The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 21

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!"

Rhys's grip on her was iron-tight. He had Clara's hand pinned against the door handle, his hold hard enough to make her wrist ache.

He rarely lost his temper, but right now, a vein was throbbing at his temple. Clara had genuinely pissed him off.

Clara let out a cold laugh. "With you here, what do I have to be afraid of? Isn't Captain Huntington the expert at handling traffic accidents?"

Her sharp words struck Rhys's chest like a physical blow, causing his breath to hitch.

The honking around them was getting denser, and drivers were sticking their heads out to curse.

"Do you know how to drive or not! You're blocking the road!"

"It's green! Are you moving?!"

Rhys was a traffic cop, after all.

Respect for traffic laws was carved into his bones; it was his instinctive bottom line.

He released Clara's hand, gripped the steering wheel again, slammed on the gas, and the car shot forward like an arrow from a bow.

Inertia slammed Clara back into her seat, and her heart went cold along with the sound of the whistling wind outside.

As the adrenaline faded, she felt like a popped balloon.

Moments ago, she was ready to explode, claws out; now, she was just a limp piece of rubber.

Even breathing felt like a chore.

Clara closed her eyes.

It's fine. Anywhere is fine. She was tired and didn't want to fight anymore.

The car eventually stopped in the underground garage of Riverside Court.

Rhys killed the engine, let out a heavy sigh, and reached for her hand. "Are you cold?"

Clara had been carried straight out of the house. She was wearing only thin loungewear with built-in padding, not even a proper bra underneath.

The heat in the car was high, so she wasn't actually cold.

But his question made her feel like she was back to when they first started dating.

She used to lie and say she was cold just so he would drape his jacket over her, allowing her to enjoy his occasional tenderness.

She pursed her lips and nodded.

Rhys took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

When they got home, the entryway lights turned on automatically.

The apartment had been cleaned spotless. The mess she had left behind—trash thrown all over the floor—was gone.

The trash can had a fresh liner, the throw pillows on the sofa were arranged neatly, and fresh flowers were in the vase.

It was as if she had never left.

Or perhaps, as if he had been ready all along to bring her back at any moment.

Rhys placed her on the sofa and pressed down over her.

"I'll talk to my mom. And I'll keep my distance from Margot. Stop being angry, okay?"

Clara went rigid in his arms, her body trembling violently.

When she was chasing him, she had been shameless, trying every trick in the book.

He had always kept a cold face. She had never seen him say sorry like this.

In two years of marriage, this was the first time she had heard such a clear concession from him.

If this had happened three days ago, she might have cried tears of joy. His compromise and desire to keep her were exactly what she had wanted.