The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 573

The atmosphere in the hospital room reached its absolute peak with Simon's stuttering exclamation.

He paced around the bed twice, muttering, "One is crazy enough to do it, the other is crazy enough to carry it," before tossing the contract aside and bolting out the door to badger the OB-GYN Department about precautions for a second pregnancy.

Dr. Black came in for rounds, verified all of Rhys's vitals, and finally signed the discharge papers.

He repeated the usual post-care instructions. Clara stood to the side, memorizing every single word.

On the day of discharge, Rhys changed out of his blue-and-white hospital gown, looking remarkably energized.

After they loaded everything into the car, Clara thought for a moment before suddenly speaking up. "I want to go see Margot."

The smile in Rhys's eyes faded slightly. "Why do you want to see her?"

Clara couldn't really explain what she was looking for.

Perhaps she just wanted to tell Margot that everything she had tried so desperately to destroy was perfectly fine.

Clara had felt a lingering sense of anxiety lately.

She needed a sense of closure, a ritual to sever all ties with the past as she prepared to nurture this new life.

Old debts had to be cleared, and old people had to be left behind.

She needed to look at her old nightmare one last time, and then never look back.

Rhys rested his palm gently against her spine, offering silent comfort. "If you want to go, I'll go with you."

Margot's intensive care unit was in the east annex of Brighton City General Hospital, connected by an internal corridor from the inpatient building they had just left.

The same hospital, but two very different paths.

One was heading for the exit; the other was trapped in place.

The smell of antiseptic was overwhelmingly thick here, the air feeling almost sticky.

Clara's stomach turned the moment she walked in. She fought back the nausea, pulling her coat collar up to cover her nose and mouth.

Rhys glanced at her.

"Let's just forget it. You can't handle this smell right now."

"It's fine," Clara waved him off, steadying her breathing as she walked forward. "We'll take a quick look and leave."

Ever since Veronica West had been arrested by the financial crimes division, Margot hadn't received a single visitor in her ward.

There were only two nurses on duty at the station. Hearing that they were there to see the comatose girl, they didn't try to stop them.

Through the glass, Clara saw Margot lying on the bed.

She rested a hand on her belly, listening to the rushing water, and surprisingly found herself drifting off.

Rhys couldn't stand the thought of picking up his son smelling like a hospital, so he aggressively scrubbed himself down with body wash several times.

By the time he came out, Clara had already fallen asleep on the couch.

He wanted to carry her back to the bedroom but was afraid of waking her, so he ended up fetching a thin blanket to drape over her.

He sat beside her, keeping a quiet watch, and just looked at her for a long time.

Her eyelashes cast shadows over the dark circles under her eyes, her lips weren't as rosy, and her face had slimmed down, making her jawline appear sharper.

As he watched her, Rhys suddenly felt a suffocating lump in his throat.

He tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling, and blinked hard twice.

Clara was later startled awake by the sound of the front door opening.

Seeing she was up, Rhys placed the takeout bags on the dining table. "Did I wake you?"

Clara sat up, wrapping the blanket around herself, and rubbed her eyes. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"I wanted you to sleep a little longer." Rhys started unpacking the food containers. "You need a lot of rest right now. Whenever I'm home during the day, just sleep if you can. Don't force yourself to stay up."