When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 259

Gregory pressed his lips together, clearly done with the conversation. “You’re still just a kid. Let the adults handle their own mess. Just pay the bill, all right?”

Nelly rolled her eyes, her words sharp from both the wine and her mood. “I’m not a kid anymore. Face it, Gregory, you’re just getting old.”

She snatched his drink right out of his hand. “If you don’t talk, you can forget about finishing this bottle.”

Gregory’s face tightened. This wasn’t just any drink. “Come on, don’t do that. Why are you suddenly acting out like this? Did your husband piss you off?”

“Keep talking and I’ll dump it out right now.”

She made to get up, but Gregory’s hand shot out to stop her. “Wait, this isn’t just any bottle. Christopher gave it to me. There’s only one like it.”

At the mention of Christopher’s name, Nelly’s expression changed. The air around her seemed to drop in temperature. Even Gregory felt the tension, like she was pulling all the light out of the room.

Gregory let out a long sigh. He looked tired, as if something heavy had finally worn him down. “Fine. I’ll talk. Christopher didn’t really abandon you.”

He looked away, lost in memory. “After your mom died, I showed up and told you I was an old friend of hers. But the truth is, I’d never even met her. Christopher asked me to find you both. By the time I arrived, your mom was already gone.”

“For years, I barely touched that money. I didn’t understand him. And honestly, I never thought you’d ever show up needing anything from me.”

He shrugged, voice almost apologetic. “I wanted to stay far away from the Watson family and all their drama. I even told Nicholas no when he asked for my help. I was going to turn you down too. But Christopher was always impossible to figure out. I guess I just wanted to see what he was really planning.”

Nelly listened, silent and stunned. Her grip on the bottle loosened. Gregory moved fast, catching it before it could crash to the floor.

She stared at him, her voice barely above a whisper. “Gregory, you actually met Christopher. What was he like? What kind of person was he, really?”