The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 254

"Felix is the only well-behaved one here." Emily leaned over and kissed Felix on the cheek. "Felix, am I beautiful?"

"You’re beautiful," Felix replied in his sweet voice, then added, "Noah is handsome too."

Noah, sitting next to Clara, addressed Daniel and Emily. "Felix and I won't attend the wedding tomorrow. It's too loud and disrupts his rest. I'll stay in the hotel with him; I have an online consultation to listen in on anyway."

Daniel and Emily didn't object. Making a child sit through such an occasion was torture.

Simon glanced at Noah.

He wasn't avoiding the noise; he was avoiding the ex-husband.

The next day, the weather was perfect.

Daniel's reputation in the Brighton City legal world was stellar, and the Lane family was in real estate, so the wedding was naturally a grand affair.

It wasn't overly ostentatious, but the guests were a who's who of wealth and status.

Clara sat in the audience, watching Emily take her father's arm and walk step by step toward Daniel.

Daniel took Emily's hand. The man, usually so calm and restrained, had red-rimmed eyes.

Thunderous applause erupted. Clara clapped along.

Even now, she still believed that love itself wasn't wrong; it was just that everyone lived in their own time zone.

Emily had found her spring in October, and that was wonderful.

Seeing her best friend possess such pure happiness, Clara felt nothing but a sense of completion.

After the ceremony came the reception.

Such occasions inevitably involved socializing and drinking. Clara disliked networking, so she let Emily know she was heading back to her room.

Simon had to stay to help Emily deflect toasts and ensure Daniel got sufficiently drunk, so he didn't join her.

She walked alone through the bustling crowd toward the hotel lobby.

Just as she neared the revolving doors, her phone rang.

It was Noah.

The woman turned sideways to avoid a group exiting the elevator, revealing her profile.

Owen jolted, sobering up instantly.

"Clara?"

Hadn't she vanished into thin air after divorcing Rhys years ago? Why was she back?

Owen hadn't seen Rhys much lately either.

Ever since Rhys divorced and joined the tactical police unit, he had truly adopted a "who else but me to face hell" attitude. He had completely cut ties with his old circle of drinking buddies; they couldn't even find him to wish him a Happy New Year.

"Who's Clara?" the surgically-enhanced face in his arms asked curiously, following his gaze. "An old flame?"

"Shut up. Don't ask questions."

Owen pushed the woman aside. He was just about to pull out his phone to snap a photo for the group chat to stir up some drama when he saw a man still inside the elevator.

The man was holding a child. As Clara entered, he took her hand.