The Officer's Runaway Wife and Secret Son novel Chapter 392

Clara took the box but didn't open it. She placed it in the very back of a drawer and secured it with a new lock.

In the days that followed, Clara continued her hospital visits as usual, but she never again brought up Rhys's plans to resign, nor did she mention any specific arrangements for the Oakridge Avenue apartment now that she was taking it back. This left Rhys feeling increasingly insecure. The closer his discharge date came, the more anxious he grew.

It wasn't until he was sitting in the passenger seat of the car that he finally couldn't help but ask, "Where are we going?" Clara kept her eyes on the road. "Riverside Court. I assume you haven't sold it." Rhys froze.

The underground garage at Riverside Court was just as he remembered it. Clara unbuckled her seatbelt and heard a distinct gulp from beside her. Rhys's palms were slick with cold sweat, and he made no move to open his door. "Why aren't you getting out? Are you waiting for me to open the door for you?" Clara asked, turning to look at him. His voice was hoarse. "This place..." "What about it?" "It hasn't been lived in for a long time." Clara ignored him and got out of the car herself. Rhys had no choice but to follow.

When they reached their floor, she stood before the black door. It had been four years. The day she left, this door had closed heavily behind her. She thought she would never come back, never have the courage to stand here again. Before Rhys could get the door, Clara had already raised her hand and pressed her index finger to the fingerprint scanner. Beep. The lock clicked open. Clara paused, glancing back at Rhys. She had assumed he would have deleted her fingerprint long ago. "You never deleted it?" Rhys explained in a strained voice, "No. I thought... if you ever came back, you'd be angry if you couldn't get in." Or, to be more self-deceptive, he thought that if one day she really did return, all she had to do was press her finger to the lock, and this door would always open for her.

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