Chapter 217
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 217<\/p>\n
Bonnie nodded to show she understood. She came prepared, after all. Patton had warned her already. Lawsuits could easily drag on for a year or two. In the end, it was all about who could outlast the other.<\/p>\n
They changed the subject, leaving all that negativity behind. The car rolled on through the snow, crawling along so slow they lost an extra twenty minutes to the weather.<\/p>\n
It was nearly ten thirty by the time they finally pulled up at The Cabinda School’s faculty apartments. Aiken parked by the curb and went around to grab things from the trunk. Bonnie jumped out to hold the umbrella for him. When she saw all the bags he was lugging, she couldn’t help but sigh. \u201cI told you not to bring anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could I show up empty-handed my first time here? Next time, I promise I\u2019ll leave the gifts behind.\u201d Aiken grinned at her.<\/p>\n
He fished a smaller, fancy gift bag from the pile and handed it to her. \u201cThis one\u2019s for you. Happy birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie peeked into the bag. There was a wooden box inside, carefully tucked away, but she couldn’t tell what was in it.<\/p>\n
Aiken balanced the rest of the gifts with one hand and took the umbrella from her, holding it overhead. \u201cLet\u2019s get inside. It\u2019s freezing. Put your hands in your pockets, will you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie caught a snowflake in her palm anyway, laughing as her hand turned pink from the cold. \u201cI love the snow. Ski season\u2019s finally back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aiken chuckled. \u201cGo wild after your exams. Once you start working, squeezing in a trip\u2019s not as easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie nodded in agreement. She pulled her hand away from the snow and reached into the gift bag for the wooden box. As she opened it, she said, \u201cThis year I want to go to Xinjiang. I\u2019ve been to pretty much every other ski spot already\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
But her sentence faded when she saw what was inside. She stared in surprise. \u201cWait, you can do woodworking? You carved this? It\u2019s incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inside the box, nestled in dried grass, was a tiny wooden version of herself\u2014down to the details. Little black coat, that milk-tea colored scarf Aiken had given her, and he\u2019d even carved in the pattern on the scarf.<\/p>\n
Bonnie\u2019s eyes crinkled as she smiled. She held the figure up to the swirling snow. The tiny face looked calm and happy, as if even this little wooden version of herself was smiling.<\/p>\n
Aiken nodded politely.<\/p>\n
The two of them strolled off under the umbrella. Aiken walked straight and proud in his police uniform, shoulders dusted with snow, while Bonnie chatted beside him, every so often looking up to say something to him.<\/p>\n
Sadie watched them go with obvious approval. No wonder Shirley was in such a good mood these days. She\u2019d found herself such a handsome, impressive son-in-law. Honestly, he looked as good as that guy Bonnie dated back in college.<\/p>\n
As an old friend of Shirley\u2019s, Sadie really hoped things would work out smoothly for Bonnie this time.<\/p>\n
But as she turned away, something caught her eye\u2014a figure stepping out from behind the trees at the entrance. Through the falling snow, it almost looked like a snowman come to life. He was covered in snow, just a thin black cashmere coat against the freezing night, carrying a single bag at his side. The way he moved looked so lost, so alone, like someone left behind by the storm.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t know where he was headed, but with the snow whipping around him, he couldn\u2019t stop. He could only keep walking ahead, never once looking back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-885","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/885","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=885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}