Three Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 85

Lawrence spoke carefully, weighing every word. “I’m asking what happened to her three years ago when we broke up. Why did Shirley say Bonnie can’t hear well out of her left ear?”

Odette noticed Hannah’s palm was slick with sweat, so she squeezed her hand, trying to calm her. When she finally answered, she’d already made her decision.

“You mean that? I do know what happened. Bonnie was determined to fly all the way to the States to get answers from you. Shirley couldn’t stand it, felt embarrassed—like Bonnie had no pride—and slapped her. Maybe she just hit her too hard.”

Odette figured Lawrence must only know the surface of things. She didn’t want to gloss it over, but it had already been three years, so why dig everything up again? With the way Lawrence cared about Bonnie, if he found out everything, he’d never let it go and would probably tear the whole family apart.

Then what would Hannah do? What about Jasper?

She couldn’t watch Hannah fall apart again. For once in her life, Odette was putting Hannah’s feelings first, even if it meant being selfish. She decided to let things stay the way they were.

“Bonnie’s got a stubborn streak. After Shirley slapped her, she refused to come home. I heard from teachers at The Cabinda School that she hasn’t taken a cent from her family since. She’d skip every holiday, never visit. Maybe it was pride, maybe just stubbornness. Either way, she wouldn’t get her ear checked, so it dragged on and turned into hearing loss.”

Lawrence listened, feeling like someone had split his heart straight down the middle. The pain made him slump in his seat. But he still couldn’t shake the doubts. Was it really possible for a mother’s slap to damage her daughter’s hearing? Just how much anger would Shirley have needed to carry to do something like that?

“Mom, don’t lie to me,” Lawrence said, voice steady and low. “Don’t keep things from me anymore.”

Odette tried to smile, holding on to Hannah’s trembling hand. “When have I ever lied to you? If you don’t believe me, you can go ask around the staff apartments at Cabinda. Bonnie hasn’t been home for three years. Everyone knows.”

Hannah’s lips parted, and she looked like she wanted to say something, but Odette squeezed her hand even tighter, giving her a small shake of her head. Hannah bit down on her lower lip, swallowing her anger and everything she wished she could yell.

Odette’s voice was gentle and coaxing. “Lawrence, it’s already in the past. Right now, you should focus on the family you have. They need you, okay?”

Lawrence said nothing. He felt empty and numb inside. He kept his eyes shut, haunted by memories—Bonnie clutching her left ear in pain, Hannah tracing a fruit knife over her wrist, the lively, graceful swan from the stage now just a shadow.

Everybody needed him. But who did he need? No one seemed to care.