The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 372

Clara asked, "What did you bet on?"

"On who you would choose in the end."

Noah looked up and said calmly, "I told him you'd changed, that you wanted stability. That you needed a partner with emotional stability, a complete family. So, you would definitely choose me."

"And him?"

"He didn't believe it." Noah smiled, but there was no mirth in his eyes. "He bet that you'd never forgotten him all these years."

"Back then, I thought he was arrogant and conceited. Now, it looks like he was the one who won."

Clara frowned and retorted, "I didn't choose him. It's just..."

"It's just that you can't abandon him."

Noah cut her off, not allowing her to offer any more self-deceiving excuses.

"I don't blame you, Clara." He took a step closer to her. "It's not your fault. Anyone in this situation would find it hard to walk away cleanly. It's human nature, and it's one of the things I love about you."

"But I still want to ask you two questions."

Clara saw his expression turn unusually serious, and her heart began to beat erratically.

"First question: from the first time we met here until now, have you ever, even for a single moment, felt lucky that I was the one by your side these past few years?"

The question struck her heart, and Clara was momentarily speechless.

Of course she had.

Many times, for long periods.

In the three-plus years before Rhys reappeared, as long as Felix was happy, she hadn't really cared about her own romantic life.

But she always felt she owed Noah too much and had more than once considered making their relationship official.

Noah would always look thoughtful, then smile. "It doesn't matter to me. When you can one day take Felix back to Brighton City without any burdens, we can talk about it then."

At that time, Clara didn't know what she felt.

She truly didn't know.

It wasn't sadness or disappointment, but it wasn't relief either.

It was more... ambivalence.

If Noah wasn't in a hurry, that was fine. If Noah was in a hurry, that was also fine.

But the emotion Noah's question pointed to was too explicit for her to answer.

Clara covered her face in anguish, still trying to figure out how to respond when she heard him again.

"Alright, second question."

Taking a deep breath, Noah stepped forward and gave her a brief, loose hug.

"I know you genuinely wanted to marry me. Don't blame yourself. Neither of us is at fault."

"Don't look like that," he whispered in her ear. "Since you've made your choice, don't look back at me."

Clara's whole body stiffened.

Noah released her and gestured toward the hospital room. "Go back. He's not awake yet, and someone needs to be there."

Clara stood frozen, her feet feeling as if they'd grown roots.

"What about you?" she asked with difficulty. "Are you going to Switzerland?"

"Me?"

Noah smiled at her. "I'm a doctor. Whether I go to Switzerland or not, I still have my job. There will always be patients who need me."

"Clara, don't feel like you owe me anything. These past few years with you and Felix, I've been genuinely happy. I'll still come to see Felix. Nothing will change."

With that, he turned and walked toward the elevator.

Only after the elevator doors closed did Clara slide down the wall and sit on the floor.

She buried her face in her knees and sobbed silently.