When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 215

“Come on, let’s go grab something good to eat. My treat today.”

Gregory was in a great mood. He closed up shop without a second thought and brought Nelly down the block to a cozy little spot famous for its specialties.

The owner recognized Gregory right away. After a quick hello, he found them a small, private booth tucked away in the back.

Nelly had wanted to treat Gregory to dinner, but he beat her to it.

He was full of questions about her life, one after another, barely giving her a chance to get a word in edgewise.

She hadn’t even gotten to the real reason she’d come.

“Are you still planning to stay with him?”

“Him?” Nelly hesitated. She’d told Gregory almost everything, except for what was going on with Brody.

“Your husband.” Gregory took a sip of water. His tone cooled a little. “You must care about him a lot. Every time I bring him up, you dodge the topic. Did he hurt you?”

“You’re as sharp as ever, Gregory. Sometimes it feels like you can read my mind.” Nelly tried to smile, but it came out bittersweet.

She could never hide anything from him.

She’d always known Gregory was good at seeing through people, but before she came, she’d worried for a moment. Maybe her childhood memories had put him on a pedestal, or maybe those stories about him online were just hype.

But after seeing how small and worn his shop was, she knew she’d been overthinking it.

“He’s in love with someone else. Our marriage was just for show right from the beginning. Now there’s nothing left. We’re almost done.”

Nelly didn’t bother pretending. She told Gregory the truth.

Gregory slammed his glass on the table.

When Gregory left, Nelly had been scared and lost for a while. She never blamed him, though.

Later she found out Gregory had given the orphanage a lot of money, making sure they found her a good family. He wasn’t doing great himself back then, but he’d done everything he could for her.

Gregory let out another sigh, then nodded. He’d honestly thought he’d never see Nelly again.

Maybe fate really did work in mysterious ways.

When they got back to Gregory’s shop, he handed Nelly a folder he’d already prepared.

Nelly was actually the client who’d reached out to him online yesterday.

She needed to find someone, but the details were all over the place and she was running out of time. It was the kind of job anyone else would call impossible.

Gregory had almost turned her down, but when he heard the name Ben, he hesitated and finally agreed to help.