The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 443

Rhys toyed with the half-eaten piece of toast in his hand, his eyes fixed on the edge of his plate for a few seconds.

"That's between you two."

His voice was steady, betraying no emotion. "I don’t want you to go," he added, "but more than that, I don’t want you to have any regrets."

"What time is the flight tomorrow? I'll watch Felix."

Rhys even took the initiative to plan the logistics. But he didn't realize that Clara could see right through his attempt to act magnanimous and understanding.

Clara sighed internally.

"Three in the afternoon," she said, her gaze dropping as she took a sip of milk.

Rhys nodded. "Okay."

After breakfast, Rhys obediently took his medicine as Clara had instructed and went back to the master bedroom to catch up on sleep.

As expected, no calls came from the Huntington family that day, and Felix was sensible enough not to pester his father to go out and play.

Clara made her usual call to let her parents know she was okay and had a chat with Simon about her future plans. The day passed peacefully.

-

The next afternoon.

Brighton City International Airport Terminal.

Clara hadn't brought Felix. She felt that a farewell like this was something the adults should handle on their own.

She also hadn't contacted Noah beforehand. Calculating the time, she went directly to the international departures security checkpoint to wait.

Knowing Noah's personality, he wouldn't bother with any VIP channels; he would go through security here like everyone else.

At two o'clock sharp, Noah appeared in the crowd, pushing a suitcase.

He spotted Clara waiting by the security entrance almost immediately.

Noah walked over, a gentle smile in his eyes. "I was half-expecting you to stay away, to avoid the awkwardness."

"Just here to make sure Dr. Carter boards his flight on time."

Clara's tone was light.

They stood in the bustling airport terminal, with no heart-wrenching drama, no tears, no clinging.

They both knew that after today, their lives would head in different directions, their paths no longer intersecting.

Noah looked down at Clara.

She looked well today, exuding a sense of peace and composure.

It was a kind of peace he had spent four years in Heron Bay trying to help her build, but something had always been missing.

Now, she had found it on her own.

Noah smiled, teasing her. "Are you sure you don't want to bring Felix to Zurich for some skiing? The snow there is much better than in Brighton City."

Clara shook her head. "It's too far. I can't get away."

A fleeting, hollow ache bloomed in her chest.

All the unresolved feelings from the past four years, all the paths they had walked together on the streets of Heron Bay, had come to a close on this winter afternoon in Brighton City.

-

Hundreds of puzzle pieces were scattered across the carpet in Riverside Court.

Orange had snatched one in his mouth, and Felix was chasing the cat around the room.

Rhys sat on the sofa, smiling and telling him to slow down. His phone vibrated. He picked it up and unlocked the screen to find a message from a rookie he'd mentored back at the police department.

Following Clara’s instructions from the day before, he had asked the young officer to look into Owen's recent activities.

The rookie had been quite surprised to get the assignment.

When he was first assigned to Rhys's team, the number one rule everyone had drilled into him was: Captain Huntington has a strict rule against using official resources for personal matters.

The captain was known for his rigid adherence to protocol. In all his years on the force, he had never used his access for any private investigation.

Gossip from the traffic division a few years back claimed that when Captain Huntington's wife was divorcing him and had even left home, he had managed to restrain himself from tracking her location.

And now he was personally asking to track a private citizen's movements.

So the rookie tackled the task with more enthusiasm than a homicide case, and in less than twenty-four hours, he had dug up Owen's whereabouts for the past few days.

He sent a few photos, which Rhys opened and zoomed in on.