When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 251

Ben was still just a kid when his whole world turned upside down.

The night he found out, panic took over. He barely slept. By sunrise, he grabbed his research and ran for his life. The people from Red Spider came after him, and his three assistants died, helping him get away. Even his old classmates, the teachers who worked beside him, anyone who had anything to do with him, none of them escaped what came next.

Ben knew then that he had nowhere left to run.

Not long after, in the Capital, one of the bosses from the Underground City found him. The guy’s name was Mr. Blair, a man with a fox-eye tattoo on his wrist, the kind of symbol that meant you didn’t mess with him. Ben owed him everything. But he kept all that to himself. Nelly didn’t need to know those details.

“If I go see Nicholas, there’s a good chance the Watson family gets dragged down with me. Are you sure you want me to go?”

Ben laid it all out. He expected Nelly to hesitate, maybe look disappointed. But her eyes turned red, full of real, quiet sorrow.

“Mr. Brown, you’re a doctor with a heart bigger than anyone I know. I really admire you.”

“Admire me?” Ben gave a tired laugh, shaking his head. “I was just scared. It was all impulse. If I’d known running would mean so many deaths, so much loss, and that I have to ruin for the rest of my life, I might never have done it.”

“Life’s not about getting do-overs. Still, I think if you could go back, you’d make the same choice.”

Nelly’s eyes fell on Ben’s old white lab coat, draped over a chair. It was faded and out of place down here, but he still kept it close.

Ben started to argue, maybe even make a joke, but Nelly cut him off.

Ben moved closer, tapping his fingers on the desk. “That’s not what I’m worried about. Even if I have to leave the Underground City, I’ll find a way. But Nicholas isn’t going to let you off easy. One letter probably won’t count as keeping your promise to him.”

“I did everything I could, didn’t I?” Nelly managed a small smile. “Mr. Brown, don’t send me back empty-handed.”

He looked into her eyes. She really wasn’t trying to force him to meet Nicholas.

Three days had already passed in the casino. The deadline with Nicholas was nearly up. Nelly had to get back to Westhaven as soon as possible. But Brody still hadn’t woken up. He’d been shot, and his injuries were bad.

Jude saw the worry written in Nelly’s eyes. “I’ll get a car. First we’ll take you to the hospital, then I’ll drive you back to Westhaven tonight so you can meet Nicholas.”