Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 5

Shirley didn’t keep track of every single car that drove in and out of the Cabinda School staff compound, but she always had a pretty good sense of what was normal. As a teacher, and the homeroom teacher for a graduating class at such a competitive school, she worried constantly about her students. The last thing she needed was someone from outside wandering in and causing trouble.

So when she spotted a luxury car with an unfamiliar license plate parked by the gate, she instantly felt uneasy. Just to be sure, she walked over and tapped on the window.

The driver turned out to be Lawrence.

It was like the past came rushing back all at once. Lawrence was the one who had put her daughter through hell three years ago.

Shirley’s expression frosted over. “What are you doing here? Are you here for me, or are you trying to see Candie?”

There was a time when Lawrence was her brightest student, someone she’d been proud of. Now, he was just someone she couldn’t stand.

“Shirley…” Lawrence tried to open the door, but Shirley blocked him before he could get out.

“I don’t care who you’re looking for or why. I just want you to promise me one thing. Never show up in front of Candie again. Not ever.”

She turned and walked away, leaving Lawrence sitting there with nothing to say.

. . .

Bonnie walked into her rented apartment and stood in the dark for a while before finally switching on the light. It was a tiny studio, maybe just a little over twenty square meters, and the rent ate up nearly half her monthly paycheck. Even so, this was her safe place. The apartment was spotless, everything neat and in order, almost like a shield keeping the rest of the world at bay.

She slipped off her shoes and went straight to the bed. After hesitating for a moment, she crouched and pulled a box out from underneath. The cardboard was wrapped in layer after layer of yellow tape, each one torn and resealed over old scars.

Sometimes, she’d find herself staring at a picture of Lawrence holding his baby for so long that her vision blurred with tears until all she could make out was the photo’s caption.

First time seeing Lawrence totally lost. New dad, hang in there!

That post alone had gotten tens of thousands of likes.

Hannah’s social feed was always flooded with comments from devoted fans. They’d followed her and Lawrence for years, rooting for them through every twist and turn. Now that the story had a fairy-tale ending, everyone was rushing to send their congratulations.

Whenever new fans asked about the backstory, the old ones would jump in to explain. Lawrence confessed to Hannah years back, but she’d turned him down because of the three-year age gap. She said she couldn’t do the whole younger guy thing, so Lawrence started dating someone else to spite her.

Eventually, Lawrence realized Hannah was the one he really wanted. Hannah, too, finally admitted to herself that she loved Lawrence. They sorted out their feelings, Lawrence broke things off with his girlfriend, and the two of them finally got together. They moved to America for further studies and, while they were there, welcomed their baby into the world.