Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 401

Two months had passed since the main earthquake. Aftershocks were perfectly normal, but Lawrence was too consumed by panic to think straight.

Abbot relayed the latest updates to him one by one.

The command center reported that the aftershock hadn't affected the entire county of Highvale. The damage was limited. Only the resettlement zone on Harper Street had been hit hard. The rest of the area had already been evacuated, meaning mass casualties were unlikely.

The only wild card was the Kingswood University Working Group conducting their on-site inspection today.

Based on the schedule, they would have already arrived. There were issues with the new school's location, making an interior survey absolutely necessary. The command center feared the team might have been inside the structures when the aftershock hit.

If they were navigating a partially collapsed construction site, a secondary tremor could easily bring the fractured buildings crashing down entirely.

And the command center hadn't been able to reach a single member of the working group. Not even their driver.

The grim implication hung heavy in the air.

The news struck Lawrence like a physical blow. A suffocating wave of despair crashed over him, so intense he instinctively gripped his chest to steady himself.

He couldn't bear to think about it. He couldn't imagine what would happen if Bonnie was trapped in there...

But the harder he tried to suppress his fears, the faster the terrifying scenarios flooded his mind.

His vision blurred, the world around him fading into a dizzying gray. He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to breathe. *Unless I see it with my own eyes, Bonnie is fine.*

He grabbed Abbot's arm, his voice a low, urgent grit. "Get me a car. Now."

"But Lawrence, it's too dangerous. The road to Harper Street isn't stable, and the command center has already dispatched search and rescue—"

"Get the car! Hurry!" Lawrence barked, his usual composure fracturing into absolute, undeniable authority.

Right. It was just an aftershock. Bonnie was going to be fine.

He was just overthinking.

His panic was making him irrational.

Bonnie had done so much for Highvale, giving her all to help the people here. She was kind. She was brave. The universe wouldn't repay her like this.

He stood there for a few minutes until the blood finally rushed back to his frozen limbs. He took a wide, purposeful step forward just as Abbot pulled up in a rugged SUV, braking right in front of him.

Abbot hopped out of the driver's seat, opening his mouth to say he was coming along, but Lawrence slammed the door shut and floored the gas pedal before he could get a word in.

Kicking up a massive cloud of dust, the SUV tore after the search-and-rescue trucks, swiftly vanishing into the horizon.