When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 361

“Go ahead. If this isn’t an emergency, don’t bother showing your face around me again.” Brody’s voice was colder than ice as he stared Alan down.

Alan knew Brody was spending time with Nelly and Cassie right now. There was no way he would have come unless it was serious.

“Ms. Olson sent me. She said… she said they found Finn!” Alan’s words tumbled out, shaky and rushed. He had to get to the point.

“What did you say?” At the sound of his son’s name, Brody froze. He grabbed Alan by the collar, needing to be sure he’d heard right.

“It was Ms. Olson… I don’t really know the details. I was just at her place, dropping off some things, when she got a call. She said they found Finn…”

Things had been tense when Alan showed up at Sheila’s house with Nelly’s leftovers. Sheila looked annoyed, and Alan just wanted to finish up and leave. But then Sheila answered a call and her face went pale. Alan overheard her saying things like, “Are you sure?” and “I’ll be there right away.” Whatever it was, it sounded urgent. Alan’s own heart started pounding.

After hanging up, Sheila turned to him and told him to find Brody. She claimed Finn was alive, that he’d been taken by traffickers, and she was heading out to save him. She wanted Brody there too. The news hit Alan like a ton of bricks. Before he could ask any questions, Sheila was already out the door.

Alan had no idea what else to do. He hadn’t found anyone at Nelly’s place, so he used the tracker on Carrie’s smartwatch to find them out here.

“Ma’am, he had something urgent come up, he—”

“I get it. You don’t have to explain,” Nelly interrupted, her tone calm, almost resigned. She hadn’t really expected Brody to ignore a call from Sheila. Still, for a split second, she’d let herself hope for something else. Something that now felt a little silly.

Alan shifted uncomfortably, not sure what else to say. Brody had only told him to let Nelly know he left for something urgent—nothing more. Not a single word about Finn.

Sheila could be wrong, or even lying, but this was about their son. Even if there was just the slightest chance, Brody had to go himself. He just couldn’t bear the thought of Nelly getting her hopes up, only to be crushed all over again. Losing Finn had hurt her enough. No one deserved to feel that kind of pain twice.