When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 91

“I’m sorry, I got held up.” Nelly was out of breath, scanning the area for Brody or his car. He was nowhere to be seen.

“You can still come. We’ll be done soon,” she said, trying to keep hope alive.

“I have other things to do. Let’s leave it for next time.” Brody’s voice was cold.

“When is next time?” Nelly’s anxiety spiked. “I was only ten minutes late. It won’t take long, and you probably haven’t left yet, right?”

“Late is late, even by one minute. My time is limited. You should’ve showed up on time.”

His words had no warmth at all. Brody was obviously using her mistake against her on purpose.

Nelly squeezed her phone, almost ready to let out a string of curses. She took a breath and tried to sound calm. “Brody, you’re really not coming?”

“No.” His answer was so indifferent it made her want to scream.

Nelly nodded to herself. “Fine. Then let’s just set a new time right now. I’ll be on time next time, I promise.”

“I can’t say right now. I’ll let you know when I’m free.” Brody’s voice was as flat as ever. He hung up before she could say another word.

“Brody, you...” Nelly’s frustration burned in her chest and she nearly threw her phone in anger.

Brody, sitting in his car parked out of sight, watched her meltdown through the window. He stared for a while, then finally said to Alan, “Let’s go.”

“Sir, we’re still here. Are you really not going to finish the divorce?” Alan was confused. Brody was not the type to waste his time. They’d been parked at the courthouse the whole time, just out of sight, and he had turned Nelly down over the phone. What was the point of all this?

“She was late,” Brody said.

“Yeah, but was it really necessary to make her come back another time…” Alan hesitated, then a thought hit him. Could it be that Brody didn’t actually want the divorce? But if that was true, why did he ask her to meet at all? If Nelly had shown up on time, the papers would be signed by now.

“I hate it when someone is late.” Brody’s voice was sharp, and Alan shut his mouth.

The drive was silent. Brody’s mood was icy, and the tension filled the car. He barely noticed when they got to the office, only snapping out of it after Alan called his name a few times.

His mind wandered back to the courthouse, to the way Nelly had stamped her foot in frustration when he didn’t show up. She was so eager to get the divorce, but she couldn’t even bother to be on time. Maybe it was all just a game, like people said. Some kind of trick. But if it was, she never seemed reluctant when she thought he wasn’t looking.

None of this was worth his time. Nelly’s thoughts weren’t worth the effort.

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