Chapter 229
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 229<\/p>\n
Shirley stayed quiet, only just now realizing that there were a few gift boxes at his feet, snow piling up on top of each one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did you get here?\u201d she asked, a frown forming on her face. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to apologize. It\u2019s enough that things are settled. Besides, \u2018sorry\u2019 isn\u2019t what we need right now. If you and your family really meant it, you\u2019d let the people who deserve to go to jail actually go, instead of always covering for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawrence\u2019s lips parted, like he wanted to explain that they weren\u2019t sheltering anyone, but everything was stuck in a deadlock. His mom had sent Hannah to Quentin\u2019s for treatment, but she\u2019d tried to take her own life again and refused to cooperate with anyone. Even the police couldn\u2019t really do anything about it in a situation like this.<\/p>\n
Still, he wasn\u2019t covering for Hannah\u2014neither were his parents.<\/p>\n
\u201cShirley, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d Lawrence said, his voice thick, almost groggy. He swayed a little where he stood. \u201cI swear, I\u2019ll do whatever I can to give you and Bachelor a real answer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shirley saw how miserable he looked and lost her drive to argue. Honestly, everything had already gone beyond what she\u2019d expected. No one was saying a word about it online anymore. Out in the real world, neighbors, relatives, friends, even her coworkers and students\u2014everyone she bumped into\u2014stood with her, tearing into Hannah for how cruel she\u2019d been.<\/p>\n
Shirley didn\u2019t need the entire world to understand that her daughter would never be someone\u2019s mistress. All she wanted was to get Bonnie the justice she deserved.<\/p>\n
After that, she hoped Bonnie could have a peaceful, ordinary life. That was enough.<\/p>\n
Shirley\u2019s eyes landed on Lawrence\u2019s face, red with cold. Once upon a time, this thin, tired man with hollow eyes had been her class monitor for three years. For over a year, he was the \u201cfuture son-in-law\u201d she\u2019d actually liked.<\/p>\n
Things had gone so far that the resentment and anger she once nursed started to disappear as she and her daughter slowly patched things up.<\/p>\n
Getting older, going through so much, had changed Shirley\u2019s outlook a lot. She still remembered when Bonnie and Lawrence first started dating, how much her daughter\u2019s mood improved, how it showed on her face every day.<\/p>\n
Looking back, Shirley had to agree\u2014Lawrence was right. When Bonnie wasn\u2019t weighed down by pressure, or when someone else helped carry some of it, she really did seem so much happier.<\/p>\n
It was a different kind of happiness than she\u2019d ever shown as their daughter, or as part of the White family.<\/p>\n
Back then, Shirley had started to notice her own flaws. She\u2019d always been a strong-willed mom, always in control, a habit that came with years as a teacher in charge. She just didn\u2019t know how to be the type of mom Odette was\u2014calm, patient, able to keep her cool when things got tough.<\/p>\n
Now, though, he understood what was in Shirley\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n
Maybe he didn\u2019t even get to be her student anymore.<\/p>\n
Blinking back tears, Lawrence\u2019s hand shook as he took a business card from his coat pocket and held it out to her. \u201cPlease… have Bonnie get her ears checked. This is the best specialist around, here or abroad. I\u2019ve already talked to them, so you can take her straight there. If she waits too long, it might only get worse as she grows older.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shirley took the card, struggling to read her own feelings. She nodded. \u201cAlright. I hear you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawrence had nothing left to say. He turned and forced his stiff legs to move toward the street, his whole body weighed down, his spirit empty and lost, carrying all the guilt and pain that would follow him forever.<\/p>\n
Shirley stood there and watched as his steps grew slower and heavier, until finally, he just collapsed right there in the snow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-897","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/897","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=897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}