The Officer's Runaway Wife and Secret Son novel Chapter 544

But as Noah walked among them, he carried an isolating sense of aloofness that made him stand out.

That loneliness seemed even more pronounced right after he had hung up that video call.

Chloe had actually been watching from the sidelines the entire time.

Watching the way Noah looked when he spoke to the woman named Clara on the screen.

That strange, twisting feeling rose in her chest again.

Bolstered by the good meal, Chloe marched quickly back and planted herself squarely in front of Noah.

Noah frowned slightly at the girl who had suddenly doubled back.

"What is it now?"

"Mr. Carter." Chloe took a deep breath, dropping her usual erratic energy for a deeply serious tone. "You still haven't answered the question I asked you earlier."

Noah thought back.

She had been chattering non-stop, throwing out a million questions.

Everything from "Is this food good?" to "Mr. Carter, do you think winters in Zurich are colder than winters in Brighton City?" Interspersed in all that was her deep concern over whether the stray cat downstairs was male or female, and if it had been spayed.

She had even spiraled into asking, "What if she's a female and she gets pregnant?" and "Mr. Carter, can you deliver kittens? You're a pediatrician, so you probably could, right?"

So he asked, "Which question?"

"The one where I asked, if the person you love is going to spend the rest of her life being happy in someone else's world..." Chloe paused, probing carefully, "Do you plan to just stay in Zurich and die alone?"

The wind seemed to stop in that exact moment.

Noah silently looked at the girl standing in front of him, who was nearly ten years his junior.

She was pretty, fair-skinned, and always looked incredibly innocent when she stared at people. Paired with a gentle name like Chloe, strangers always assumed she was a quiet, delicate girl.

But Noah had mentored her for nearly two months, and he knew her personality entirely too well.

She was chaotic, hyperactive, and completely incapable of hiding her feelings.

She genuinely seemed worried that he was going to turn into a bitter, eccentric old man.

Once upon a time, he too thought he would be stuck in this heartache for a very long time. But he eventually realized that the passing days were like the snow in Zurich—falling constantly until they covered everything, eventually melting into the soil.

When spring arrived, new life would grow over it.

"Chloe."

Chloe snapped to attention. "Present!"

Noah was amused by her reaction.

A faint, shallow smile rippled across his eyes.

"I have absolutely no intention of dying alone." He reached out and lightly flicked her forehead. "Winter doesn't last forever. Spring will always come."

Chloe froze.

She stared at Noah's back as he turned to continue toward the lab, taking a long time to process what his words actually meant.

Spring will always come?

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