When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 268

He grabbed the letter off the table and shoved it right in Nicholas’s face.

“Are you scared to read this? This was your wife’s last wish. It’s been eating at you for years. Now you finally have a chance to let go of it. Shouldn’t you be able to do whatever it takes… unless, deep down, you never wanted to find Ben at all?”

Jonah’s words were icy, cutting straight through Nicholas’s defenses.

Nicholas stared back, his gaze dark and heavy. Without a word, he snatched the letter and ripped it apart.

“Uncle Nicholas!” Nelly gasped. Jonah’s eyes turned cold.

Nicholas tossed the scraps at Jonah.

“I don’t care how you try to push me. If the agreement isn’t fulfilled, then it isn’t fulfilled.”

He turned to leave, but Jonah stepped in front of him, blocking his way with one outstretched arm.

The light caught Jonah’s face, all sharp lines and cold eyes. He didn’t have to say a word. Just standing there, he gave off this intense, unshakable energy that made it impossible to ignore him.

Nicholas’s expression shifted. He’d always seen Jonah as a background character in the Watson family. At most, he was just Felix’s obedient follower. Since Jonah was younger, Nicholas had never bothered giving him a hard time. He never expected Jonah would dare confront him like this.

“Jonah, what do you think you’re doing?”

Nelly knew he was standing up for her, but she also knew how dangerous this could get for him in the Watson family. She spoke up quickly. “Uncle Nicholas, don’t you want to know what happened to Ben? I can tell you everything I know. But in return, you have to keep your word.”

Nicholas just sneered. “Are you done? Because I have things to do.”

Nelly froze, stunned. Nicholas had been searching for Ben for years. Now that she finally had news, he didn’t care at all? Was Jonah right? Did Nicholas never really want to find Ben?

Nicholas tried to step forward again, but Jonah still didn’t move.

“Move.”

Nicholas’s voice was low and shaky, tinged with anger. He was out of patience.

“Nelly risked her life to get that letter you just tore up. Even if the agreement isn’t fulfilled, I think you owe her something. You should pay the price.”

Jonah’s voice was steady, almost challenging. He wasn’t asking. He was warning.

Nicholas paused, really looking at Jonah for the first time. Jonah stood tall, the light behind him, his presence suddenly looming and intimidating.

But Nicholas had seen a lot in the Watson family. He wasn’t about to be scared off by Jonah.

“And what exactly do you think you can do?”

“You’re welcome to find out.”

Jonah smiled, dropping his arm and stepping aside.

The way he did it, it felt like a threat. Like if Nicholas left now, things would never go back to the way they were.

For a second, Nicholas hesitated. Nelly tugged at Jonah’s sleeve and whispered, “It’s not worth it, Jonah. Let it go.”

She’d come here hoping for a miracle, but deep down, she knew this was a long shot. Nicholas was determined to make things hard for her. Even if she brought Ben right to his face, the outcome wouldn’t change.

If Nicholas was going to block every path, then from now on, he’d be their enemy.

Jonah had no reason to ruin things with him over this right now.

Just then, the phone on the desk behind Nicholas started ringing.

But love, in the end, was too fragile. It couldn’t compete with self-interest. It couldn’t hold up against time.

“Where are you?” Nicholas took a deep breath, glancing at the window. Ben calling at this hour felt like he might be close by.

“If you’re asking me that, you haven’t read my letter yet.”

Ben’s laugh was soft, almost mocking.

He knew Nicholas never really wanted to hear news about him. Especially not from someone else.

Nicholas was just making things hard for Nelly. He never actually wanted her to find him. So when he got Ben’s letter, he panicked. He didn’t think, he just wanted to run.

“Nicholas, I didn’t leave Westhaven because of you. I got myself tangled up with someone dangerous. That has nothing to do with you, so don’t worry. I don’t want to drag the Watson or Brown families into it.”

There was a pause.

Ben might not care for Nicholas, but for his sister’s sake, he’d always thought of him as family.

Nicholas was quiet for a moment. “It’s not just about that. I hoped you’d come home. You should see her.”

“If I get the chance, I will,” Ben said, pausing. “I know you’ve been looking after the Brown family for me and my sister all these years. I’m trusting you to keep doing that.”

Ben and the Watsons had always been at odds. Before she met Nicholas, Sandy had been engaged to someone else. She went against her family to marry Nicholas, and from that day on, she was cut off completely.

She never went home again, not even before she died.

The Brown family felt the same. They never welcomed anyone from the Watsons, especially Nicholas.

After Sandy died, Nicholas never stopped carrying the weight of it.