Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 108

The breeze on the mountain left Bonnie sweating and drained. By the time she made it home, she knew she was in trouble.

That night, the fever hit hard.

She hunted down some ibuprofen and forced it down, hoping she could shake it off by morning. She dragged herself into work anyway, barely making it through the morning before the fever returned. Her head felt thick and heavy, her throat burned, and her whole body ached.

Jim noticed immediately. “You should go home and rest,” he told her. Bonnie felt awkward, her voice muffled beneath her mask. “There’s still a ton left to fix for the Meadows School project, and the National Day holiday’s just two days away. I hate to take time off now.”

Jim let out a gentle laugh. Bonnie was always calm and self-possessed, but sick like this, she just looked lost—and kind of cute, in a tired way.

He looked at her the way a brother might, trying to reassure her. “Don’t worry about the project. Anyone can step in. I’ll put in some overtime and get it sorted. You need rest. Honestly, if we hadn’t been tied up yesterday, you wouldn’t have had to head up the mountain. Don’t stress. Just go home, see a doctor, and take care of yourself.”

Getting sick always made Bonnie feel fragile. What happened up on the mountain yesterday was still fresh—her heart gave a little sting just thinking about it. She nodded. “Thanks, Jim. I’ll head out then. All the files are on the drive. Just message me if you need anything.”

Jim smiled and waved her off.

Bonnie powered down her computer and reached for her phone to call a ride. At that moment, her phone rang, and the name “Aiken” flashed on the screen. She froze.

She was instantly back to yesterday at Caledon—Lawrence telling her to break up with Aiken.

It hadn’t been her plan to use Aiken as a shield. She just hadn’t known what else to do.

But instead of backing off, Lawrence had only gotten more obsessive.

Bonnie pressed her lips together. They were cracked and still a little tender from Lawrence’s rough kiss.

He’d always been jealous, almost absurdly controlling. Even after all these years, that intensity hadn’t faded. Bonnie had never really known how to handle him, not then, not now.

Aiken’s voice came through, sounding more relieved than anything. “What’s going on? You didn’t text back last night, and you’re not answering today, either. I was about to call the police.”

She’d gone to bed early and only vaguely remembered seeing his message in the middle of the night, something about whether she was asleep. She must have opened it and closed it again without thinking.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice,” Bonnie said, her voice small.

Aiken jumped in right away. “Why does your voice sound like that? Are you crying, or are you sick?”

Before she could reply, her coworker chimed in loud enough for Aiken to hear. “Is that your boyfriend? Tell him to come get you. You’re burning up.”

Aiken didn’t hesitate. “Text me your office address. I’m coming to get you.”

He hung up before she could argue. With a sigh, Bonnie sent him her location. At this time of day, he’d get there in about twenty minutes. Not wanting to sit cramped in the office any longer, she decided to wait for him downstairs.