The Officer's Runaway Wife and Secret Son novel Chapter 397

Rhys had never done anything like this before.

He took the book, opened it to the first page, and read the words aloud in a dry, monotonous voice, like he was giving a report at the station.

Felix had been full of anticipation, but after listening for a little while, he rolled onto his back and finally couldn't help but speak up.

“You don’t tell stories as well as Daddy Noah.”

Rhys’s fingers, poised to turn the page, froze. He closed the picture book and set it on the nightstand.

“So how does Daddy Noah tell them?” he asked, genuinely seeking advice.

Felix thought for a moment and made bunny ears with his hands. “He’ll howl like the Big Grey Wolf, and he’ll pretend to be the little bunny crying.”

Rhys fell into a thoughtful silence.

He really couldn’t do that.

He was too used to life on the SWAT team, to real weapons and life-or-death struggles. He was accustomed to delivering concise, direct reports over the radio. He just couldn't manage that kind of soft, playful tone.

But that didn’t stop his competitive spirit from kicking in.

He quickly searched his mind for something that would capture the interest of a boy his age.

So he asked, “How about Daddy tells you a story about catching bad guys? Do you want to hear that?”

Felix’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”

And so Rhys began to tell his story.

He spoke only of the mud pits in the rainforest, of how they’d paint their faces with camouflage and lie motionless in the tall grass like chameleons. He described how drug traffickers hid things in the soles of their shoes, how the team worked together to breach doors, and how they would descend from the sky on a thin rope.

There was no fairytale magic, no talking animals. These were dangerous, real-life experiences, stripped of their bloodiest parts and recounted in the calmest of tones.

Felix was completely captivated.

“The bad guy had a gun, so Daddy hid behind the door,” Rhys said in a low voice.

Felix blinked and asked, “Were you scared?”

Rhys’s words trailed off.

Back then, he had been all alone, weighed down by a heavy secret and a deep self-loathing. Every time he went on a mission, he was prepared not to come back.

Death, for him, was just an outcome. The process of living didn’t hold much to be cherished.

But it was different now.

“I wasn’t scared before, but I am now.”

Felix was a little confused. “Why are you scared now? Aren’t you the best policeman ever?”

Rhys looked into his son’s eyes.

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