The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 279

Noah repeated Rhys's words exactly as they were said.

The dehumidifier, the pineapple allergy, the leg cramps if the air conditioning was too low... and a host of other small habits even he hadn't noticed.

These habits were trivial.

So trivial that even the person they belonged to might not keep them in mind constantly.

It had taken him four full years of day-to-day interaction to slowly figure out her temperament. To understand when she was genuinely too lazy to lift a finger, and when she was just being fussy and waiting for someone to coax her.

But Rhys didn't need to learn.

He didn't need trial and error, didn't need to adjust, didn't need to read her expressions.

It was Clara who had unreservedly presented herself to that man.

What bothered Noah even more was that Rhys still remembered these details clearly, even after four years and the chasm of separation and pain between them.

No matter how well Noah did now, he would always be the one catching up.

What he had was the current Clara.

Mature, rational, independent.

But what Rhys possessed was the unerasable past that constituted who "Clara" was.

That was her youth, her passionate first love, her first marriage, countless firsts.

It was a span of time Noah could never insert himself into.

Once he finished speaking, silence fell over the terrace.

As Clara listened, she found it somewhat laughable.

He remembered.

If he remembered how afraid of pain she was, how delicate she was, why did he hang up on her when she nearly miscarried? Why, when she needed someone to lean on the most, did he give all his patience to another woman?

Clara asked, "So, what did you say?"

Her gaze was too direct. Noah's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a sudden lack of confidence.

She started walking toward the room as she spoke. "Since you didn't give Rhys any commitment, I'll go say yes. Seeing him won't hurt. What if we're a good match..."

"No!"

The gentle mask finally slipped from Noah's face as he instinctively reached out and grabbed Clara.

Clara swayed from the force of his grip, then her eyes curved into a smile. "Why not?"

Looking at the amusement in her eyes, Noah finally realized she was doing this on purpose.

He sighed. "Clara, don't joke about that."

Clara looked at him. "Who's joking? I want to find a father for Felix. Is that a problem?"

"What about me?"

Noah blurted it out, his voice hoarse and his eyes dark and unreadable.

"I've been by your side for four years. From Brighton City to Heron Bay, from prenatal checkups to kindergarten... which neighbor or teacher doesn't know I'm Felix's father?"