The Wife You Buried Is Back from Hell novel Chapter 1445

Being careful not to aggravate his injuries, he pulled her securely into his arms. He buried his face in her soft hair, his voice raspy but full of absolute adoration. "Daddy missed you too, kiddo. Look how big you've gotten."

He tightened his grip just a fraction, as if trying to pour every ounce of his longing from the past few days into that single embrace.

Niki clung to his neck, planting a loud kiss on his cheek. Her little fingers lightly brushed against a faint bruise near the corner of his mouth, her tiny brow furrowing.

"Daddy, what happened to your face? Are you hurt? Does it hurt bad?"

Alex flinched slightly, instinctively turning his head and raising a hand to cover the mark. He forced a reassuring smile. "It doesn't hurt. Daddy just bumped into something. It's just a little scratch, it'll be gone in a few days."

Standing in the doorway, Danielle watched the two of them, a heavy lump forming in her throat.

She walked over quietly, taking the suitcase from his hand, her voice incredibly tender. "Welcome home. Come inside, I just finished making breakfast. It's still hot."

Alex looked up, their eyes locking.

This trip to Penang had been a massive failure. Not only had he let Harold slip away, but he had returned battered and bruised, putting her through hell with worry. He felt like he had completely let her down.

He opened his mouth, wanting to apologize, but all that came out was a quiet, "I'm sorry for making you worry."

"Don't be ridiculous."

Danielle shook her head gently. She took his coat and hung it up in the entryway. "Get inside before Niki catches a cold."

Once indoors, Niki glued herself to Alex's side, refusing to give him an inch of space.

During breakfast, Danielle kept loading up his plate, piling his favorite foods high. "Eat up," she urged softly. "You probably haven't had a decent meal in days. You need to get your strength back."

Alex nodded and picked up his fork, but his appetite was completely shot. He managed a few bites, forcing it down only because he couldn't bear to disappoint the hopeful looks Danielle and his daughter were giving him.

"What actually went down in Penang? How the hell did Harold just disappear?"

At the mention of Harold Chapman, a dark, dangerous shadow passed over Alex's eyes, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.

Leaning back, he rubbed his throbbing temples and recounted every grueling detail of the trip.

From tracking down Harold's safe house to his own forced downtime after getting hurt, to Lincoln and Carter's brief lapse in judgment that allowed the bastard to vanish. He explained the corrupt local police's refusal to assist, and their ultimate, bitter retreat back to the States.

He spoke in a flat, detached tone, as if narrating someone else's life, but Danielle could hear the raw, seething frustration simmering just beneath the surface.

She knew exactly how devastating this failure was for him.

He had flown out there entirely convinced he was finally going to end this nightmare, only to return empty-handed and humiliated.