When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 7

"Brody, let's get a divorce..." Nelly barely got the words out before a burst of noise came from the other end. Someone had called in with something urgent. "It's the bank," Alan reminded him, sounding anxious.

"I can't talk right now. Just leave a message," Brody said, his eyes glued to the computer. The stock market was all over the place, and Garland Inc. was feeling the heat. The lines on his screen kept jumping, and he didn’t even process Nelly’s words before hanging up.

The call cut out, leaving Nelly staring at her phone in silence. She’d known he’d be busy. That was exactly why she hadn’t bothered with small talk. Still, he couldn’t even spare her a few seconds. Whatever. If a few seconds were that valuable to him, she’d stop caring about this moment too.

Brody’s meeting went on forever—over four hours straight. By the time he finally made it back to his office, it was already dark outside. When he checked his phone, Nelly’s message popped up right away.

[Come home tonight. I have something important to talk to you about.]

Brody checked the time. Past seven. He already had dinner plans with Sheila and Carrie at a new restaurant. But Nelly never sent messages like this. For a split second, he hesitated. Then he shrugged it off. Nelly just wasn’t a priority for him. Her problems didn’t have anything to do with him.

Alan had already picked up Carrie from kindergarten and brought her to the office. The second she saw Brody, she ran up to him with a grin. "Daddy, you look so handsome today!"

Brody smiled a little, ruffling her hair. "How was your day?"

"Not good." Carrie pouted, still upset about how Nelly had treated her that morning. It had put her in a bad mood all day.

"What happened? Did someone mess with my little princess?" Brody’s face stayed calm, but his voice was soft.

He scooped Carrie up and set her in the back seat of the car, buckling her in.

Sheila was famous for her comics, and her series was a big deal in the country. Carrie was a huge fan. The first time Brody had introduced them, Carrie had been totally starstruck. Sheila’s drawing started to attract attention from other tables too. Someone even recognized her and quietly paid for their meal.

When Carrie noticed, she looked at Sheila with even more admiration. It felt so obvious to her—someone like Ms. Olson was perfect for her dad. Way better than her own mom, if she was being honest.

After dinner, Brody was ready to take Carrie home since it was getting late. But Sheila invited Carrie over to her place to watch a movie.

"Can I? I want to watch a movie with Ms. Olson!" Carrie’s voice was full of excitement.

Brody looked at her, his tone even. "No. It’ll be too late by the time the movie’s over."