Dear Ex-wife Marry Me (Maja and Ian) novel Chapter 2009

Shirley had barely stepped off the plane when her phone buzzed with a call from James, informing her that Abner had been assaulted.

She thought she'd misheard. Abner, always so mild-mannered and non-confrontational, getting into a fight?

Rushing to the hospital, she spotted James in the hallway.

"Mr. James."

"Shirley!"

James, visibly shaken and with a trembling voice, blurted out, "He was rushed into the ER last night. He's stable now, just a minor concussion, but he's lost quite a bit of weight. Go see him."

Shirley, heart pounding, hurried into Abner's room.

Abner, awake with bandages wrapped around his head and looking pale, barely whispered, "Shirley?"

"Abner!" Shirley's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"What happened? How did you end up fighting?"

Abner hung his head in silence, but James couldn't hold back and spilled everything about how Abner's background had been exposed.

Shirley was taken aback. The ordeal had been ongoing for two months, with Abner facing isolation at school, yet he hadn't breathed a word of it to her.

"Shirley, don't get mad. It wasn't Abner who sought trouble. It was a few boys from another class who cornered him."

Tears rimmed Shirley's eyes as she grasped Abner's hand. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Shirley, I didn't want to worry you."

Hearing this, Shirley felt an acute pain in her heart.

How could he be so considerate?

She took a deep breath. "Rest up. Mr. James and I will handle some things at school."

Her face was stern, signaling her intent to get to the bottom of this.

Abner clutched at her sleeve, reluctant to let her go.

Shirley's expression darkened. "Mr. James, I'm calling the police."

Knowing he couldn't stop her, James sighed deeply.

"Do what you think is necessary. With senior year upon us, I'm worried about his mental health. You know, deep down, he's always afraid of being abandoned by you, which is why he never wants to trouble you, no matter the issue."

Understanding yet heartbroken, Shirley took action, tracing the leak of Abner's personal information back to its source.

The trail led to Mark.

The name was familiar; after all, she had known Mark for eight years.

The police could only do so much, as the incident didn't constitute a criminal offense.

In the evening, Shirley arranged to meet Mark.

Two months ago, when Mark had instigated the ordeal, he'd felt a twinge of regret. But seeing the backlash against Abner made that regret vanish.

How could someone with such a tarnished background deserve so much attention?