Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 160

After Bonnie finished speaking, she made a beeline for the balcony, looking to jump.

If Dean hadn't acted fast enough to grab her arm, she could have died tonight. Tears streaming down her face, Bonnie turned to Neil, "Neil, everyone says Irene loved you for you for a decade with deep feeling and kindness. But what about Karina? You screwed her over! And me, from the first moment I heard your name, I felt like we were destined to meet. I worked my ass off to get into Rosemont College and stay in Rosemont, all because I believed in the bond between us!"

I did the math. Bonnie must've been around 15 or 16 when she had her heart transplant, right in the middle of her awkward years.

From her emotional outburst, I figured out another piece of the puzzle.

Turns out, the gift Karina's mom gave to Bonnie was a photo album and diary, full of snippets from Karina's life. There were group photos of the Aaron family sisters in the album, so Bonnie must've recognized Kate from the get-go.

Too bad Kate wasn't here today, otherwise, she could've seen Bonnie's true colors for herself.

But I'm sure she'll see my tweet. She's always been keeping tabs on Bonnie's antics.

Bonnie, now a blubbering mess, seemed to have no effect on Neil who was fed up with her constant deceit.

"Neil, do me one last favor. Can you help minimize the damage from Irene's tweet? I still care about my image," Bonnie pleaded, still concerned about her reputation.

"Get lost!" Neil's response was ice-cold, his eyes sending a chilling warning to Bonnie. "From now on, I don't want to see you ever again. You and your family better pack up and leave Rosemont for good!"

Bonnie's lips trembled. Fear and defiance filled her eyes. She took a few shaky steps, clearly unable to accept what was happening.

Neil's final warning meant she'd have to deal with her studies and surgery on her own. Her family would have to uproot from their familiar surroundings and start anew elsewhere.

Ada and Dean looked like they'd seen a ghost.

Bonnie then turned to Cooper, grabbed his hand, "Cooper, can you help me? My family isn't well-off and I've had a hard time getting to where I am today. You've always encouraged me. Can you help me... please..."

"Bonnie..." Cooper's heart softened seeing Bonnie so distraught, but he quickly snapped back to reality.

He pushed Bonnie away, shaking his head, "You've crossed the line. You've deceived me, deceived everyone."

After being rejected by Cooper, despair washed over Bonnie's face.

The tension in the room was palpable.

Suddenly, Bonnie grabbed an ashtray and hurled it at me.

There were several people around me, but everyone had taken a step back after the earlier confrontation. I watched the ashtray fly towards me, too stunned to react.

Neil was the first to react. He rushed over and took the hit for me.

The ashtray banged against his arm with a dull thud and fell to the floor.

His injury looked pretty bad. It seemed like the sharp edge of the ashtray had cut him. Blood quickly seeped through his sleeve.

"Neil!" Mitch shrieked, yelling at Ada and Dean, "What the hell are you waiting for? Get out! What's your plan? Murder?"

Ada and Dean were equally startled. Leaving the city was the least of their worries. They might've even disappeared from the face of the earth.

The two of them helped Bonnie downstairs.

Mitch and Cooper were checking on Neil's injuries. I watched them from a distance. When Neil looked up at me, we both fell silent.

All the misunderstandings were finally cleared up. It felt like we had just emerged from a dark tunnel into the light.

But we also knew that some people and things, once missed, can never be had again.

Our experiences felt like a war shrouded in smoke. When the war ended and the smoke cleared, we found nothing but ruins around us.