When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 32

Most of Brody’s money wasn’t hers to begin with. She only took what she’d rightfully earned over the years.

Brody shot a sharp look at Nelly. He couldn’t believe how straightforward she was, like she couldn’t wait to make a clean break.

Nelly’s face looked so pale and delicate, her features cool and sharp. Her messy dark hair fell softly around her shoulders, making her seem almost fragile, like someone you’d want to protect.

But her eyes were steady, filled with determination.

Brody found himself staring at her for a long time. He rarely looked at her this closely. Yet he remembered how her eyes used to linger on him, unwilling to let go.

Whatever words he wanted to say just stuck in his throat.

Their marriage had only ever existed on paper. Now that Nelly was breaking the rules, ending things early didn’t seem impossible. Brody had thought he’d stick it out for her sake, especially since she’d been sick. But now, all he felt was something unsettling, a twist of discomfort he couldn’t explain.

“The divorce will have to wait.”

“It’s just a divorce. Why wait?” Nelly wanted to ask. Wasn’t Brody dying to start his new life with Sheila? What was there to drag out? But she bit her tongue. Asking about Brody and the woman he loved would only hurt herself.

“You still have access to company resources. You need time to sort those out. And the projects you handle need to be wrapped up properly.”

So it was all about business, as usual.

Nelly felt a headache coming on. “I’ll let the clients know. Everything else is already organized.” She got up, ready to grab the USB drive.

Brody grabbed her wrist. “Carrie’s still in the hospital. She needs time too.”

He was always so decisive, but this sudden hesitation completely threw Nelly off.

“Brody, don’t tell me you actually don’t want a divorce.”

Brody froze. He didn’t expect Nelly to have seen any of that. Sheila hadn’t mentioned it either. But after a moment, he pulled himself together. “That was just a coincidence. Sheila and I—”

His phone rang before he could finish. He checked the caller ID, hesitated, then picked up.

“What’s going on?” His voice softened as soon as he answered. Nelly could faintly hear a woman crying on the line.

At a time like this, there was only one person Brody would answer for. Nelly didn’t need to guess.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.” As Brody said it, he glanced at Nelly.

Nelly quickly grabbed the divorce papers. “Brody, you can’t go.”

She made sure to raise her voice, letting the person on the other end hear every word.