Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 291

She wanted to see Bonnie.

After hanging up, Bonnie drove straight to the detention center. Patton was waiting for her outside, and the moment she arrived, he offered her some reassurance.

He promised that Hannah would face a heavy sentence this time. With charges of harassment, criminal defamation, attempted assault, and perjury, the maximum penalty for her combined offenses could put her behind bars for around ten years.

Bonnie didn't show much of a reaction. She remained exceptionally calm, giving a brief nod before following the staff into the visitation room.

The second she walked in, her gaze locked onto Hannah.

It hadn't been long, but Hannah looked as if she had aged a decade. The only thing that hadn't changed was the rigid, stubborn straightness of her spine.

They stared at each other in total silence. It wasn't until Bonnie sat down across the glass that Hannah finally moved her pale, cracked lips.

"You haven't changed at all." Or rather, she was only getting better.

Hannah offered a bleak, self-deprecating smile. Looking at Bonnie, she finally saw what it meant to truly walk out of the darkness and thrive.

Back when they had randomly bumped into each other at that restaurant right after returning to the country, Hannah could still sense that Bonnie was trapped in the shadows.

The way Bonnie's back had instinctively stiffened at the sight of her and Lawrence, the way her fingers curled tight against the table, the distracted press of her lips—it all proved that Bonnie still cared.

They had run into each other so many times after that. It felt like some twisted twist of fate. They crossed paths everywhere.

And every time, Hannah made sure to sink her verbal claws into her.

And every time, Bonnie let it affect her.

She always feared that if she left the house one day, if she got married and moved out, that guilt would vanish. And the terrifying truth was that someone else was going to take her place as a permanent fixture in that home.

So when Bonnie entered the picture, Hannah didn't just feel the agony of losing Lawrence. She felt the deep, visceral panic of her territory being invaded, of losing control over the things that belonged to her.

She couldn't handle it. She did everything in her power to push Bonnie out.

"You probably didn't know this, but I used to stand outside the apartment you two shared. I'd stand there all night. I'd wait until morning just to watch you and Lawrence walk out holding hands. Sometimes, I cried so hard my entire body physically ached."

Speaking of it now brought the raw pain rushing back. Hannah chuckled softly. "I stalked you guys more times than I can count. Outside the campus gates, at The Observatory, in our family's basement, at the park near your place. I watched you hold hands, hug, and kiss. I watched Lawrence treat you like absolute royalty. I saw him drop to his knees just to tie your shoes. I saw him massage your cramped foot without a second thought. If you were even slightly upset, he panicked like he was losing his most prized treasure. He looked ready to rip his heart out just to prove his devotion."

Hannah took a shuddering breath, her voice breaking. "Do you know what was going through my head when I saw all of that, Bonnie?"