Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 162

Odette just couldn't say no. She knew exactly what Hannah had been going through these past few years. Still, she was scared to be too harsh, worried that if she pushed too hard, Hannah might do something reckless again.

But watching her son and daughter drift so far apart, remembering how close they used to be as kids, left a deep ache in her heart.

And then there was Jasper.

Odette gently touched Jasper's cheek, her heart tightening with worry. Decades as a teacher had taught her the difference a loving, stable family makes in a child's life.

Back when Lawrence and Hannah were still overseas, no matter how messy things got between them—Lawrence avoiding confrontation, Hannah crying and pushing—Jasper never had to see any of it.

That’s why, before he turned three, Jasper had been so happy, playful, completely at ease.

Everything changed after they moved back. The nonstop fighting, the shouting, sometimes even worse. The stress caught up with Jasper, one illness after another.

Sometimes Odette wondered if her strict belief in science was holding her back. If she weren’t so rational, maybe she would’ve tried a traditional remedy or some trick to chase away whatever fear might be haunting him. What else could explain a child who’d always been healthy suddenly falling sick so often?

When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet and full of resolve. “Once Hannah’s performance is over, I'll sit down and really talk to her.”

Lawrence let out a shaky breath, shoulders slumping. His hands trembled as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He rested one between his fingers without lighting it, leaving only the faintest scent of tobacco curling in the air.

He wanted to ask. The question had been burning a hole inside him for years. What actually happened three years ago?

But another voice deep down stopped him every time. It shouted until it echoed in his head.

Don’t ask.

You can’t handle the answer.

The truth will ruin everything.

For more than a month, Lawrence had come so close to breaking the silence. Each time, his own fear strangled the words before they could leave his mouth.

When he met Bonnie, he’d pulled her into his boldness, too.

He remembered their first New Year as a couple. Bonnie had spent it at her grandparents' house. That year, Shirley had bought her a laptop that cost more than ten thousand yuan.

Bonnie’s grandmother thought it was a waste for a girl to use something so expensive and suggested Bonnie should give the laptop to Nash.

Even though Nash was still in middle school.

Bonnie’s father, always trying to keep the peace, just kept quiet. Her mother, maybe still feeling guilty for old family debts, sat there with a dark look and never said a word.

But for the first time in her life, Bonnie didn’t just swallow it. She finally talked back.

“I bought the computer because I need it for my major. At my university, students who want to get ahead start picking up the software in their first year, working with teachers and practicing nonstop. But Nash can’t even compare. He’s still in middle school, and all his grades together aren’t even as high as my science score alone. If I gave him a computer, he’d only fall further behind. Why don’t I just use my scholarship and buy Nash an electronic dictionary instead? His English is terrible, after all.”