When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 135

By the time Sheila finished up, Brody was already gone from the hotel.

She hurried after him and saw him searching around. Figuring he was looking for his phone, she held it out to him.

“Brody, your phone. Here.”

But Brody didn’t even look at her. He brushed past Sheila, turned around, and unsteadily rushed back into the private room.

After scrambling around for a bit, he finally found what he was looking for—a ring, tucked away in the corner under a chair.

Sheila followed him inside and saw the ring too.

It was the gift Brody once tried to give her, the one he had taken back.

“Brody…”

Sheila frowned and reached for his arm, trying to help him up.

Brody refused to get up. He just stared at the ring in his hand, his eyes unfocused.

“Why are you doing this, all of a sudden? Didn’t you say you’d never take it off? That you’d never leave?”

Sheila’s lips parted as something clicked in her mind. Her heart skipped a beat.

Still, she reached out and took his hand.

“Brody, what are you talking about? You’re drunk… Let me take you home, okay?”

“Nelly…”

Sheila froze. Brody looked at her, his eyes so dark and intense she could barely read him. There was a vulnerability in his face she’d never seen before.

“Nelly, what if we start over? I don’t think I can keep pretending I don’t care anymore.”

Brody’s eyes were red, his breath heavy with alcohol. Every word was slow and careful, like it cost him something just to say it. He looked lost, a sadness weighing on his features that wouldn’t let go.

Sheila bit down, feeling like her blood had turned cold and her heart was about to stop.

It took her a long moment before she let out a short, bitter laugh, tears glimmering in her eyes.

“Brody, do you even realize what you’re saying?”

Brody’s eyes looked empty. He just stared at her lips, and slowly leaned in.

“Nelly.”

He said her name in a whisper.

Tears slid down Sheila’s face, but she didn’t move away. He just barely touched his lips to the corner of hers—gentle, careful, nothing more.

A moment later, Brody lost all strength and slumped against her shoulder.

There was a small sound at the door.

Sheila turned around, but the doorway was empty. The door was cracked open just a bit.

It didn’t matter. Even if Brody changed his mind about the divorce, it didn’t matter. As long as Nelly disappeared from his life, Sheila would make sure Brody only remembered her.

She pulled the ring Brody had found out of her pocket. She thought about tossing it, but after a moment’s hesitation, she kept it in her hand.

…

When Nelly got home, hunger hit her out of nowhere.

She dug through her cupboards and found a bag of gummy candies. She tore it open and popped a few in her mouth. The sweet and sour flavor was sharp, but all she could taste was bitterness.

She frowned, spat the candy out, and gulped down a huge glass of water.

Suddenly, her stomach turned. She felt sick again.

She realized she hadn’t taken her medicine today and rushed to swallow her pills. But not long after, she was kneeling by the toilet, throwing everything up.

It was awful.

Why was she like this? Why did she keep putting herself through it, knowing that every extra second near him would only hurt her more?

Brody, how can you be so cruel?

She couldn’t escape. She couldn’t run. She had already surrendered, so why couldn’t he just let her go? Why did he have to keep haunting her?

Nelly thought she was way past feeling this kind of pain. But when she saw Brody and Sheila together, holding each other, kissing, it was like everything snapped. She was right back where she started.

She had underestimated how deeply people react, even when they think they’re numb. This love had drained everything from her, so even if it was rotten and ruined, it would still bleed and ache after being torn out by the roots.