When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 2

Brody came home late that night, drunk and high on something, looking like he didn’t care if he lived or died.

Brody’s mom Rosie called Nelly, asking her to come over. That’s when Nelly finally found out. It wasn’t that Brody didn’t have feelings. Actually, someone had already taken every last bit of them. The girl who’d meant everything to him had left, moved overseas, and married someone else.

Nelly had never seen Brody so lost. She’d grown up with him, and he’d always kept his emotions locked up tight. Seeing him like this—wild, out of control—shook her to the core. At Rosie’s request, Nelly stayed by his side for several nights, refusing to leave him alone.

Rosie believed the only way to help Brody move on was to give him something, or someone, to fill the void. She handed Nelly a packet of medicine, hoping she could ease her son’s pain, calling it a way to repay the Garland family for all they’d done.

But Nelly didn’t need to be asked. She would have given herself to Brody anyway, even though she knew he didn’t want her. Somehow, things spiraled, and not long after, Nelly discovered she was pregnant.

Brody was ruthless when it came to his feelings. Unless you were the one in his heart, he treated everyone else with icy indifference. But he was practical too.

Nelly thought he’d be furious when he found out. Instead, he didn’t even blink. He just had a marriage agreement drawn up right away. The terms were simple. Their marriage would last until the child was grown up. After the divorce, the child would stay with the Garland family. Nelly wouldn’t get a cent. No one outside family and close friends could know about their relationship.

Every word on that contract felt like punishment, but Nelly still said yes. She was both nervous and a little thrilled, telling herself that if she just loved him enough, if she was patient, Brody’s broken heart would eventually heal. She believed she could win him over, if only she kept trying.

Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. A short message appeared.

“Something came up at the kindergarten. Carrie and I won’t be there today.”

It was Brody.

Maybe it was her own fault. After they got married, things had been polite, if nothing else. But after their son died a year ago, everything changed. Brody barely spoke to her. Their daughter, Carrie, seemed to avoid her at every turn.

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