The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 408

But he had never listened.

And now, just days after Clara’s return, he had gone and submitted the application himself.

Mia turned her head away, repeating, “Good, that’s very good.”

Watching his aunt cry, Rhys felt a pang of unease.

“Aunt Mia, if one day…”

He stopped himself before the words could escape.

He wanted to say that if one day he wasn’t around anymore, or if he couldn’t hold on, the notarized will he’d prepared long ago would be executed and made public. The rest of the Huntington family would learn about Felix’s existence and know that he had left all his personal assets and shares to Clara and their son.

He wanted to make Mia promise him that, for the sake of their relationship, she would never let the Huntingtons bother Clara and Felix, and especially not fight Clara for his inheritance.

But the words were too grim.

His grandfather’s condition was already weighing heavily on her. To bring up what sounded like final arrangements would only add to her fear and distress.

“What is it?” Mia asked, looking at him with concern.

Rhys shook his head and put his hands in his coat pockets. “I just wanted to say, you should take care of yourself too. Don’t get too worn out. Call me if you need anything.”

Mia was pleased to hear him say that. “So you do know how to worry about your aunt Mia. I didn’t dote on you for nothing. Go on, go back and spend more time with Clara and the boy. I’ll handle things here. You don’t need to worry.”

After leaving the private ward, Rhys glanced at his watch. It wasn’t even eleven yet.

After a moment’s thought, he followed the corridor to the outpatient building and walked into the pediatrics lobby.

The lobby was less crowded at this hour. Rhys found a seat with a diagonal view of the specialist’s office.

The electronic screens for the other clinics showed only a few names, but the one for Noah’s room still had a long list of numbers behind his name.

Rhys leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing and relax.

Around noon, the clinic door opened. Noah saw out his last patient for the morning, rushed to the cafeteria for a quick meal, and returned just as quickly.

He didn't see Rhys, and Rhys made no attempt to greet him.

At two in the afternoon, the clinic reopened, and the bustling noise once again filled the hall.

People came and went. The empty seat next to Rhys was occupied, then vacated, by several different people.

He remained seated, quietly watching the clinic door that opened and closed from time to time.

“How long have you been sitting here?”

“Not long,” Rhys said, flexing his stiff knees. “I just came from my grandfather’s room.”

Noah didn’t call his bluff. “Here to see me?”

The question caught Rhys off guard.

He currently lacked the confidence to even speak loudly in front of Clara. What was he doing here? He couldn’t possibly be looking for a fight.

He had been sitting here for so long, watching the man who had almost put a wedding ring on Clara’s finger. It was as if he were examining his past self and seeing the deficiencies in his own approach to intimacy.

He was learning from his former rival how to build a stable home.

Rhys countered, “Are you off work?”

“Not yet,” Noah said. “I have a few critical pediatric cases in the inpatient ward whose vitals are unstable. I need to go check on them.”

Rhys just said, “Oh. I’ll wait for you.”

Noah didn’t ask why. “Alright.”