Chapter 343 A murder investigation
Samantha had never been completely convinced that Rose was the missing Taylor daughter.
Even if Victoria had never switched the DNA samples years ago, the result might have been exactly the same.
There had always been too many unanswered questions.
But now...
Another family pendant had appeared.
The exact same token.
In the same gallery.
How was that even possible?
She and Daisy had personally taken the original one.
There was no mistake.
No chance.
Yet somehow, another one existed.
And it had appeared at the worst possible time.
Samantha didn’t know what scared her more—the possibility that they had been wrong all along, or the possibility that Rose had been the person they were trying to erase from the beginning.
A chill ran through her.
Her entire body went rigid.
Daisy wasn’t doing much better.
Her face flushed with anger and disbelief.
"Rose?"
She immediately shook her head.
"Don’t listen to her."
"Who knows if this new pendant is even real?"
Her voice rose.
"I only took one. One!"
"There is no way I made a mistake."
Even Daisy couldn’t hide the panic in her expression.
If they hadn’t accidentally run into Alicia...
If they hadn’t forced information out of her...
They never would have known.
They would have remained completely unaware that something impossible had happened.
Alicia studied their strange reactions.
Something about their expressions made her uncomfortable.
Holding her coat tightly against her chest, she frowned.
"Whatever happened, don’t go spreading rumors about the Taylor family."
"Grandma finally has hope again."
"Please show some respect."
She didn’t wait for their response.
Turning around, she hurried away.
Daisy stared after her.
Then she looked at Samantha.
Neither woman spoke.
They didn’t need to.
They both understood.
Samantha’s breathing became uneven.
It felt as though someone had poured ice water through her veins.
The jealousy, the bitterness, the rage...
Everything exploded inside her.
Why?
Why was it Rose?
Why did the woman who had lost everything somehow end up gaining everything?
While Samantha...
While she had fallen from grace, lost Ryan, lost her reputation, and lost the future she’d spent years building...
Rose had quietly stepped into a life beyond anything Samantha could have imagined.
A life Samantha had once believed belonged to her.
The realization was unbearable.
*****
Meanwhile, Rose stayed with Grace for a while longer, helping her look through several more pieces in the gallery.
Eventually, they agreed they should head to the nursing facility.
The three of them went downstairs together.
Grace and Alicia climbed into their waiting SUV.
Rose pulled out her keys and walked toward her own car.
Then—
Police sirens cut through the air.
The sound grew louder.
Closer.
Until several patrol cars stopped directly in front of the gallery entrance.
Rose froze.
Police?
What happened?
A strange sense of unease settled over her.
She quickened her pace.
A crowd had already gathered outside.
As she approached, she immediately heard Samantha’s voice.
"Why are you arresting my mother?"
"Give me a reason!"
Daisy stood beside her, completely panicked.
"What are you talking about?"
"What did I do?"
A police officer stepped forward.
His expression was serious.
After showing his badge, he said, "Daisy Hill?"
"You are a suspect in a homicide investigation."
"We need you to come with us for questioning."
"Please cooperate."
The color drained from both Samantha and Daisy’s faces.
Homicide?
A murder investigation?
How could this happen?
They hadn’t left evidence.
They had been careful.
They hadn’t made a single mistake.
Rose stood frozen.
Murder...
The word echoed in her mind.
Then another officer approached her.
He studied her carefully.
"Are you Rose Bennett?"
A buried suspicion suddenly surfaced.
Rose’s lips parted slightly.
"Yes."
The officer nodded.
"Then you’ll need to come with us."
"This case involves your mother."
"Morgan Bennett."
Rose’s heart tightened.
She had already guessed.
But hearing it confirmed out loud was different.
Everything had happened too quickly.
She immediately took out her phone and sent Grace a message explaining that something urgent had come up and she might have to delay their visit to see her grandfather.
Grace saw the police outside and understood immediately.
She replied that Rose should handle the matter first.
Only then did Rose put her phone away.
Her legs felt strangely weak as she stepped into the police vehicle.
The entire world seemed distant.
All she could hear was the constant ringing in her ears.
As the car moved, Rose lowered her head.
Her mind slowly returned to the past.
Back to when she was a child.
Back to the accident.
It had happened so suddenly.
One day, she had a mother who loved her.
The next...
Her mother was lying unconscious in a hospital bed with no guarantee she would ever wake up.
And her father...
Her father had been waiting for the chance to get rid of her.
A child who hadn’t even turned ten yet.
Her entire world had collapsed overnight.
Everyone told her it was an accident.
So she believed them.
What choice did she have?
As she grew older, doubts had occasionally surfaced.
The timing.
The circumstances.
The strange way everything had happened.
But suspicion without evidence meant nothing.
There had been nowhere to start.
No proof.
No one willing to reopen the case.
Until today.
Until she was suddenly told...
It wasn’t an accident.
It was murder.
Rose slowly tightened her hands.
Her nails dug into her palms.
She felt the pain.
But she didn’t react.
*****
When they arrived at the police station, Rose stepped out of the vehicle.
Across the parking area, Daisy and Samantha were being escorted inside.
They were still crying, still insisting there had been a mistake.
Still claiming they were innocent.
Rose walked past them silently.
Inside the lobby, the noise was overwhelming.
Then she saw him.
Ryan Knight.
He sat in the corner with one leg crossed over the other, calm and composed, as though he were completely removed from the chaos around him.
As if he existed in another world.
But the moment Rose entered...
Ryan sensed her presence.
Slowly, he turned.
Their eyes met.
Rose’s eyes were slightly red.
But her expression remained controlled.
Cold.
Distant.
For some reason, that unsettled Ryan more than anger would have.
Then Samantha saw him.
The moment she did, all her composure disappeared.
"Ryan!"
She rushed toward him.
"Please help me!"
"I’m begging you!"
"What is happening?"
"My mother is innocent!"
She had never truly stopped loving Ryan.
Even after everything.
Even after the pain and humiliation.
Seeing him now, she instinctively reached for the person she had always believed would save her.
Rose watched silently.
Her expression tightened.
If Ryan interfered...
If he showed even the slightest favoritism in this case involving her mother...
She didn’t know what she would do.
Ryan looked at Samantha without emotion.
Before he could speak, Officer Whitmore walked over.
"If it weren’t for Mr. Knight, this case would have remained buried forever."
His voice was sharp.
"So don’t make a scene here."
Samantha froze.
Her tears stopped.
"What... what do you mean?"
Daisy, already handcuffed, stumbled closer.
"Officer, there must be some misunderstanding."
Officer Whitmore looked at her coldly.
"You’ll know after questioning."
Daisy’s face turned pale.
Then the officer looked back at Samantha.
"What were you doing at the gallery today?"
Samantha stiffened.
"...Nothing."
"We didn’t do anything."
Officer Whitmore gave a cold laugh.
"Do you really think nobody knows?"
"There were surveillance systems in that office."
"The computers you accessed were monitored."
"The websites you searched and the contact information you entered were recorded."
"Every action you took today has been documented."
Samantha’s eyes widened.
Her blood ran cold.
The computers...
Monitored?
Officer Whitmore continued.
"If you hadn’t entered those old URLs and access codes, we might never have found this information."
"But you did."
"And you gave us exactly what we needed."
Rose felt her breathing become heavier.
A strange buzzing filled her ears.
Then Samantha slowly turned toward Ryan.
The realization hit her.
"You knew."
Her voice trembled.
"You knew we were coming."
"That’s why you let us walk right in."
Her face twisted with disbelief.
"Ryan..."
"Are you playing with me?"