The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 409

At seven o'clock, the two men walked out of the hospital, one after the other.

The wind outside was strong. Rhys couldn't help but turn his head and let out a few muffled coughs.

Noah stopped, looking back at him. After the coughing subsided, he pointed to a small, warmly lit sign across the street.

“Let’s go there. It’s close.”

Rhys followed his finger and saw a small izakaya with a modest storefront.

The space inside was small, with only four or five tables and a long bar counter.

“Dr. Carter, working late today, huh?” the owner greeted Noah with a cheerful smile. He was clearly a regular.

Noah expertly found a quiet corner table and replied, “Yeah, a lot of patients today.”

An old Japanese song played in the izakaya, the female singer’s voice husky and lingering, flowing slowly through the small space.

They each ordered a set meal and a pot of sake.

Noah pulled out a tissue and wiped the table in front of him. Neither of them spoke first.

When the warmed sake was served, Noah poured a cup for himself, but poured a cup of tea for Rhys.

“You shouldn’t be drinking.”

Rhys didn’t object. Noah was a doctor who had seen his scans; he knew the state of Rhys’s lungs better than Rhys did.

Noah asked again, “What did you want to see me about?”

“Nothing. Since I was here, I figured I’d just sit for a bit.”

Noah smiled faintly. “This idle? You don’t have to be on standby at the station anymore? You haven’t been on a mission in a long time.”

Rhys lowered his gaze, his eyes fixed on the coffee cup.

“I submitted my application at the department today.”

Noah’s hand, holding a piece of tamagoyaki, paused in mid-air. He then heard the man across from him continue:

“I won’t be on the front lines anymore. I’m transferring to the command center.”

He stared at Rhys for a few seconds, his expression complicated, before finally tilting his head back and downing the cup of sake.

“That’s good,” Noah said, setting the cup down. “Clara’s doing?”

“Yeah.”

“Noah, you don’t have to go.”

Noah pulled his phone back, his gaze fixed on the man opposite him. “I’m not leaving to make way for you. I’ve been preparing for that research project for a long time. I’m genuinely interested in it.”

His eyes were clear, devoid of any resentful disappointment.

“For the past four years, I watched her live her life as if nothing was wrong—working, raising a child, keeping everything in perfect order. She would smile at me, thank me when she needed help. She felt she owed me a great deal, and out of that gratitude, she forced herself to accept my proposal.”

Noah’s voice grew quieter, half-drowned out by the song playing in the shop.

“But I knew that wound in her heart never closed.”

He pointed to his chest. “Here, if it’s empty, anyone can move in. But if it’s full, no one else can squeeze their way in.”

Noah drank another cup of sake, a touch of red appearing at the corners of his eyes.

“Whether it’s hate or love, as long as it’s related to you, she remembers it so deeply. Too much has happened between you two. Those things filled her up completely, leaving no room for me.”

“So, I was the one who chose to leave first.”

“You won the bet. It’s not because you were so worthy of her coming back to you. It’s because you got lucky. Rhys, you’re just really lucky.”