Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 231

Shirley paused, her tone softening slightly. "But that doesn't erase the mistakes he made. Everything you've told me today—the misunderstandings, the hardships, and his illness—I won't share any of it with Bonnie. My daughter has already moved on. Everything from the past should be just like the snow outside. When the sun comes out, it melts away."

Tears streamed down Odette's face.

Shirley offered one last sigh. "Let it go. I hope he recovers someday. When he finally looks at the sun again, he'll see that it's a brand new day."

"Take care, Odette."

***

Handing in her final design exam, Bonnie let out a massive sigh of relief.

The brutal routine of sleeping only four or five hours a night was finally over.

She finally understood what Helen had joked about during their senior year: *A wise woman stays out of love; a single woman gets her master's and Ph.D.*

With the insane intensity of her study schedule, her brain had been wiped clean of everything except academic theories and architectural concepts.

She didn't have the mental bandwidth for anything else.

Packing up her supplies, Bonnie followed the crowd out of the testing center. As soon as she stepped outside and her phone reconnected to the network, a flood of notifications rolled in.

Her family group chat and Helen were both asking how the exam went. She replied to everyone one by one before finally tapping on her chat with Aiken.

Their last exchange was from a week ago. He had mentioned he was still on assignment and wished her luck on her exams in advance.

Bonnie had replied with a quick *Thank you, stay safe.*

There had been radio silence ever since.

She had been so buried in her post-grad prep that she genuinely hadn't had time to think about romance. But now that it was officially behind her, she figured it was time to take the initiative and reach out.

He couldn't be the one making the first move every single time.

Without overthinking it, she hit the call button.

He answered a few seconds later. When she didn't speak immediately, he let out a soft sigh. "How did the exam go? Everything go smoothly?"

Her voice was gentle, laced with a hint of resignation. "Are you hurt, and you're just trying to hide it from me?"

Aiken let out a wry chuckle. "How are you so smart? I really can't hide anything from you. Yeah, I got banged up a little. It's nothing serious, I swear. I just didn't want to stress you out right before your tests."

"I'm done with them now, and you still didn't say anything." She flagged down a passing taxi and slid into the back seat.

"I just wanted you to get a few days of solid rest," he admitted.

Bonnie pressed her lips together. "Where are you? I'm coming to see you."

Lying in his hospital bed, Aiken could hear the faint sound of crying coming from the next room. He hesitated before finally giving in. "City General. Are you sure you want to come?"