The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 256

And so, she began to study Clara, striving to mimic everything about her.

But Rhys wouldn’t see her.

Even Veronica West, the older woman who had originally been in her corner, had been shut out by Rhys. Consequently, Veronica’s warmth toward Margot had cooled significantly.

The last time Margot saw Rhys was back in September.

She had swallowed her pride and ambushed him at the Huntington estate. The look he gave her that day held nothing but indifference and disgust.

"Get out..."

Margot’s eyes had reddened, making her look pitiful and delicate.

Any other man might have softened, but Owen knew exactly what kind of rot lay beneath that veneer.

The year Rhys got married, this woman had gotten drunk at a bar and was being dragged into a private booth by strangers. Owen had “passed by” and saved her, thinking he’d stumbled upon an opportunity.

His logic was simple: Eric Johnson only had one daughter. She might be sickly, but if he married her as a trophy wife, wouldn't all of Eric’s resources eventually fall into his lap?

He hadn't expected her to be more scheming than he was. She turned the tables, using the incident to blackmail him into helping her stage a sob story to deceive Rhys.

In the end, she played herself right out of the country. She was exiled for nearly a year, and upon returning, she pretended not to know Owen at all.

"What are you crying for? Did I hit you?"

Owen sneered. "I called you here today to give you a wake-up call. We were... what’s the word? Friends with benefits for a hot minute. I don't want to see you dig your own grave without knowing why."

Margot’s expression turned cold. "What do you mean?"

Owen blew a smoke ring, grinning maliciously through the haze.

"Guess who I just saw at The Royal Crest Hotel?"

"Who?"

"Clara."

Margot didn't react immediately, staring at him blankly. "Who did you say?"

Owen flicked the ash from his cigarette. "Clara. She’s back. Staying right there at The Royal Crest. I saw her with my own eyes. I have to say, marriage suits her. She looks a hell of a lot better than a cheap knockoff like you."

"Why are you so worked up?" Owen looked at her, amused. "She got divorced. Is she not allowed to remarry and have a kid? What does that have to do with Rhys?"

Margot listened and realized he had a point.

It was perfectly normal for Clara to find another man if she couldn't handle the loneliness.

"Who is the man?" Margot asked.

"Didn't get a good look. Seemed like some pretty boy," Owen recalled. "The kid looked about three? Tsk, she probably got knocked up the second she signed the divorce papers."

After a long silence, Margot burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha... Rhys finally got what he deserved."

For four years, Rhys had treated her like she was invisible, all because he couldn't let go of Clara.

If he knew that Clara had moved on long ago, had a child with someone else, and returned as a happy family of three, would he still pine after that woman?

Margot laughed until she was breathless, her eyes shining with malicious delight.