The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 556

"Mom?"

"You kids stay out of this. This is an adult conversation, step back!" Clara's mom snapped without even glancing over her shoulder.

Clara was absolutely stunned, and both Simon and Alex stood paralyzed in shock.

Daniel, who had been gearing up to unleash a torrent of legal threats, quietly clamped his mouth shut, opting to watch the show.

Veronica frowned.

Staring at this utterly middle-class woman stepping up to challenge her, she scoffed internally.

These pathetic, blue-collar nobodies were terrified of conflict. She assumed the woman just wanted to play peacemaker to avoid a messy public scene.

"Mrs. Bridges, this is a private matter between a mother and her son. I strongly suggest you mind your own business."

Clara's mom let out a chilling sneer, entirely unfazed by her condescension.

"Who the hell are you calling Mrs. Bridges? Don't pretend we're family."

Veronica's expression darkened ominously. "Excuse me?"

"Are you too dense to understand plain English?"

Gritting her teeth, right when everyone expected another verbal lashing, Clara's mom suddenly raised her right hand and swung with everything she had.

Smack!

The vicious slap echoed like a gunshot, leaving the entire room in a state of absolute shock. Even Rhys was startled, his eyes snapping open.

Clara was the most stunned of all.

In all her years, she had barely ever seen her mother raise her voice, let alone physically assault someone.

Veronica clutched her stinging cheek, staring at her in sheer, unadulterated disbelief.

"You... you hit me?! You actually put your hands on me?!"

"Hitting you is a mercy! If I wasn't worried about scaring the kids, I would've thrown you straight out that damn window!"

"You psycho—"

"Shut your mouth!" Clara's mom went completely ballistic, refusing to let Veronica finish. "You're a cornered rat, and now that you finally need him, you want to play the loving mother?! He's fighting for his life in that bed, and you didn't even bother to ask if he was in pain! All you care about is squeezing money and favors out of him! What kind of black, rotted heart do you have? Have you absolutely no shame?!"

Veronica trembled uncontrollably, her decades of carefully cultivated elegance shattering into a million pieces. "This is my family! You have absolutely no right to interfere!"

Hissing that venomous curse at her son, she covered her bruised cheek and fled the room.

Mia, who had been standing silently by the door the entire time, frowned at Veronica's retreating figure. After a fleeting moment of hesitation, she slipped out to follow her.

As the frantic clicking of high heels faded down the corridor, a tense silence enveloped the room.

Once she was certain Veronica was gone, Clara's mom instantly deflated, her legs giving out from the massive adrenaline crash.

"Mom!" Clara lunged forward, catching her before she hit the floor.

Simon stared in sheer awe, offering her an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Mom, you are an absolute legend."

Clara's mom clutched her chest, gasping for breath. "Oh my god... that was terrifying! I've never hit anyone in my entire life besides your father."

Once she caught her breath, she gently pushed Clara aside and looked at Rhys on the bed.

A sharp ache pierced her heart, but she managed a warm, reassuring smile. "Don't listen to a word she says. We're your family now. Just focus on getting better."

Rhys looked at his mother-in-law, a suffocating wave of emotion welling in his chest.

A single tear slipped from the corner of his eye, disappearing instantly into his hair.