The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 177

Nathan was a total coward.

Introverted, sensitive, insecure, and deeply timid.

He was often so spineless that even an introvert like Nora found him hard to watch.

Inside the wellness center's breakroom.

Jasmine sat down, grabbed Nathan by the arm, and pulled him into the chair across from her. Her voice was steady and gentle. "Nate, listen to me."

Why did she have to grab his arm?

Because she was afraid he'd bolt.

Standing directly behind Nathan, glaring daggers at him, was Cassidy.

And Nora had pulled up a chair to guard the door.

A triple-layered blockade.

Before the conversation had even started, Nathan was already shaking under the immense pressure.

"Jasmine," he whimpered, "I'm scared."

Jasmine tightened her grip. "You're a grown man. Don't act scared."

"...Jasmine, you're hurting me."

Cassidy kicked the leg of Nathan's chair. "Stop whining!"

Nathan jolted in terror. His face crumpled, his lips trembled, and he didn't dare make another sound.

Growing up, Nathan had always seen Jasmine as his gentle, caring sister, Nora as the patient, kind neighbor, and Cassidy as a vicious, merciless demon.

And today, all three of them were teaming up against him!

He had no choice but to accept his fate.

"Nate, I need you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you. Every single word. Do you understand?"

Jasmine's soft tone managed to calm him slightly. He nodded. "I understand."

The interrogation lasted twenty minutes.

Jasmine repeated herself over and over, explaining everything in excruciating detail. The hardest truths to swallow, she verified with him multiple times until she was certain he comprehended the gravity of the situation.

Halfway through the talk, Nathan broke down into loud, ugly sobs.

Sitting by the door, Nora listened to his miserable wailing. She slowly tilted her head back and rested it against the wood.

Honestly, while watching Maloney draft the script last night, Nora had pointed out that while Jasmine could handle the execution, Nathan might not have the mental fortitude to survive the revelation.

Maloney had scoffed at her concern.

Nathan was twenty-four, not four.

Did her little friend group plan to shield the baby boy under their wings for the rest of his life?

If he was incompetent and cowardly, he still had the right to know the truth about the horrors inflicting his own family. If he chose to remain a coward after learning the truth, that was on him.

Maloney's logic was flawless.

To destroy an enemy, you target their weakness.

Nathan was Mr. and Mrs. Smith's greatest weakness.

The plan was perfect.

Nora had merely been reflecting on how the parents' selfish motives had single-handedly ruined three children.

If so, she would survive.

She would study, grow, make money, and build a home of her own.

But Maloney wouldn't be in it.

That was fine too.

Life was never perfect.

Stories of passionate lovers turning into resentful strangers were everywhere.

It didn't matter.

Dark, pessimistic thoughts had flooded her mind.

She was an avoidant personality by nature.

The second she sensed danger, her instinct was to dig a tunnel and prepare an escape route.

It was just that Maloney's relentless, overwhelming pursuit over the past few months had completely disarmed her.

It made her complacent and obedient.

But the moment he acted out of character, her mind spun out of control.

Yet, it only stayed in her head.

Nora wasn't irrational enough to completely sabotage everything over one bad mood.

Back when she had asked for a divorce, she had agonized over it for over a year.

This was just a tiny, newly sprouted seed of doubt.