Chapter 361 I Have No Regrets
Rose genuinely hadn’t known.
She certainly hadn’t expected to hear about Trevor’s plans from her ex-husband of all people.
And there had been something strange in Ryan’s tone.
A subtle edge.
She didn’t for a second believe he’d mentioned Trevor’s proposal to compliment him.
If anything, it sounded suspiciously like mockery.
Rose’s irritation rose.
This was between her and Trevor. Ryan had no business passing judgment on their relationship.
"Trevor and I don’t need some elaborate proposal ceremony," she said coldly. "You don’t need to concern yourself with it."
With that, Rose turned and walked out.
She knew she wasn’t going to get anything else out of Ryan today.
Still, as she walked down the hospital corridor, a trace of suspicion remained in her eyes.
Something about Ryan’s behavior continued to bother her.
Whatever the truth was, she needed to move faster.
If she married Trevor sooner, then perhaps she could finally put all of this behind her.
Only then would she truly feel safe.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Ryan waited several seconds before slowly opening his eyes.
His gaze remained fixed on the door.
The hospital room smelled strongly of disinfectant.
He hated that smell.
Always had.
Yet beneath it, he could still detect something familiar.
Rose’s perfume.
She had worn the same scent for years—a light citrus fragrance, clean and subtle.
It had always been gentle enough not to overwhelm a room.
Somehow, even now, that faint scent made the sterile hospital room feel slightly less unpleasant.
Ryan stared toward the door for a long time.
Then he frowned.
Pain spread through every part of his body.
As the anesthesia continued wearing off, the dull numbness was disappearing and leaving every injury behind in its wake.
His entire nervous system seemed to be protesting.
His leg throbbed.
His back burned.
Even breathing caused a dull ache through his bruised body.
But his face remained completely expressionless.
After a while, the door opened again.
Oliver stepped inside.
He had watched Rose leave.
Now he looked at Ryan.
Ryan’s eyes immediately turned cold.
"Call my secretary."
Oliver straightened.
Ryan’s voice was quiet but firm.
"I want everything that happened at the resort hotel today leaked."
Oliver frowned.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
Ryan paused.
"But make sure the Knight family doesn’t find out that I saved Ariel."
Oliver stared at him.
He had expected Ryan to want the truth buried, not deliberately leaked.
But he didn’t question the order.
"Okay."
Then curiosity got the better of him.
"Why hide that part from the Knight family?"
Ryan didn’t answer.
Oliver waited.
Nothing.
Ryan simply stared at the ceiling as though he’d already moved on to something else.
After a moment, he added, "Do me another favor."
"What?"
"Find out how Samantha got into the resort."
Oliver’s expression sharpened.
"You’re thinking someone helped her?"
Ryan’s eyes remained cold.
"I want to know how she got in."
That was all he said.
Oliver nodded.
"I’ll look into it."
*****
By the time James arrived at the hospital, it was already late.
He hurried straight to Ariel’s room.
The moment he saw her lying safely in bed, his tense shoulders finally relaxed.
Ariel was still asleep, receiving medication through a pain pump.
James stopped beside the foot of the bed and took a deep breath.
She was safe.
That was what mattered.
Rose had been sitting nearby.
When she saw James rush in, visibly anxious and worried, she immediately understood something.
Her suspicion had been correct.
James already suspected—or perhaps had already concluded—that she was his sister.
Rose said nothing.
James finally looked at her.
His throat tightened.
"Rose..."
He swallowed.
"I was dealing with Samantha’s situation. It got complicated, and it took longer than I expected."
His explanation sounded nervous.
Rose didn’t even look at him.
She continued studying her blood-test results.
Because she’d suspected the injection Samantha had given her might have been poisoned, she’d specifically had it tested.
Fortunately, it wasn’t poison.
It was simply a badly formulated sedative.
Her body would metabolize it completely within a few days, and the drug wasn’t expected to cause any lasting harm.
Rose turned another page.
"Your father is busy too."
James’s expression immediately became awkward.
He understood the meaning behind her words.
Derick hadn’t come to see Ariel either.
"Victoria suddenly got sick and was taken to the hospital, so—"
"That’s none of my business."
Rose finally looked up.
Her expression was flat.
"That’s a Taylor family matter. You don’t need to explain it to me."
James fell silent.
"Ariel is still asleep. If you don’t have anything else to say, please leave."
She dismissed him without the slightest hesitation.
James stood there for several seconds.
He couldn’t find a single word to say.
He knew he had brought this on himself.
He hadn’t told his grandmother anything.
She was getting older, and if she learned that Rose and Ariel had nearly fallen from a building, she would be terrified.
For now, James had decided it was better to keep the entire incident from her.
He lowered his eyes.
"All right."
Then he turned and left.
The moment he stepped into the hallway, however, he asked Oliver where Ryan’s room was.
He needed somewhere to vent his frustration.
And after Rose had practically thrown him out, he was in no mood to be polite.
*****
When James entered Ryan’s room, he pulled a chair over and sat beside the bed.
He didn’t bother hiding his bad mood.
Ryan glanced at him.
"Got something to say?"
James gave him a sarcastic smile.
"I’m just surprised."
Ryan said nothing.
"You knew Ariel was Trevor’s daughter, yet you still threw yourself in front of her without hesitation."
James leaned back.
"Since when did you become so self-sacrificing?"
Ryan’s expression didn’t change.
James didn’t wait for an answer.
"I don’t know what’s going through your head, but I feel obligated to warn you about something."
His tone became sharper.
"Even if you nearly died saving my niece, it doesn’t change anything."
Ryan looked at him.
"Ariel is part of the Robinson family. Rose and Trevor were always going to find their way back to each other."
James’s voice was deliberately cutting.
"Even if you happened to marry Rose by accident, that doesn’t mean you’re her destined partner. They found their way back to each other, and now they have a child together."
He leaned forward.
"Ryan, when it comes to this, you’ve already lost."
James usually had an easygoing personality.
But when he wanted to hurt someone with his words, he could be vicious.
Every sentence landed exactly where he intended.
After being rejected by Rose, he certainly wasn’t about to go easy on Ryan.
Ryan stared at him for two seconds.
Then he asked calmly,
"Do you think I want to change anything?"
James’s expression stiffened.
The question was an answer in itself.
Ryan didn’t care.
He didn’t care about fate.
He didn’t care who Rose chose.
He didn’t care about Trevor.
And apparently, he didn’t care about losing her.
James’s face darkened.
"After everything you did to her—after hurting her and pushing her away—you don’t regret any of it?"
Ryan didn’t even open his eyes.
"Mm-hmm."
James waited.
Ryan’s voice remained calm.
"I have no regrets."
James stared at him.
For a moment, he wondered whether Ryan was simply putting on a brave face.
But the possibility that he actually meant every word somehow made it worse.
James shot to his feet.
"Fine."
He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
He’d come here intending to make Ryan feel miserable.
Instead, he was the one who left furious.
He couldn’t decide whether Ryan was genuinely indifferent or simply too stubborn to admit what he felt.
Either way, James was left angry and thoroughly confused.
*****
Rose had no idea what had happened in Ryan’s room.
She was too busy dealing with Trevor.
The two of them were trying to figure out how to keep everything that had happened from Nathan.
On Ariel’s birthday, Nathan had been required to attend an international medical conference.
It was a high-profile professional event he couldn’t simply skip, which meant he hadn’t been able to return home.
Even now, he had no idea what Ariel had been through.
Rose and Trevor had come up with a simple story.
They told Nathan they’d taken Ariel away for a short vacation.
Somehow, they had managed to keep the truth from him.
For now.
Meanwhile, Rose received another update about Samantha.
Samantha had immediately understood that the baby she was carrying was her only lifeline.
She’d used that pregnancy to exploit a loophole in the law.
Instead of being taken directly into custody and sent to trial, she’d been allowed to return home while her case was being handled.
Rose was furious.
Absolutely furious.
Right now, she could barely look at Samantha’s name without feeling rage boil inside her.
If it weren’t for that woman, Ariel wouldn’t have gone through any of this.
She wouldn’t have fallen from a building.
She wouldn’t have fought to stay alive.
She wouldn’t have spent hours terrified and in pain.
She wouldn’t have developed such a high fever afterward.
Every time Rose thought about it, it felt like someone was twisting a knife inside her chest.
She began making calls.
She started gathering information.
And she discussed with Trevor exactly how they could make sure Samantha received the punishment she deserved.
*****
Meanwhile, Samantha had locked herself inside her house for two straight days.
Her condition was terrible.
She had never been this frightened in her life.
The child she was carrying had indeed given her a way to avoid immediate punishment.
But Samantha knew that loophole wouldn’t protect her forever.
Once the baby was born, she would still have to face the consequences.
And deep down, she understood something else.
Her fear of leaving the house wasn’t really because she was afraid of the law.
It was because she was afraid of everyone she’d wronged.
Ryan.
Trevor.
The Taylor family.
How could any of them possibly let her walk away without consequences?
She was terrified of retaliation.
Terrified that her life was already beyond saving.
For two days, she’d barely slept.
Then, in the middle of her panic, an idea came to her.
She needed Ethan.
The baby she was carrying was his.
There was no way he could simply wash his hands of the situation.
Samantha wrapped herself in a coat, pulled a hat low over her face and slipped out of the house.
She called Ethan repeatedly.
No answer.
She called again.
Still nothing.
With nowhere else to turn, she decided to go to the Knight family’s old estate.
If Ethan wouldn’t answer his phone, she’d find him herself.
She stayed near the property, watching the gates and trying to figure out how she could get inside without being noticed.
The old mansion was normally heavily guarded.
But that day, something strange happened.
For reasons Samantha couldn’t explain, several of the security guards had temporarily left their posts.
The entrance was almost completely unattended.
Samantha stared at the open path leading toward the estate.
Was this her chance?
She didn’t hesitate.
She slipped through the gates.
She already knew where Ethan’s private courtyard was.
Keeping her head down, she hurried in that direction.