Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 249

The thought brought him a measure of peace. Throughout the long drive, the only time he moved was to briefly pull down his face mask to swallow his medication before instantly yanking it back up.

Victor kept shooting him suspicious side-eyes. This guy was bizarre—far more secretive than any A-lister. They were hours into the trip, and Victor still had zero clue what his passenger actually looked like.

The dude barely spoke a word, and when he did, his voice was so wrecked it sounded like he was gargling sandpaper. It was genuinely painful to listen to.

Plus, he was constantly popping pills.

Victor muttered internally that the guy probably wasn't famous at all. He was probably just sick and had a raging case of antisocial personality disorder.

He was the total opposite of the gorgeous woman in the back seat, who had been happily snapping photos the entire ride. She was practically radiating vacation joy, and even though she wasn't overly chatty, she actually engaged in conversation.

Her voice was incredibly soft and sweet, the kind that just put a person at ease.

Victor turned up the music and grinned at her through the rearview mirror. "Hey, once we hit Hvitland, I'll bust out my drone and get some killer shots of you. On the house! I usually charge a couple hundred bucks a day for those professional photo-tour packages."

"That sounds amazing, thank you." She was still captivated by the view out the window, snapping pictures of the endless snow-capped peaks and the piercing blue sky. The landscape was awe-inspiring. Vast stretches of pine trees blanketed the mountains, their needles such a deep, rich green they almost looked black against the blinding white snow. Even though the entire world outside was painted in just three colors, the sheer scale of it was breathtaking.

Snow covered every inch of the land, yet every turn offered a postcard-perfect view. They passed clusters of yurts, flocks of sheep, and herds of horses.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. She cranked the window down, entirely unbothered by the freezing wind whipping into the car. "Oh my god, a fox! It's an actual fox!"

Victor laughed and eased off the gas, pulling into a scenic lookout point where a few other cars had stopped. Throwing on her beanie and scarf, she practically vaulted out of the SUV, letting out a gasp of wonder.

She politely declined his offer. Frankly, the guy seemed to be in terrible shape. His voice was completely shot, and he seemed to have a bad tremor—he could barely even hold his medication steady.

Maybe that was why he was bundled up so aggressively; he was fighting off some severe illness.

She, on the other hand, was perfectly healthy, and she really wasn't that cold. "I'm good back here. It gives me a better view out of both windows."

Lawrence didn't press the issue. He sat back and listened as she chattered with Victor. She was far more outgoing than she used to be, eagerly asking about local customs and even trying her hand at picking up a few regional slang words from their guide.

The ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, though his eyes suddenly burned with unshed tears.

Even in a world without him, she was doing just fine.