The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 193

Rhys, described by Clara as a "dead man," was currently sitting in the traffic monitoring center.

The walkie-talkie crackled.

"Captain Huntington, West Loop Expressway, K12 section. Three-car pileup. No casualties, but the drivers are about to start a brawl in the middle of the road. Traffic is backed up behind them."

"Send the Second Unit over immediately. Separate them and proceed with the expedited claims process," Rhys said with impatience. "Notify the tow trucks to stand by on the shoulder. If they refuse to cooperate, tow the cars directly back to the station and let them argue there."

"Copy that."

Putting down the radio, he tossed his police cap onto the table and rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily.

The large screens constantly flickered with real-time surveillance footage from various intersections.

He had been sitting here all day, barely moving except to go to the restroom.

He kept thinking, what if he could spot Clara and Simon?

But Brighton was massive, and the traffic never stopped moving. Catching a glimpse of her on those screens would take a miracle.

An ice-cold bottle of mineral water was pressed against his cheek.

Zachary pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. "Take a break, Captain. You've been staring at this for hours. Are you trying to set a record for insomnia?"

Rhys unscrewed the cap and downed half the bottle, but it did nothing to wash away the irritability in his chest.

"Is the violation data from earlier ready?"

"It's still exporting, don't change the subject." Zachary looked him over sideways and clicked his tongue. "Look at how red your eyes are. Did you not sleep again last night?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Leo said he'd cover your shift tonight so you could go back and catch up on sleep. Why did you refuse?"

"It's the same if I go back. I might as well stay here and watch."

Could he sleep? As soon as he closed his eyes, he saw Clara.

Last night, he had tossed and turned, keeping his eyes open until dawn.

The streamer named "Unknown" hadn’t been on tonight. Although her streams were short and she signed off early, listening to that voice—so incredibly similar to Clara's—could always calm him down enough to snatch a little sleep.

"How not good?"

Zachary replied, "Feelings, right? It's either love or hate. If both are gone, it means she really doesn't want any connection anymore."

"Doesn't want any connection..."

"It means she treats you like a stranger. Would you hate a stranger on the street? No, right? You'd glance at them and forget them the next second."

Rhys's face darkened, and he fell silent.

Seeing this, Zachary sighed and tentatively added, "Rhys, don't blame me for being blunt. In our line of work, it's true we're busy, and sometimes neglecting family is common. But your situation is different."

"How is it different?"

"Aren't you a little too attentive to that sister from the Johnson family? Privately, people in the unit say you treat her better than your own wife."

"That's two different things."

"To me, it's the same thing," Zachary said frankly. "Put yourself in her shoes. If Clara were constantly tending to some sickly guy, on call 24/7, would you be okay with it?"