The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 435

When they arrived back at Riverside Court, Felix pushed open his door and jumped out. He ran around to the back of the car and watched as Clara pulled out the shopping bags from the trunk.

"Mommy, are we having ribs tonight?" Felix asked, walking beside Clara and reaching his small hand out to grab the handle of one of the bags.

Clara glanced down at her son and handed him the lighter bag filled with vegetables.

"Mhm, sweet plum ribs."

Once inside, the first thing Felix did was take a pair of gray men's slippers from the shoe cabinet and place them right in the center of the entryway, toes pointing in.

After setting them down, he even took two steps back to check if the left and right slippers were perfectly aligned.

"All set!" Felix announced, clapping his hands.

Clara slipped on her shoes, her gaze inevitably falling on the slippers, where it lingered for a moment.

"Go wash your hands, then come help me wash the vegetables," Clara said, pulling her eyes away and carrying the shopping bags into the kitchen.

"Coming!" Felix changed into his own little slippers and obediently ran to the bathroom to wash his hands.

Clara poured the ribs into the sink to rinse them, then placed them in a pot to parboil.

After washing his hands, Felix ran in and moved a small, non-slip stool next to the sink.

He climbed onto it, which made him just tall enough to reach the faucet.

"I'll wash the vegetables!" Felix volunteered.

Clara handed him a small basket with a few torn lettuce leaves. He took them in his small hands and held them under the running water, seriously scrubbing the leaves just like a grown-up.

The water in the pot came to a boil. Clara used a slotted spoon to scoop out the parboiled ribs and let them drain.

Felix carefully stacked the washed greens in a nearby colander, then turned to watch Clara pour a sweet sauce and a few plums into the pan. The sweet and tangy aroma quickly filled the kitchen.

The little guy swallowed hard, staring at the sauce. "Do you think he'll like the dish?"

"If he dares to say they're not good, he can cook for himself from now on," Clara replied casually.

Felix understood the meaning behind her words.

Mommy wasn't kicking him out; she was even planning for him to cook for them every day in the future.

That meant they could all live together.

Felix was very happy.

Clara dried her hands, about to grab her phone from the living room to call Rhys, when Emily's call came through first.

As soon as she answered, a long, mournful sigh came from the receiver.

"Clara… so… how are things with Rhys?"

Emily had blacked out at the hotel. After Daniel took her away, she had been confined to her home to recover, subsisting on congee and plain vegetables, completely unaware of what had happened afterward.

Clara's emotions had been in turmoil before she returned to Brighton City, so she hadn't gone into detail. Emily had only pieced together a vague idea from what she heard from Daniel and Simon.

They hadn't seen each other recently, and Emily only knew from their occasional text chats that Rhys had driven through the night to find Clara, and that the ordeal had landed him back in the hospital.

What shocked Emily even more was that after Rhys was discharged, Clara had brought him back to Riverside Court.

Clara had never mentioned the specifics of how they had fought and reconciled.

But Emily vaguely remembered that night in the hotel room, when they had been crying and laughing, Clara had said with red-rimmed eyes that she planned to marry Noah.

So, given the current situation, what about Noah?

She didn't dare ask Noah directly, and she certainly didn't want to provoke Clara, so she could only use this opportunity to test the waters.

Clara's reply was surprisingly direct: "Not great. The old man probably won't last more than a couple of days. The entire Huntington family is back at the hospital, all waiting to carve up the inheritance. I took Felix to the hospital this afternoon but didn't get to see him, so we came back. Rhys is there, keeping watch."

Emily was speechless.

The news of Justin's impending death was spreading like wildfire through Brighton City. Even her parents had been seriously discussing whether to make an appearance at the hospital to pay their respects and gauge the future direction of the Huntington family. Of course she knew what the situation at the Huntington family was like.