The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 386

After hanging up, Clara felt a nerve twitching in her brow.

The next morning, a layer of snow covered Brighton City, deep enough to reach their ankles.

Flex, who had never seen so much snow, was thrilled and woke up early.

His first order of business was to rummage through his red backpack, the one full of LEGOs.

"Mommy, we haven't built this owl yet," Felix said, holding up an unopened box.

Clara, who was brushing her teeth, peeked her head out, her mouth full of foam. "Hang on a minute. Your Daddy Simon is still sleeping."

"I want to build it with Daddy," Felix said. "And after we finish, I want to build a snowman."

Clara froze.

He had adopted the title far more quickly than she had imagined. In a child's world, she supposed, liking someone was just that simple.

"He's still sick," Clara said, rinsing her mouth and trying to reason with him. "Hospitals are full of germs. Little kids can't be there all the time."

"But I already promised him," Felix insisted, his little face serious. "My teacher said you have to keep your promises."

Clara couldn't win the argument, so she had no choice but to take him to the hospital again.

When they entered the room, Rhys was getting a nebulizer treatment from a nurse.

Felix wasn't fazed by the machine's noise. He simply placed the box on the small bedside table. "This one's still new."

Rhys took off the mask and coughed a few times. Felix immediately rushed over to pat his back.

"Daddy, if you cough again, I'm leaving," Felix warned with a stern look.

A smile touched the corners of Rhys's eyes. "I won't cough anymore. Daddy will help you build it."

Soon, the two of them, one large and one small, were huddled together, heads bent over their construction project.

Felix directed the operation from the side, occasionally arguing over the placement of a piece.

Rhys would humbly admit he was wrong to the little boy, changing whatever piece he was told to change.

Perhaps wanting to show Clara that he had nothing to hide, Rhys put the call on speaker without hesitation, even nudging the phone toward the middle of the bed so she wouldn't miss a word.

"Hello, Mr. Huntington, this is Adam from Secure Home Properties."

Rhys's fingers, holding a LEGO brick, stiffened.

Clara looked over at him.

"So here's the thing. The landlord of the Oakridge Avenue apartment contacted me last night. She said her elderly parents are coming back and need a place to live, so she wants to take the property back."

"She said the penalty for breaking the lease is negotiable; money is no object as long as you're willing to move. She also said if you can't find a place, she can help pay for it."

"Mr. Huntington, I know you've lived there for four years and you're attached to the place. But the thing is, the owner's parents are old, and it really is urgent. Plus, her attitude is very sincere. What do you think? Can we set up a time to meet and discuss this?"

"Hello? Mr. Huntington? Are you there? Is the signal bad?"

Clara was speechless.