The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 438

Rhys leaned against the wall.

The nurse came and removed all the tubes, and a white sheet was drawn over the old man’s face.

In that moment, Rhys felt a weight settle on his own shoulders.

Eric slowly walked over to Rhys and patted his shoulder twice.

“My condolences, Rhys. With your grandfather gone, the future of the Huntington family rests entirely on your Aunt Mia’s shoulders. As a junior, you should help out where you can.”

Rhys said nothing.

Eric turned to look at the night sky outside the window and continued, “Margot was probably just startled. She’s had a tough few years, and you’re the only brother she has in her heart.”

“Rhys, a person can’t just discard the past because they have new attachments. Some responsibilities, whether you like it or not, you still have to bear.”

Every word Eric spoke was carefully chosen.

Rhys turned his head to look at him.

For the past twenty years, he had struggled under the weight of these moral shackles, and Eric had always managed to push him back down with this seemingly impartial tone.

“You’re right,” Rhys said calmly. “But you seem to have forgotten how you yourself climbed from being a low-level official in an obscure department to the position you’re in today, where you can casually give advice to the Huntington family.”

Eric’s expression darkened.

“When you take too much, your foundation becomes unstable. You lecture me about responsibility, but can you bear the weight of your own?”

Rhys’s lips curled into a slight smile. “Mr. Johnson, you must not have been sleeping very well these past few years, have you?”

How Eric had gotten his start, how much he had devoured later, the secret deals of power and money he had made—Rhys had meticulously compiled all the evidence over the years.

But at this level, it wasn’t something a mere Police Department could handle. They didn’t even have the authority to open a case.

All he could do was wait for the right moment.

He looked at Eric’s grim face and said evenly, “As for Margot, with a well-connected father like you, she doesn’t need a small-time cop like me to worry about her. If you’re really that free, you might want to go home and check if she’s switched brands of medication.”

Eric was silent for a moment, then let out a short, humorless laugh. “Ambition is a good thing. But don’t use up all your good luck at once.”

He turned, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked toward the elevator.

Following Brighton City customs and procedures, the body was to be sent to the funeral home for a three-day viewing, allowing relatives and business associates from afar to pay their respects.

By the time all the paperwork was done, it was past three in the morning.

Mason, with his arm around Mia, thought of the many things that needed to be discussed and confirmed early the next morning. He looked at Rhys. “Rhys, come home with us.”

Rhys shook his head. “I’m not going. I have to… go back to my own home.”

Mia wanted to persuade him further, but when she heard him say “my own home,” she understood immediately.

Seeing his exhaustion, Clara sighed inwardly, bent down, and took out the slippers that Felix had put away during the day.

Rhys watched her bend down in front of him to place the slippers, and his throat tightened. He desperately wanted to hug her, but then he remembered he had just come from the hospital and was cold, so he forced himself to hold back.

“Yeah, the hospital procedures are done. The viewing is for three days, and after that, it’s just company matters, which have nothing to do with me.”

Clara had no interest in the Huntington family’s future arrangements.

She only cared about one thing. “Did you take your medicine?”

“I did.”

Clara nodded, went to the kitchen to get a clean glass, and filled it with warm water before handing it to him.

“Warm yourself up, then take a shower. Don’t make the water too hot. Felix is asleep, so be quiet.”

Rhys took the glass, the warmth from its surface seeping through his palm and into his body. He looked into Clara’s eyes. Under the warm light of the lamp, he was finally sure that he had reclaimed his rightful place in this home.

“Clara,” he called her name softly.

Clara looked at him.

Rhys smiled. “I’m home.”