u2019s wrong. You can\u2019t just drag someone to therapy if they\u2019re not ready. It won\u2019t work, especially when she thinks she\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-794","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/794","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=794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}