Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 481

Lawrence naturally wanted to spend every waking second with her, but Bonnie put her foot down. She refused to ditch Helen, forcing him to scrap his grand plans of tracking her down for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Their dates were strictly relegated to the evenings.

They'd take slow walks around the campus, talk for hours, or Lawrence would throw her on the back of a bike and ride through the city streets.

The first weekend back, Bonnie went home to test the waters. Seeing Shirley acting completely normal, she smoothly delivered her next lie.

She claimed she had to head back to campus for a mandatory club activity on Sunday, when in reality, she was going to the movies with Lawrence.

Shirley didn't suspect foul play; she simply noticed her daughter seemed far more vibrant, smiling more than she ever had in high school.

She chalked it up to the college experience—living in dorms, making new friends, expanding her horizons.

College wasn't a pressure cooker like high school, and Bonnie was legally an adult now. Shirley let her guard down.

But after three consecutive weekends of Bonnie using the exact same excuse to leave early—or just calling to say she wasn't coming home at all—Shirley's radar went off.

First of all, Bonnie was a total introvert. The idea that she suddenly loved going to loud, crowded club events made zero sense. Secondly, her communication had plummeted.

Sometimes days would go by before she'd even FaceTime.

Decades of dealing with teenagers told Shirley one thing: her daughter was seeing someone.

She still had connections at The Cabinda University. Digging up dirt wouldn't be hard, but she wanted to give Bonnie the chance to come clean first. If the boy was decent, she wouldn't stand in their way.

She had barely been home all month. Guilt gnawing at her, she nervously held her phone up to show Lawrence. He took it naturally, reading the screen with a raised brow. "Did you not tell them we were out of town?"

Bonnie shrank back, refusing to make eye contact. A few weeks ago, when Lawrence asked if her parents knew about them, she had lied and said yes.

Lawrence had been thrilled, assuming Shirley's silence meant a stamp of approval.

She had been too terrified to admit she was keeping him a total secret. Now, keeping her eyes glued to the grass, she finally understood why people said one lie spawns a hundred more.

"I... I told them I was doing club stuff at school..."

Lawrence's eyes narrowed dangerously. He cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. "Wow. Okay. Candie, does Shirley have absolutely no idea I'm after you?"