Chapter 136
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 136<\/p>\n
Aiken had a gut feeling. This woman and her son had something to do with Lawrence. Bonnie hadn\u2019t told him much about why she and Lawrence broke up, just mentioned once that Lawrence was probably married with a kid by now. Aiken had mediated plenty of messy relationship drama, but this was the first time he found himself pulled right into the middle of it.<\/p>\n
A little distance away, the mother and son were being helped up by two young women. One of them tried to offer comfort, but shot Bonnie a judgmental glare that said everything she was thinking. Aiken caught what she said, too\u2014loud enough for everyone to hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has a boyfriend and still goes after someone else\u2019s husband. Can you believe the nerve?\u201d<\/p>\n
Aiken\u2019s eyes turned cold. He could feel Bonnie relaxing, steadying herself in his arms. He leaned down and asked quietly if she was ready to walk. Bonnie nodded, slipped out of his embrace, and insisted she was fine.<\/p>\n
He ruffled her hair softly, then stepped toward the woman who\u2019d blurted out the insult. Looking around at the small cluster of people who hadn\u2019t left, Aiken raised his voice. \u201cSpreading nasty rumors without any proof? That\u2019s actually against the law. It counts as public insult, defamation, and sometimes even disorderly conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused, making eye contact with the group. \u201cI heard what you just said. Do you have any evidence that she\u2019s doing anything inappropriate with a married man? I\u2019d really like to hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The young woman froze, her face flushing in embarrassment. Still, she tried to double down. \u201cHis wife and kid are standing right here. Isn\u2019t that obvious enough? Aren\u2019t you her boyfriend? Maybe you should worry about whether she\u2019s cheating on you. Are you even a cop, trying to scare us with all that talk\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Aiken reached into his jacket and pulled out his badge. \u201cThe woman you just smeared has been harassed multiple times. We\u2019ve got everything on record at the station. If you don\u2019t believe me, you can come along and see for yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, the busybodies could only stare. When the reality dawned that he was actually a cop, both young women ducked their heads, cheeks burning. They muttered a quick, \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the crowd gone, Aiken went back to Bonnie. He noticed her scarf was dirty and gently took it off for her. He didn\u2019t bother looking at Hannah again. In a low voice he asked Bonnie if she was ready to leave.<\/p>\n
Bonnie nodded. She\u2019d pulled herself together, though inside, the whole mess still rattled her. Her heart felt like it had been on a wild ride, up and down, never settling. Aiken showing up had helped, though. Sitting quietly beside him, she felt herself slowly start to breathe easier again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d she said, her gaze soft and sincere as she looked up at him.<\/p>\n
He gave her a small smile, opened his umbrella, and held it out over her as they walked away together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-804","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/804","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=804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}