Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 237

"But the moment we pin on this badge, all that pressure, the guilt, the agonizing choices... none of it outweighs the oath we took. Bonnie, tell me, why are there such evil people in this world? These criminals... they have wives and kids too. When we slap the cuffs on them, they beg us not to tell their families. But when they're taking a life, why don't they stop to think that we have parents too? That we have husbands, wives, sons, and daughters who will be destroyed by losing us?"

A heavy lump formed in Bonnie's throat. She hadn't experienced this kind of life-and-death struggle, but she deeply understood the Captain's absolute disgust for human cruelty.

It reminded her of the brutal cyberbullying she had endured. Back then, she had asked herself countless times why strangers could spew such vicious, soul-destroying words, as if destroying someone else's life somehow benefited them.

Why could people be so purely malicious?

Yet, compared to what these heroes sacrificed, her own past suffering felt insignificant.

At the very least, she was still alive. Every time she was knocked down, she could find a way to get back up and start over.

She realized just how incredibly lucky she was.

The Captain looked toward the front, where Wallace's grieving widow had collapsed into a colleague's arms, and then at Aiken, who stood nearby, his jaw tight with silent, agonizing restraint. "Bonnie," the Captain asked quietly. "Did you know that right before Aiken's father was killed in the line of duty, he had just passed the internal exams and was about to be promoted to Major Crimes?"

Bonnie shook her head, stunned. Aiken had never mentioned it. He had only briefly touched upon his father's death. She hadn't wanted to pry into his trauma, so she had never asked for details.

The Captain sighed, her voice heavy with regret. "Aiken's dad wanted to be a detective more than anything in the world. He was just one step away from his dream. At the funeral, Aiken didn't shed a single tear. We all thought he was just a tough kid, but later, I found him hiding and crying his eyes out. I asked him why he hadn't cried during the service. He told me that if he cried, his mom would be even more heartbroken. Then he looked at me and asked what he needed to do to become a cop, a detective. He said he had to finish what his old man started."

It felt as if a giant hand had just squeezed Bonnie's heart. So that was why Aiken worked so relentlessly. It wasn't just a passion for the job; it was a crusade to fulfill his father's stolen dream.

He carried his own deeply rooted mission, responsibilities, and life plan.

Suddenly, it all felt impossibly heavy.

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