Chapter 197
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 197<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, Mom.\u201d Hannah\u2019s voice cracked. \u201cI\u2019m already twenty-eight. The dance company is full of young, talented newcomers. If my reputation takes a hit, I\u2019m finished. I\u2019ll never get to dance again. Is that really what you want, to ruin me for the sake of someone who isn\u2019t even family?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what about Jasper? He\u2019s starting preschool soon. What happens if other parents see what\u2019s online and their kids start picking on him? Even if you don\u2019t care about me, could you at least think about him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Tears spilled over as Hannah stood there, falling apart in the center of the room, looking so lost and helpless, like a young animal stranded in the wilderness.<\/p>\n
Jackson felt his heart squeeze. \u201cWe can put out a simple statement,\u201d he found himself saying, unable to help it. \u201cDo things really have to go this far? Gossip dies down fast, but if her career is ruined, there\u2019s no coming back. We only get so many years to dance. Hannah\u2019s return was huge. If she has to go out there and apologize for all of this, the backlash will end her. Isn\u2019t that too much?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawrence spoke before Jackson could finish. \u201cBonnie\u2019s life was ripped apart by rumors, too. She was hurt, rejected, left out, lost her job, her future, got driven away from her own family. Does all of that just disappear with an apology?\u201d<\/p>\n
All of that lost time, those years that slipped by, would haunt Lawrence for the rest of his life. He couldn\u2019t even hope for forgiveness anymore.<\/p>\n
Who would ever repay him for that loss?<\/p>\n
His chest felt tight enough to crush him, every word scraping his insides raw. He lit a cigarette with shaking hands and spoke without looking up. \u201cI\u2019ve already held back as much as I can. Let\u2019s not push it further.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hadn\u2019t let every secret out; he\u2019d tried to leave Hannah with some dignity, enough to keep on living.<\/p>\n
He could have told them the real truth, that he and Hannah were never really together, never even close to marriage, and that Jasper wasn\u2019t his child.<\/p>\n
But none of that mattered now. The moment he\u2019d worked up the courage to explain, fate played its cruel trick\u2014Bonnie couldn\u2019t hear him, completely shut off from his words. It felt like the universe refused to give him a chance.<\/p>\n
If that was how things were meant to be, then he\u2019d let Bonnie hate him forever. He\u2019d just carry on with his broken life, letting himself rot.<\/p>\n
He finally spoke again, quiet but certain. \u201cDad, Mom, do either of you disagree?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawrence\u2019s voice was steady now. He wasn\u2019t the clueless, arrogant kid he\u2019d been three years ago. That version of him was gone.<\/p>\n
Jackson stood, frozen, pain flickering across his face.<\/p>\n
Hannah\u2019s eyes, swollen and wild, bore into his until he dropped his gaze. Only then did she storm out of the kitchen. She glared at the three people in the living room\u2014her family, and the man she\u2019d loved so deeply.<\/p>\n
Her voice rose sharp and fierce. \u201cYou can\u2019t lock away every knife in the world. Dad, Mom, Lawrence, do you really want to see me dead? Is that what you want? Is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHannah, calm down\u2026\u201d Odette and Carl stood, their eyes red, hesitate to get too close. As parents, their hearts were breaking.<\/p>\n
Lawrence didn\u2019t move. His voice was dull, drained of any life. \u201cYou know exactly what you\u2019re doing. You\u2019re sure that if you threaten to die, we\u2019ll give you what you want. That\u2019s why you\u2019re so fearless.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s fine. When you\u2019ve finished making things right, if you still want to end your life, I\u2019ll join you. This time, I\u2019ll die too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-865","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/865","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=865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}