𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖘𝖐𝖊𝖞 𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘, 𝐭. 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲 ¹

✧ 04 ✧

𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊, 𝐍𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐁𝐘𝐒. She had spent said week in her home, cleaning up the rest of the mess and selling salvageable items to make some extra money on the side.

She was the only Allyn left, so she didn't need an entire house worth of furniture anymore, as much as the thought saddened her. She made the decision after tossing and turning all night, wondering if she should truly get rid of everything.

She simply had no use for it all...

As much as she wished she could stay away from Thomas and the other Shelbys for longer, she was beginning to go crazy in the house. She had deep cleaned every corner of the building, rearranging everything into piles of keep, sell, throw away. Everything had been cleaned and her food storage was beginning to dwindle.

Plus, she had yet to see Ada and Polly and she did terribly miss Arthur and John. So she woke up one morning and bathed herself, taking care to roll her hair into her rollers as she picked out a moderately nice dress. For what she had planned for the day, she didn't want to ruin one of her nice dresses.

She made her way down the stairs, a sad smile coming to her face as she stopped at the top. She missed nobody more than she did her family... What was once a lively home sat empty now, the only trace of the Allyn family being the occasional trinket left behind.

Nellie sniffled and forced herself to keep her eyes low as she rushed out of the house. Sometimes it was just too much, being in that house. She looked up and inhaled, her eyes fluttering shut as the chilly morning air hit her.

She angled her head, her eyes meeting Thomas's as he stood just outside of his door. The only time Nellie had ever regretted living directly next to the Shelbys was now. The two simply stared at each other for a few moments before Thomas looked her over and nodded at the door with his head, silently beckoning Nellie in.

She blinked in surprise. She certainly didn't expect that.

Nellie slowly followed after the leader of the Shelby clan. Her heels clicked against the sidewalk as she stepped into the house. The scent hit her like a brick in the face. She staggered to a stop, a breath leaving her chest immediately.

Thomas didn't bother to wait for her, but Nellie didn't mind. She was too caught up in the rush of familiarity as she stood in the doorway. Not a single thing had changed about that house, she noted. From the tacky wallpaper to the curtains draped over the entrance to their meeting room. It was all the same. If only the people were the same, she thought to herself as she watched Thomas walk away from her.

Nellie ran her hand through her hair as she pushed the door open. All chatter ceased as the eyes of every man in the room slid to Nellie. Most of the Shelbys and those affiliated with them knew of Nellie's return but hadn't seen her yet. They must have been shocked to see her before them, given their silent reaction.