The Officer's Runaway Wife and Secret Son novel Chapter 451

After dinner, Rhys drove Clara and Felix back to Riverside Court.

The halos of the streetlights swept across his profile through the car window, and the persistent ache in his chest finally found a moment of peace that evening.

At the dinner table, Clara's parents had been happy, and Rhys, for once, had been treated with warmth by his elders. The atmosphere had been so harmonious that Clara hadn't managed to stop her son from reaching for the sweet date cakes.

After a few pieces of steak and two large cakes, Felix had been rubbing his stomach and complaining of discomfort in the car.

Rhys glanced at the back seat in the rearview mirror.

"We'll give him a digestive aid when we get home. If he's still uncomfortable, I'll take him to the ER."

Clara shook her head. "He doesn't need the hospital, he just overate. Kids have delicate stomachs, and their digestion is slower at night."

Back at Riverside Court, Felix was already squatting in the entryway, clutching his stomach, while they were still changing their shoes. He didn't even have the energy to bother with Orange, the cat, who came to rub against his leg.

Clara immediately found the digestive aid they kept on hand and gave it to Felix.

Normally, at this time after dinner, Felix would be the most energetic one in the house.

He would be tearing through the living room or dumping a huge bin of LEGOs onto the play mat, making a huge racket.

Tonight, however, he was unusually quiet. After taking the medicine, he slumped listlessly in a corner of the sofa, his head nodding off.

Clara gave him a quick wash-up, carried him to bed, and rubbed his stomach for a long time. Once she saw him close his eyes and fall asleep, she quietly closed the door and left.

Later that night, Rhys went to the kitchen for a glass of warm water, planning to take his last dose of medicine and go to bed.

Just as he turned around, a small figure appeared in the doorway of the master bedroom.

Felix stood there in his fuzzy pajamas, hugging his little dinosaur pillow, his face scrunched up as he held his stomach with one hand.

"Daddy, my tummy still feels bloated. I can't sleep."

Rhys put down his glass and quickly walked over, crouching down to feel his son's belly.

It was still hard and distended.

He lifted Felix onto the large bed in the master bedroom, wrapped him in the comforter, and sat beside him, gently rubbing his stomach with just the right amount of pressure.

Clara, who had just finished her shower, was drying her hair in the guest bathroom when she heard voices outside. She turned off the hair dryer and followed the sound.

"Can't I?" Felix asked pitifully. "All the kids in my class get to sleep with their mommy and daddy."

Clara looked at her son's slightly furrowed brow and his pleading eyes, and her heart softened.

She sighed, walked to the other side of the large bed, and slipped under the covers.

That was her answer.

Rhys watched her lie down beside him, his heart pounding. He reached over and turned off the main light, leaving only a small bedside lamp on, then lay down on his side.

The three of them were finally together in the wedding bed that had been empty for four years.

Felix slept in the middle, his small hands clutching each of their shirts on either side, as Rhys continued to gently rub his stomach through the blanket.

After a restless evening, with the patch on his stomach and his parents by his side, Felix quickly quieted down, his breathing becoming even and deep.

The night grew deeper.

Children naturally run a little warmer. In the middle of the night, Felix must have gotten hot, because he kicked off the blanket. He rolled over in his sleep, turning from sleeping vertically to horizontally, and ended up taking over most of the bed.