The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 176

She lowered her eyes, lost in thought for a moment.

"The truth is, the fear of the unknown is often less daunting than the pain of staying put. If a place leaves you exhausted just by breathing, then it's time to leave. Whether the future is good or bad, at least it's a new beginning."

Simon, who was monitoring the data nearby, shot her a thumbs-up.

...

Back in the precinct breakroom, Jason and Patrick had just returned from a round of patrol.

"Oh, my aching back..." Jason rubbed his lower back and propped his feet up on an empty chair. "Where do all these traffic violations come from day after day? I swear, I'd love to revoke every single one of their licenses."

Patrick chuckled. "Be grateful. It's a hell of a lot better than when the roads were closed by the blizzard a while back."

Taking advantage of the downtime, Jason scrolled through his phone.

"Hey, check out this livestream," he said, angling his screen toward Patrick. "I've been listening to it for a few days. It's incredibly soothing. Listening to this after a shift knocks the stress right out of me."

Patrick leaned in for a look. "No face cam? It's hard to make it as a streamer these days without showing your face."

"You don't get it. In a stream like this, nobody cares about the face. It's all about the vibe."

As the two huddled together listening, Rhys walked in.

He hadn't been back to Riverside Court in nearly two weeks.

The place was too empty, too quiet. He couldn't bear to go back.

Returning to the Huntington family estate wasn't an option either; his aunt offered nothing but scowls and cold shoulders. Although he hadn't told the rest of the family about Clara's miscarriage, everyone had sensed something was wrong since Christmas.

As for the Bridges family, he couldn't even get past the front door.

So, he had simply taken to sleeping in the dormitory at the precinct.

Hearing the voice coming from the phone, Rhys paused, then walked up behind them.

"What are you watching?"

The two young officers jumped, scrambling to their feet.

"Captain Huntington! Nothing, sir. Just scrolling through our phones, taking a quick break."

"Let me see."

Jason blinked, surprised, but handed the phone over.

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