When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 96

She fished the room key from her purse and hurried off without looking back.

Brody followed, his long strides catching up easily. He watched Nelly swipe open the door to a suite, then bolt straight into the bathroom. A second later, he heard her retching.

"Are you done playing games?"

Brody was more than annoyed. He marched over and hauled her up, but the moment he touched her, he noticed she was burning up. Her whole body was limp, totally drained of strength.

A flicker of worry crept in.

"What’s going on with you?"

"Let me go..."

Nelly’s body felt like lead. She tried to pull free, but her legs gave out and she sank to the floor.

She sucked in desperate breaths, fighting to stay awake. "I think… I think someone drugged me. Call me an ambulance, then… you can just leave..."

"For real?"

Brody stared at her. She didn’t look like she was faking, but he still hesitated.

"Whatever, don’t believe me... But you, keep your distance..."

Nelly pushed herself up, determined to get away from him. She wanted nothing to do with him.

Practically crawling, she made her way back to the bathroom, turned the shower on full blast, and let the freezing water pour over her.

But the cold barely had time to hit her skin before the water stopped abruptly.

Brody had shut it off. He yanked the showerhead from her grip and dragged her out. "Are you trying to make yourself sick with this cold water?"

"Just leave me alone!"

Nelly snapped, her frustration boiling over. She couldn’t fight him off, and her body was betraying her, driving her crazy. In desperation, she bit down on his hand, hard.

Brody gritted his teeth but didn’t pull away, letting her bite until her lips were stained with his blood.

"Hang on. I’m calling a doctor."

He scooped her up and laid her on the bed, covering her shivering body with the comforter.

Pinned down, Nelly squeezed her eyes shut in pain.

She hated this. She hated how pathetic she looked, hated that Brody was seeing her like this.

Brody called Jessie right away. He didn’t want anyone else involved, especially not a male doctor.

Jessie sounded tense when she heard what was happening. She promised she’d be there soon, but told Brody he needed to help Nelly hold on until she arrived. Some drugs could hit hard, she warned, and the effects might get worse.

Brody ended the call, feeling stuck.

Nelly curled up under the blanket, soaking wet, looking so vulnerable he almost couldn’t bear it.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify