From His Wife to His Uncle's Wife novel Chapter 264

In her dream, the lady’s pale face hovered close, her hands tight around Juliana’s neck. “Why did you take my child?” she demanded.

Juliana couldn’t breathe. Panic rose up, her cheeks turning bright red. She jolted awake with a gasp, her scream echoing in the room. The noise was loud enough to reach her son in the next room.

Jared rushed in wearing his pajamas, his eyes wide with worry. “Mom, are you okay?”

Juliana was drenched in sweat, struggling to catch her breath. She sat there for a moment, trying to calm her racing heart. “I’m alright,” she said finally, drawing in a shaky breath. “Just a nightmare, that’s all.”

She forced a tired smile. “Go back to bed, Jared. Sorry I woke you.”

Jared frowned, not convinced. “Should we go to the hospital, Mom?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

Hospitals were the last place Juliana ever wanted to be. She’d stolen the Goff family’s child, and it felt like fate had punished her—her own son had been diagnosed with leukemia. Seventeen years of guilt and pain. The thought of hospitals only reminded her of everything she wanted to forget.

“Get some sleep, Jared. You’ve got homework in the morning. I’m really fine, I promise.”

Jared hesitated before leaving, still looking troubled. As he walked out, he remembered hearing her mumbling something when he first came in. “I’m sorry, my lady. Please don’t blame me. I didn’t mean to.”

He frowned, puzzled. Who was she apologizing to?

Max got word that Patrick Lee had slipped through the city for less than three days before vanishing again.

“Mr. Clarkson, by the time we followed the lead, he was already gone. The last sighting was at Harborview airport.”

Max still remembered the attempted kidnapping. He kept his voice cold and steady. “Find him. I want answers. Dead or alive, bring him back.”

The trail might have gone cold, but Max refused to give up. He’d search every corner if he had to.

Eleanor got up early, spending nearly an hour on her skincare routine before getting ready for the day. Today was special—Max had planned their wedding photoshoot, and she wanted to look perfect.

“Wow, just perfect,” he said, grinning.

They spent the next hour on the sunlit mountaintop, the photographer marveling at how easy it was to capture something beautiful with every shot. The people, the backdrop—it all just worked.

Eleanor thought they’d be there all day, but Max slipped a coat around her shoulders.

“Come on, let’s go. Keep the dress on. We’re heading to the beach this afternoon.”

Eleanor blinked in surprise. “Wait, what?”

Max gave her a playful look. “Did I forget to tell you, Mrs. Clarkson? We’re taking wedding photos for all four seasons.”

Eleanor caught the teasing sparkle in his eyes and decided not to argue. With money, she thought, anything was possible.