Chapter 143
I spent a good amount of time comforting Stella, hoping she wouldn’t fret over me and accidentally harm the baby in her belly
After hanging up, my dislike for Bonnie hit a new high.
My hatred for Neil was burning like a wild fire.
I asked Halley to write a piece centered around the recording and send it to me for review.
Three days later, he sent me the draft.
Meanwhile, Russell messaged me that Bonnie’s surgery in Phenovia was temporarily postponed. She was returning home and would continue her regular check-ups and treatments at the hospital where she used to treat her heart condition.
As I was pondering over my next steps, Barbara called.
“Rena, I’m at a loss for words!” she sounded exasperated, “News of Bonnie’s heart condition is spreading like wildfire at Rosemont College. The school even organized a fundraiser, especially music department students, this is insane!*
“A fundraiser? She’s got Neil, why would she need a fundraiser?’ I sneered.
“People are saying she and Neil are just friends, and Neil is the one pursuing her. She wouldn’t accept any financial support from Neil. Many people think she’s quite proud and those who criticized her before are now starting to feel sorry for her, Barbara replied.
Although Bonnie was cunning, she did care about dignity, otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many people willing to believe her.
In some ways, she was good at disguising herself, always able to make most people like her.
Unless Neil came forward to clarify, those rumors would be taken as truth by the public, and Bonnie’s bad reputation-would slowly fade away
She might even use her heart condition as an excuse for being with Neil, saying she was moved by Neil’s unwavering support.
I knew Neil wouldn’t come forward to explain to anyone.
“A lot of people don’t know the whole story, they only see the surface, so they’re easily swayed. It’s okay, the higher shes lifted, the harder she’ll fall,” I said
“She’s supposedly returning home in the next couple of days and is planning to go back to school to personally return the donations to help some poor but excellent students.
Barbara sighed deeply. “I now truly understand what a wolf in sheep’s clothing means.”
“If she’s going back to school, would they throw her a welcome party?” I spotted an opportunity.
Barbara replied, “Definitely She’s popular because of Neil and her generous act of donating all the fundraising money to the school will certainly be publicized and praised”
I already had a rough plan in mind.
Indeed, Bonnie returned home the next day, and to my surprise, Neil was not in the airport photo, but Kate and Malinda were
The medias attention on Bonnie was entirely because of Neil. Many female celebrities had used him to boost their exposure.
The online comments were quite interesting.
*Before I cursed Bonnie as a homewrecker! After knowing Bonnie was forced to accept Neil and has severe heart disease, I thought I deserved to die””
“Bonnie probably isn’t with Neil yet, or why would she need to raise funds?”
“Don’t worry guys. I’ll share the guilt for the past misunderstandings about her. God bless that girl
“Bonnie’s friends and family speak highly of her. She can’t be that bad, right?”
I read these comments with a poker face, closed the webpage, and switched on the recorder, checking the information inside.
Suddenly, a call interrupted my work. It was Neil’s number, that strangely familiar number.
I used to eagerly anticipate him giving me a call, just to have a chat, even if he didn’t speak, just listening to me was enough.
Now I hated him to the bone, regretting my previous wishful thinking time and time again.
After hanging up, a message popped up: [Im outside your house, let’s meet and talk]
Did he return home before Bonnie?
I replied with two words: [GET LOST].
After that, I was ready to block him, but another message came: [Don’t you want to know why I keep protecting her? Come out, I’ll tell you]
Neil knew me well, knowing that I didn’t care about anything else but this one thing.
If what he felt for Bonnie wasnt love, then what was it? Like in TV dramas, did Bonnie once save his life?
My mom was making chicken soup for me. My dad didn’t come home for lunch since he was at work. The house was empty. I changed my shoes and
went out.
Neil’s car was parked at the gate. Its sleek curves reflected the sunlight, very eye-catching. He sat in the car waiting for me.
I got in the passenger seat and said coldly. “Now you can tell me.”
“Bonnie had a heart transplant. If she’s to have another one, the complexity and risk of the surgery will increase.” Nell’s voice was as magnetic sa eve calm.
“Don’t you think that’s a lame excuse?” I laughed sarcastically. “Are you afraid that I wouldn’t understand how much you care and worry about her?”
Neil frowned, “Do you really have to talk like this?”
“Where did I go wrong?” I looked at him coldly, “Neil, if killing wasn’t illegal, I would’ve killed you and Bonnie a long time ago. You both are murderers who killed my baby!”
As soon as I finished, Neil suddenly punched the steering wheel, his eyes filled with uncontrollable rage, “That was my baby too, Irene! For three months, you didn’t give me any news. I was kept in the dark like a fool. Did you ever give me a chance to take care of you? Did you ever give me a chance to handle everything? In the end, after the baby was gone, that’s when I found out. Did you want me to accept this fact without knowing anything? Is my crime really that big?”
My heart pounded, i felt a sharp pain in my chest, it was suffocating. I forced a smile, “Don’t you have Bonnie?”
1 wanted the baby, not her!” Neil was seething with anger, like a volcano that had been holding back for a long time finally erupted.
Even if he didn’t love me, he should at least love his own child
I looked at his angry face, mouth agape, but in the end, I didnt tell him that even without Bonnie, the kid might not have made it
I could handle losing the kid due to other reasons, but I couldn’t stand the fact that it was because of Bonnie
“Have you not loved me for ten years? Why, after I confessed my feelings for you, did you choose to divorce me so firmly? You didnt even give me a chance to sort out other issues. What did I do wrong? What grave mistake did I make to deserve such punishment?’ Neil’s eyes were filled with anger, glaring at me.
I tried to keep my cool facing Neil’s meltdown, “If you care about the baby so much, you should go deal with Bonnie. She’s the one who messed things up.”
