The Officer's Runaway Wife and Secret Son novel Chapter 355

Rhys’s car finally pulled off the Brighton City highway. Eighteen hours.

He had driven from the warm sun of Heron Bay into the bitter winter of Brighton City.

Other than stopping for gas and unavoidable bathroom breaks, Rhys hadn't stopped.

A sharp pain radiated through his chest, and he fought back a ragged cough. His mind was consumed by the messages Mia had sent.

The car pulled over to the side of the road, and Rhys dialed Daniel's number.

"Has Clara contacted Emily?"

There was a brief silence on the other end before Daniel's cool voice came through. "Emily's drunk. I was just about to go pick her up."

"Where?"

"The Harborview Hotel."

Rhys froze in his car, utterly stunned.

The Harborview Hotel. The place where all her love for him had bled away. Why would she go back there?

In the lobby of the Harborview, Daniel stood by a pillar, holding a hangover remedy he'd brought for Emily.

He glanced at his watch: 11:50.

Rhys pushed his car door open and got out. His legs felt weak, and he nearly stumbled, staggering into Daniel's line of sight.

He was thinly dressed, wearing just a black t-shirt under an unzipped track jacket. His jaw was covered in dark stubble, and he exuded an air of utter desolation.

Daniel frowned.

"Twelve hundred miles, and you show up looking like this?"

Rhys steadied himself. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "Is she upstairs? Is she okay?"

"Not really," Daniel said bluntly. "Emily sent me a voice message at two in the morning, crying. Those two drank two bottles of red wine, half a case of beer, and a bottle of vodka last night. Do you really think, in a place like this, they were drinking like that to celebrate a new beginning?"

Rhys swayed, his exhaustion extreme, yet Daniel's words kept him starkly awake.

It felt as if all his old chest wounds had reopened at once, the pain so sharp it made him hunch over.

"...Don't say any more."

Daniel sighed. "I'm not you, so I can't empathize with your position. I'm just here to take my wife home."

He walked into the elevator and deliberately held the 'door open' button for a few seconds. Another guest got in and, noticing Daniel wasn't closing the door, asked, "Excuse me, are you going up?"

Only then did Rhys take a deep breath and step inside.

The elevator ascended.

Rhys stared at his reflection in the mirrored walls—haggard, exhausted.

He looked ugly.

The midday sun was a bit too bright. She squinted, staring blankly at the street below.

Crying like that had been a release. It was as if she'd purged all the poison hidden in her heart—the resentment, the hurt, and the truths Margot had burdened her with—flushing it all out with her tears.

When the doorbell rang, Clara assumed it was room service.

She went and opened the door. Outside stood Daniel, his expression cool, and behind him was Rhys.

Clara wasn't surprised to see him, but she was shocked he had returned so quickly, and even more shocked by his current appearance.

She looked at Daniel. "Here for Emily?"

Daniel nodded and stepped past her into the room, heading for the bedroom. "She drank a lot. Thanks for looking after her last night. I'll take her home."

He moved efficiently, leaving the small space entirely to the former couple.

Clara stood in the doorway, neither inviting Rhys in nor closing the door.

Her gaze rested for a second on the dark circles under his eyes before she looked away.

"Can I help you?"

Rhys looked at her, feeling utterly lost.

He had so much he wanted to say.

He wanted to tell her that he couldn't wait to see her, that he'd driven Twelve hundred miles from Heron Bay. He wanted to tell her that when his aunt described her standing at the bus stop, looking at that poster, his heart had shattered.