When Family Became a Place I Couldn’t Return To novel Chapter 412

“Mr. Garland, if you never planned to divorce, why are there divorce papers?”

“Mr. Garland, you’ve kept your marriage under wraps all this time. If you really love Ms. Stewart, why not go public?”

“Are you only acting like a couple because of the media pressure?”

The questions just kept coming, each one sharper than the last. Nelly decided not to say another word. She figured she’d just let Brody handle it and see how he’d get himself out of this mess. After all, the rumors weren’t completely baseless. She was honestly curious to see what kind of story he’d come up with.

To her surprise, Brody was calm, almost unbothered.

“I’ve said it before. None of these rumors are true. I can’t clear up relationships that don’t exist, but since all this is just made-up gossip, we’ll get to the bottom of it and give everyone a proper answer.”

“Every couple argues, and every married pair has talked about splitting up at some point. If we didn’t care, our marriage wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

As he spoke, Brody turned and gave Nelly a look—warm and full of meaning. She felt a flicker of unease, but before she could react, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, his hand gently holding the back of her head.

Nelly’s fingers dug hard into his side, wishing she could just tear a chunk out of him right then and there.

Brody’s breath hitched, and she could tell it hurt, but he just smiled at her with that same gentle expression.

“I kept our marriage private because I wanted to protect my wife, to keep us away from all the noise outside. She isn’t just anyone, and neither am I.”

“And these rumors, so obviously leaked on purpose, just prove that keeping things private was the smart move.”

“Why are you in such a rush? I just pulled you out of the fire back there. Don’t I deserve a thank you?”

“Oh, I’m very thankful. If it weren’t for you, none of these ridiculous rumors would even exist.”

She shot him a cold smile, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I actually have something I want to discuss too. Can we not be at each other’s throats for once? Can we just talk this through, calmly?”

Brody let out a short laugh, sounding tired. He was starting to realize that once you start giving in, you just keep giving, until you’re not just humbled, but completely numb.