When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 136

She made herself look away, choosing to ignore what was right in front of her. But pretending not to see didn’t make everything go away. If anything, when the pain came back, it hurt even more. Out of nowhere, Nelly felt tears prick at her eyes. She bit them back, reminding herself of the promise she’d made: she wouldn’t cry for him, not anymore.

It took a while for her to calm down. When she finally felt steady, she went back to her bedroom, picked up her phone, and dialed Jonah’s number. It was late, way past the time for casual calls. The second the call started ringing, she panicked and hung up.

That’s when it hit her. She was starting to lean on Jonah, reaching for him like he was some kind of painkiller whenever things got rough. She knew it wasn’t fair, not to him and not to herself. Depending on other people wasn’t an option anymore. Not even when it’s her own family.

Jonah hadn’t gone to bed yet. He saw her name flash on his phone, but the call ended before he could answer. He called her right back, but she didn’t pick up. Instead, she sent a quick text, saying she’d dialed the wrong number and was about to go to sleep, wishing him good night. The message was awkward, like she was trying too hard to explain herself. Jonah stared at his phone for a long time before finally replying with a simple, “Good night.”

…

Outside the preschool, Tina stepped out of her car to pick up Carrie. The street was crowded with parents and kids, and somewhere in the shuffle, someone was watching them from the shadows.

Tina was just about to get back in the car when a motorcycle suddenly shot through the middle of the street, snatching her purse right out of her hand.

“Thief! Someone help!” she shouted, shocked. This was an upscale preschool, the kind where security was supposed to be airtight. She’d never imagined anything like this could happen, so it took her a second to react. That purse was worth a small fortune.

The bodyguard immediately took off after the thief, while Tina scrambled to call the police. In the chaos, she let go of Carrie’s hand and stopped paying attention to her. As Tina turned away, phone pressed to her ear, a large hand covered Carrie’s mouth and swept her into a waiting car.

“Carrie?” Tina called, turning around. But Carrie was gone.

Brody didn’t hear about it until that evening. He rushed to Tina’s place, where she was already in pieces, crying so hard she could barely speak. She’d spent the whole afternoon searching around the preschool, but the part of the road where Carrie disappeared didn’t have any cameras. The police were involved, but it was still early, and they needed more time to investigate.

“Is this how you watch her?” Brody’s voice shook with anger. He looked like he wanted to rip Tina apart, but now wasn’t the time for blame. He didn’t waste another word, just turned and stormed out, determined to search for his daughter himself. He would tear Westhaven apart if he had to. No matter what, he’d find Carrie.

Just then, Sheila showed up, looking frantic, like she’d lost her own child. “I heard about Carrie. Is there any news? Did you find her?”

Tina, desperate for even a glimmer of hope, had already called everyone Carrie knew—her friends from school, their parents, anyone who might’ve seen her. No one had.

It was clear Carrie wouldn’t just disappear on her own. Brody barely glanced at Sheila, too focused on what he needed to do, and hurried away.

“Brody, you don’t have any leads right now. You need to calm down,” Sheila urged.

“I’ll find her, leads or not,” Brody replied, voice ice-cold.

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