When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 90

Moonlight spilled through the window, wrapping him in a soft, silvery glow. He looked so refined, almost untouchable, but his face was shockingly pale. Nelly reached out to feel his forehead. Warm, but not dangerously so. She lingered at his side for a bit, watching his chest rise and fall in steady rhythm. Once she was sure he was just sleeping, she started to leave.

“Don’t… please… I’m begging you…”

Jonah’s voice broke the quiet. Nelly turned back and saw his brow furrowed, his whole body tense with fear like he was trapped in a nightmare.

“Jonah…” she called softly, stepping closer. Suddenly, his arm swung out, knocking a bowl of soup off the nightstand. It splashed all over her, but she barely noticed. She grabbed his arm to stop him from hurting himself, but the instant she touched him, Jonah pulled her straight into his arms.

His grip was surprisingly strong, almost desperate.

“Jonah… hey, are you alright?” Nelly kept her voice low, whispering close to his ear. Jonah just held her tighter. His breath came in short, shaky bursts and she could hear the faintest sound of him choking back a sob.

Nelly froze. Jonah was always so calm; he could steady her no matter what. She never imagined he could be this lost, this vulnerable. She didn’t try to pull away. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and gently patted his back, the same way she used to comfort Carrie after bad dreams. Just being there, quiet and steady.

Jonah’s heart was racing, like he was running from something even in his sleep. He clung to her as if he’d fall apart if he let go.

Nelly thought of what the housekeeper had mentioned earlier, and suddenly she remembered her own childhood. She’d lost her mom around the same age Jonah had. Then the Garland family came into her life, and Brody became her only anchor. Maybe for Jonah, the Watson family, and Felix, were that anchor. Maybe that was why he tried so hard to fit in, to make it work.

She didn’t know how long she stayed there, just that eventually Jonah’s body relaxed and his breathing evened out. When Nelly tried to leave, though, he was still holding her hand. She tried to slip free a few times, but his grip stayed firm. If she pulled too hard, she’d wake him for sure.

So she just sat on the edge of the bed and waited, staying with him a little longer until he finally fell into a deep, restful sleep.

On her way out, Nelly ran into Felix, who had just gotten home. She immediately told him about Jonah, but Felix didn’t seem to care at all. Instead, he called her into his study to talk about the family dinner. He made it clear she’d acted too impulsively. She could have used the dinner to win over some of the Watsons, but she’d left early, not thinking things through.

“You saw how they treated Jonah,” she pointed out.

“That’s not important.”

“It is important,” Nelly shot back.

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