The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 407

In the Chief’s office at the Police Department.

Chief Sean sat behind his desk, holding the application and reading it over and over.

Captain Ray had given him a heads-up yesterday, so he was prepared. But seeing the report on his desk still felt heavy.

“Are you sure about this?” Chief Sean tossed the document on the desk and leaned back in his chair, looking at him.

Rhys stood ramrod straight. “I’m sure.”

“When you applied to join the SWAT team, I asked you why you didn’t go back to the traffic division. You said you wanted to live up to the badge number your father left behind. You’ve done a great job all these years. Logan would be proud of you.”

Rhys’s eyes lowered. “Yes, sir.”

“So what about now?” Chief Sean asked. “What changed your mind?”

Rhys was silent for a few seconds. “You’re aware of my physical condition, sir. I’m really not suited for frontline duty anymore. And…”

He paused, his hand by his side clenching into a fist.

“My family needs me.” Rhys looked up again. “I have a son. He’s only four. I can’t let him grow up without a father, like I did.”

Chief Sean was a little surprised.

Since when did he have a son?

As a good friend of the late Logan Huntington, some things didn’t need to be spelled out. Logan’s death had been sudden, and Veronica West had remarried. He had watched Rhys grow up, in a way.

It was a miracle that the old patriarch of the Huntington family had let him work on the front lines for so many years.

He had pushed himself too hard, cheating death more than once. If he wanted to step back now, no one could stop him, and there was no reason to.

For an ordinary person, stepping back now was about self-preservation. But for Rhys, he knew it meant the man had found something more important to protect than his own convictions.

Chief Sean’s expression grew serious.

“Alright. The command center is also an extremely important post. Your field deployment strategies and intelligence analysis have always been outstanding. I believe you’ll be able to make an even greater contribution there.”

Chief Sean picked up a pen and signed his name at the bottom of the application.

“As for those other things… don’t be in a rush. I may be retiring soon, but I’ll help you keep some trails warm. I’ll keep an eye on things. I won’t let certain people get a truly happy ending.”

The words were pointed but brief.

Rhys bowed his head slightly. “Thank you, sir.”

“Go on,” Chief Sean waved his hand. “I’ll approve a long leave for you. Spend time with your son, get your health in order. You can report to the command center after the New Year.”

Rhys gave a standard salute and turned to leave.

Mia sighed. “The same. He’s got a few more breaths in him. It’s up to fate.”

Rhys didn’t speak.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death. No one could stop it. All the money in the world couldn’t buy another day of life.

That sense of powerlessness made him want to cling even tighter to what was real, right in front of him.

After a moment, Mia turned to look at him. “Where’s the child?”

At the mention of Felix, Rhys’s tone softened. “He’s at home with Clara.”

“That’s good.” Mia nodded, a hint of a smile finally appearing. “That boy looks so much like you did when you were little, especially his eyes. Someday… when things settle down here, could you bring him back for me to see properly?”

Rhys looked at his aunt’s hopeful expression and answered her unasked question. “I just submitted my transfer request at the Police Department.”

Mia froze, taking a long moment to process what he’d just said.

“I’ll be moving to an analytical role in the command center,” Rhys added.

Mia’s eyes widened, her lips parted, and her eyes reddened.

For so many years, she had pleaded with him countless times to stop risking his life on the front lines. She’d begged him to come back and manage the family business with Liam Huntington, or even just take a quiet, stable desk job in the system—anything to keep him safe.