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.

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