Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 282

Shirley still hadn't fully processed her daughter's bombshell, but the profound warmth swelling in her chest had already brought tears to her eyes.

For so many years in this house, no one had ever spoken up for her.

She hadn't been able to say it herself, so she just swallowed the resentment. After all, owing someone a favor always put her at a disadvantage. Even if she had repaid it tenfold over the years, it never seemed to eclipse that initial act of help.

But deep down, Shirley felt incredibly wronged. The White Family had milked her and her maiden family for every possible advantage over the years.

As if that weren't enough, they were now targeting the money she had set aside for Bonnie.

From the moment Bonnie ran away, these people had decided she was never coming back. They effectively erased her from the family, not sparing a single ounce of concern for her daughter.

Whenever she was mentioned, it was only to twist the knife.

Their words were even more vicious than the strangers on the internet.

Today, Bonnie's speech had echoed the very thoughts screaming in Shirley's mind. It also showed her just how much her daughter had changed. The tragedies of the last three years had somehow been a blessing in disguise, forging her Candie into someone far braver and more resolute.

This was what it looked like to live free of chains.

Tears shimmered in Shirley's eyes as she offered a heartfelt smile, knowing she needed to make her own stance clear.

“Dad, Mom, I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart that you helped my brother through his crisis back then. But just like Candie said, family is supposed to help each other out. I've long since paid back what I owed. As for buying Nash a house, you can forget about it.”

“The year Bonnie left, I bought her a small two-bedroom apartment in Cabinda. Even Bachelor didn't know about it,” Shirley said with a faint smile. “So we really don't have any money.”

Bachelor froze. He genuinely hadn't known.

But whether he knew or not didn't matter anymore. Shirley gave him a look that made his heart pound with anxiety. Caught in the middle, his face cycled rapidly between an angry red and a sickly pale.

The little girl who used to hide behind her mother's legs, terrified of her grandparents' cold, disdainful glares—the child who watched Nash get showered with love while her own awards were ignored, too scared to speak up for herself—had finally grown up.

A lump formed in Shirley's throat. “Why are you saying all this? I'm not so old that I need my little girl protecting me.”

Bonnie's eyes curved into a sweet smile, her heart completely at peace. She was far luckier than most. She had an intact, financially stable family. Her mother had dedicated everything to raising her, and while her father was overly beholden to his parents, he wasn't irredeemable.

She had faced devastating setbacks growing up, but those setbacks hadn't broken her.

“Mom,” Bonnie murmured after a moment of thought, deciding to be honest. “When I went to Xinjiang, I saw Lawrence.”

Shirley looked over in shock. “He followed you?”

Bonnie nodded, recounting everything that had happened over those few days, including the real reason they had broken up. “This trip was my way of saying goodbye. The things that haunted me finally make sense now. I feel really good about it.”