I Stopped Waiting and Started Loving novel Chapter 60

Parrish timed his step perfectly, moving forward to shield Seraphina completely.

"Officer, I took this book from her. We were in a relationship at the time. I didn't see anything wrong with borrowing a book from her to lend to a friend."

Bonnie glared at Parrish through bloodshot eyes, her voice trembling.

"But you knew perfectly well that I wouldn't lend those books to anyone! They're the only thing I have left of my grandfather! What gave you the right to take them without asking?!"

Parrish stared back at her, his gaze as detached as if he were looking at an unreasonable stranger.

"It's true you never lent out the books you brought with you."

"But this book isn't one you brought. I personally went to your hometown to get it, and I did it with your mother's permission."

Bonnie shot a vicious glare at Parrish.

He knew her mother was entirely in the dark. He knew she still believed he was just 'Parrish Hayes'. And he knew with absolute certainty that if he claimed Bonnie had sent him, her mother would believe him without question.

Yet now, he was using that exact manipulation as his get-out-of-jail-free card.

At that moment, Bonnie's feelings for him finally died completely.

As the two officers listened to the exchange, the older one's gaze lingered on Parrish's face for a moment.

He suddenly realized the face looked incredibly familiar.

With a flash of recognition, the officer's expression changed dramatically. He quickly leaned into his partner's ear and whispered a few words.

When the two officers looked back at Parrish, all traces of their previous sternness had completely vanished, replaced by a careful, eager deference.

"You... you must be Mr. York, right?"

Parrish remained impassive, merely giving a slight nod. He exuded the aristocratic, aloof aura of someone firmly at the top of the food chain.

"Mr. York, well... how would you like to handle this situation?"

The officer pointed at Bonnie, then gestured at the trashed room, asking tentatively.

Parrish cast a frigid glance at Bonnie, his voice void of any warmth.

"Handle it however you're supposed to. Just follow standard procedure."

The officers understood immediately.

Mr. York was clearly backing Ms. Miller, the one who made the call.

The older officer turned around, his face hardening as he looked at Bonnie. "Then come down to the station with us to make a statement."

The officer in charge of the reprimand slapped the table, his tone severe.

"Even if that book is yours, you can't just smash someone's door down in the middle of the night to look for it. We live in a society of laws. Breaking and entering, trashing a residence—these are serious offenses. If it wasn't for the fact that you two know each other, the stunt you pulled tonight would be enough to get you locked up for days, understand?"

Bonnie kept her head down, remaining completely silent.

Her naturally round, pretty face now featured a severely swollen right cheek, bearing the bright red imprint of five fingers.

It was the mark left by Parrish's slap earlier.

Meanwhile, Parrish, who had just finished his statement, was standing in the observation room behind the glass.

Through the two-way mirror, he stared at the glaring red welt on her face, his brows knitting tightly.

Bonnie had clearly been eating well lately, as her face had actually gained some healthy weight.

But that only made her skin look softer, and the finger marks look infinitely more horrifying.

Parrish's chest tightened inexplicably, and he turned his head away in irritation.

He had never laid a hand on her before. That slap earlier had truly been a lapse in control.

But when he remembered how unhinged she looked tearing through Seraphina's apartment, he immediately justified it. She had brought it on herself.