When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 166

April kept her head down, shoulders shaking as she cried. She handed Victoria a tissue, still sniffling out apologies and quietly begging Nelly to forgive her mother.

Watching all this, the shop manager and the others couldn’t help but soften. Suddenly, Victoria didn’t look like the villain anymore. Maybe things at home were harder than anyone realized. Who could really know what was going on behind closed doors? Maybe life had just pushed her too far. After all, what mom could be cruel to her own child for no reason? Her way of handling things might have been rough, but maybe her heart was in the right place.

Nelly’s burn wasn’t too serious. The manager brought over some ointment. She tried to mediate, her voice gentle. “Maybe you don’t need to call the police. She is going to apologize, and I’ll give you a discount today, alright?”

Carrie tugged at Nelly’s sleeve. Nelly understood what her daughter wanted. Neither of them wanted April to get caught in the middle of all this. She let out a breath and canceled the call. Victoria wiped her face, looking a lot less hostile. She apologized and even tried to offer Nelly some money as compensation.

“That’s really not necessary. April is just a kid. What she needs is care and love. I just hope you can be a little kinder to her from now on…”

“And today is her birthday, too.”

Nelly glanced at April, who was still standing beside Victoria, head bowed, silently wiping her tears. Victoria barely replied and hurried April out the door.

Nelly watched April’s small, thin figure disappear, her heart aching in a way she couldn’t explain. She wondered if letting them leave together was really the right thing to do.

Victoria dragged April along for a long time, not stopping until they turned a corner. Then she suddenly yanked April’s jacket off.

“Take it off. Take off your clothes.”

*

About half an hour later, Nelly was at the hospital getting her burn treated. The tea had just boiled when she got hurt, and she hadn’t rinsed it in time. Now there were blisters, and the pain was getting worse.

Jessie was on shift and took care of Nelly herself. She was worried the pain would get worse later, so she wrapped Nelly’s hand up carefully, layer after layer.

“You really shouldn’t have gotten involved in April’s family,” Jessie said with a sigh after hearing what happened.

Jessie had always thought there was something off about Victoria. She hovered over April, barely letting anyone touch her, always acting overly anxious.

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