Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 404

Lawrence's mind went blank for a fleeting second. As his rationality slowly returned, he vaguely registered a rescue worker beside him saying something with a helpless sigh.

It sounded like, "Your girlfriend is fine."

Drained of every ounce of strength, he collapsed into the rubble, slowly turning his head to search the area with a desperate, disbelieving gaze.

Then, her figure finally came into focus through his blurred vision.

Wearing that familiar, comforting lavender windbreaker, Bonnie cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Lawrence! I'm okay! Come down here!"

In an instant, his shattered reality realigned. The devastating collapse of his world reversed itself, piecing back together at an astonishing speed until it was entirely whole again.

He choked on a sob, murmuring her name under his breath.

The next second, Lawrence scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward her. He stumbled wildly, nearly wiping out on the debris multiple times. Bonnie, who had been standing by the rescue vehicles, couldn't help but rush forward to meet him halfway.

As she ran, the thunderous rhythm of her own heartbeat drowned out the chaos of the disaster zone.

"Candie!"

They collided on the cracked, ruined concrete amidst the frantic crowds, throwing their arms around each other in a bone-crushing embrace.

His arms felt like steel bands, gripping her so fiercely it physically ached. It felt as if he was trying to embed her right into his chest, into his very soul, swearing to never let her go again.

Bonnie knew he was terrified. Everyone assumed the Kingswood University Working Group was at the project site when the quake hit, and Lawrence was no exception.

He had thought she was dead, that he would never see her again. That was why he had lost his mind.

"Thank God. Thank God you're safe."

The raw, overwhelming relief in his voice made him sound utterly exhausted.

"We never made it into the site, and the cell service was dead," she coaxed in a soft, gentle tone. "I saw your messages, and I kept trying to text you back, but they wouldn't go through."

Just as they had been nearing the destination, their vehicle hit a violent bump. It turned out to be a minor mechanical issue, and the driver had fixed it quickly. That brief delay meant they arrived later than scheduled, miraculously sparing them from the aftershock.

Otherwise, they truly would have been buried alive.

Bonnie explained it to him piece by piece, but he wasn't processing a single word. With bloodshot eyes, he gently cupped her face, smudging dirt and dust onto her cheeks with his battered hands.