The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 241

"Thanks for earlier. I'm leaving now."

She dropped the polite dismissal and turned to go.

"Clara."

The low, familiar voice from behind stopped her in her tracks.

Clara paused, but she didn't turn around. Rhys stood there, his eyes fixed on her retreating figure.

It was the same silhouette he had traced in his mind a thousand times over the past four years—through the delirium of his recovery after the explosion, and during the long, sleepless nights that followed.

Now, she was right there. One step, and he could reach out and touch her.

He desperately wanted to ask about her and the child. But as the thought formed, it withered. Ask what? Was the boy well? Who did he look like? Was she seeing anyone?

What right did he have to ask?

Four years ago, his team had risked everything, forging medical documents to help her escape. She had no idea that her little deception had been uncovered from the start. In her world, the best ending for him was to remain dead and buried.

He was already a "ghost."

Even a single word might drag her back to those painful memories. She would run again.

Since he had decided to let go, he shouldn't have taken that step forward.

The silence stretched thin. When no follow-up came, Clara finally glanced back.

"Mr. Huntington, is there something else?"

Her voice was cold, detached. Just another "Mr. Huntington."

He swallowed hard against the bitterness. He forced a smile. "No. Take care."

Clara faltered for a second, then briskly walked out of the station.

Once she was safe inside her car, the tension broke.

"Clara, are you okay?" Simon asked, ignoring the split lip he was nursing. He leaned in anxiously. "Is he here to arrest us? Does he know about Felix..."

"No," Clara interrupted, starting the engine. "He doesn't know. He's just here on a case. You heard him, he's with Special Ops now. Crossing state lines is normal. He'll go back to Brighton City when he's done."

Simon opened his mouth to argue, but Clara was already pulling out.

"We're going to the hospital first, then the auto shop. Noah is coming back this afternoon. You two better come up with a good story for those bruises. Don't make him worry."

Rhys wouldn't find out about Felix.

As far as he knew, that child had been lost four years ago.

As long as she kept her mouth shut, it would remain a secret forever.

Today was just a coincidence.

Those nights spent falling asleep to a voice that sounded so much like hers had been his salvation and his torture. After he was discharged from the hospital, he had forced himself to quit cold turkey.

He was terrified that the dependency would make him lose control and disturb her new life.

But today, he had seen her.

That vivid, living presence right in front of him had shattered the dam, letting four years of suppressed longing flood back in.

He just wanted to hear her speak, even if it was through a filter, even if it was just a similarity.

His finger hovered over the search bar. After a few seconds, he typed it in.

Download. Install. Open. Login successful.

His following list had only one person.

"Unknown."

The profile picture had changed. It used to be an orange; now it was a solitary moon over the sea.

Her follower count had broken ten million. The bio read:

[Seeking the world, finding the soul.]

It seemed this streamer with Clara’s voice was doing well.