Chapter 313 He Didn’t Trust Her
Rose was worried about Lucas.
She insisted on taking him to the hospital for a full examination, just to be safe. From a doctor’s perspective, not every injury is visible. Internal trauma could be far more serious than cuts or bruises and might not show symptoms immediately.
It was always better to be cautious.
Caleb had already heard about the accident. Although he was still out of state, he immediately called.
"What happened? Are you okay?"
Rose was sitting in the emergency department waiting area. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her aching temples.
"Don’t worry. I’m fine. That car was only arranged as a backup vehicle for the guests. I never got into it."
During business dinners like these, every transportation arrangement had to be carefully planned.
Morgan and several executives had driven themselves. Rose had arranged rides for everyone else.
By sheer coincidence, Samantha had been the one to get into that particular company vehicle.
Only then did Caleb finally relax.
"I was worried about you the most. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters."
After a brief pause, he asked, "So Ryan took the car for inspection?"
"Yeah."
A faint, mocking smile tugged at Rose’s lips.
"He doesn’t trust me."
Even after all these years...
He still believed she was capable of something like murder.
To her, that was the greatest insult.
Caleb understood exactly what she meant.
Their marriage had been nothing more than a mistake.
"If he’s that biased toward Samantha," Caleb said worriedly, "what if he lets her twist the facts? He took the car away himself. What if they manipulate the investigation and frame you?"
That was what frightened him most.
If false evidence was created...
Who would stand up for Rose?
Rose was quiet for several seconds, absently rubbing her fingertips together before speaking.
"Ryan wouldn’t do something like that."
Although he didn’t trust her...
Although he never truly understood her...
She still knew the kind of man he was.
"He may be cold and emotionally detached," she said softly, "but he isn’t someone who would fabricate evidence or frame another person over a romantic dispute."
She knew him.
Once, she had loved Ryan so deeply that she memorized every expression, every glance, every tiny movement, hoping she could understand him just a little better.
But...
Those days were long gone.
Caleb sighed.
"Even if he wouldn’t frame you..."
"He still doesn’t trust you."
Otherwise...
He never would have allowed Samantha to make such outrageous accusations without question.
Rose had no response.
Because it was true.
After hanging up, Lucas’s examination results came back.
Fortunately, everything was normal.
Aside from a mild wrist sprain, there were no serious injuries.
Only then did Rose finally breathe a sigh of relief.
As for everything else...
She would deal with it when it came.
******
Meanwhile...
At a private hospital.
Samantha’s wound had already been cleaned and stitched.
The cut was deep—well over four inches long. Even with cosmetic sutures, there would almost certainly be a permanent scar.
Fortunately, during the accident, the surge of adrenaline had dulled most of the pain.
Apart from the laceration, she had suffered multiple soft-tissue bruises across her body.
She was admitted for observation.
Her mood remained terrible.
She cared deeply about her appearance.
No woman wanted a scar like that.
The more she thought about it...
The more she hated Rose.
In her mind, Rose must have lost control after hearing about what had happened between her and Ryan that night.
Standing beside the hospital bed, Ryan quietly looked through her medical reports.
Samantha forced a smile.
"I’m okay now."
"I guess heaven was watching over me."
"You don’t have to worry so much."
Ryan glanced at her.
"Get some rest."
Samantha looked at him hesitantly.
Then she carefully asked, "Ryan..."
"After that night in Washington..."
"What were you thinking?"
Ryan didn’t answer immediately.
Still looking at the report, he casually asked, "What do you mean?"
His reaction only strengthened Samantha’s belief.
He hadn’t denied that night.
Which meant...
Ryan must have mistaken another woman for her.
Perhaps he really had spent the night with someone else—only believing that woman had been Samantha.
The mere thought made her sick with jealousy.
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
She slowly reached out, hoping to hold his hand.
Ryan wasn’t paying attention.
As he set the report down on the bedside table, his fingers brushed hers before moving away.
Samantha quietly withdrew her hand.
"When are we going to make our relationship official?"
"I want to get married."
"I want a family too."
This time...
Ryan finally looked at her.
His expression remained calm.
"When will the DNA test results be available?"
Samantha immediately understood.
He wanted confirmation that she was truly the Taylor family’s daughter before discussing marriage.
She had only returned from Washington today, and then the accident happened.
Normally...
The results would be ready tomorrow.
As long as her identity was confirmed...
The Knight family would no longer object.
She understood Ryan’s reasoning.
More importantly...
She understood what he wasn’t saying.
Once her identity was confirmed...
He would seriously consider marrying her.
As for the DNA test...
She wasn’t worried in the slightest.
A surge of excitement rushed through her.
"Tomorrow."
"They’ll definitely be ready tomorrow."
She almost forgot the pain in her arm.
Ryan leaned back in his chair.
"Good."
"If the results confirm you’re the Taylor family’s daughter..."
"I hope you’ll handle things carefully with Victoria."
Samantha blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Ryan answered calmly. "Whether she and Mr. Taylor are legally married or not..."
"They’ve lived together as husband and wife for over twenty years."
"They’ve built a relationship."
"You may be his biological daughter..."
"But you didn’t grow up with him."
"A blood relationship alone doesn’t automatically outweigh decades of shared life."
"Because you were separated from your family due to Victoria..."
"She’ll naturally resent your return."
"If you can’t coexist with her..."
"Mr. Taylor and the rest of the family may not completely side with you."
He wasn’t comforting her.
He was teaching her how to secure her place within the Taylor family.
But every word sent a chill through Samantha.
Ryan was right.
She wasn’t the real daughter.
Victoria knew Mrs. Taylor better than anyone.
If anyone could discover she was an impostor...
It would be Victoria.
Even if the DNA report somehow confirmed she was the biological daughter...
If Victoria openly questioned her identity...
Derick would inevitably listen to his wife’s concerns.
Once the Taylor family became suspicious...
She would never get another opportunity to obtain Rose’s DNA.
And if her identity collapsed...
So would her greatest bargaining chip for marrying Ryan.
Ryan, unaware of the storm raging inside her mind, stood up.
"Get some rest."
With an even greater threat now hanging over her head, Samantha no longer had the heart to ask him to stay.
She forced a smile.
"Okay."
"Drive safely."
Not long after Ryan left...
Daisy hurried into the room.
"Are you certain Rose was behind this?"
"This is the perfect chance to make her pay."
But Samantha slowly shook her head.
A cold, calculating look settled into her eyes.
"No..."
"We were wrong."
"We shouldn’t waste any more effort on Rose."
"She’s no longer my biggest threat."
After a brief pause, she spoke the name in a low voice.
"It should be..."
"Victoria."