Chapter 358 The Secret Behind the Blood
Rose’s pupils trembled.
Ryan sat in the wheelchair, his head slightly tilted back.
His face was pale.
Too pale.
Yet his eyes remained calm, almost unreadable.
It was the same expression he always wore—the one that made people feel as though nothing in the world could truly affect him.
But this time, Rose couldn’t ignore what she saw.
He looked like someone who was barely holding himself together.
She stepped closer.
“How do you know?”
Her voice shook.
“How do you know Ariel needs that specific type of plasma?”
The fear and confusion inside her had reached a point where she could barely think clearly.
Ryan had never asked.
He had never checked her medical records.
He hadn’t even waited for the doctor to explain.
He already knew.
But Ryan didn’t answer.
Because the moment Rose finished speaking—
His eyes closed.
His body relaxed completely.
He had passed out.
“Ryan!”
Oliver’s expression changed instantly.
He immediately turned the wheelchair around.
The anger and worry on his face were impossible to hide.
This man had been seriously injured, yet he had forced himself to stay awake just to make sure Ariel received treatment.
Oliver had been furious the entire time.
But he knew Ryan.
Once Ryan decided something, no one could stop him.
“I’m taking him for his pre-surgery examination,” Oliver said quickly.
Then, before leaving, he looked back at Rose.
“I’ll tell you which floor the operating room is on later.”
He paused.
“And you can unblock my number then.”
Despite the situation, Rose almost couldn’t believe Oliver still had the energy to say that.
He really was Ryan’s closest friend.
Even now, when he was worried sick about Ryan, he still remembered the fact that Rose had blocked him.
Then Oliver pushed Ryan away.
Rose stood there silently.
Watching them disappear down the hallway.
She knew exactly why Ryan was in such bad shape.
His injuries were likely worse than Ariel’s.
Because when he jumped—
He had taken the full impact.
The image of him throwing himself over the edge without hesitation replayed in her mind.
That determination.
That complete lack of fear.
It was almost frightening.
Because from Ryan’s perspective...
Ariel had nothing to do with him.
She wasn’t his daughter.
She was a child born while he and Rose were still married, a child he believed had been hidden from him.
Yet he still jumped.
Why?
Was it simply because he couldn’t watch a child die?
Or was there something else?
Something she didn’t know?
“Are you going to check on Ryan?”
Trevor’s voice came from behind her.
Rose turned.
Trevor looked at her calmly.
“I’ll stay with Ariel.”
Rose took a breath.
“With Oliver there, Ryan will be fine.”
She knew she owed Ryan.
Not a small favor.
A life-saving debt.
The kind that could never truly be repaid.
She should go.
She knew she should.
But Ariel was still in surgery.
And she couldn’t leave.
“Let’s wait until Ariel is out first.”
Her voice was quiet.
“Then I’ll go.”
Trevor studied her face.
He could see how overwhelmed she was.
Too many things had happened in one day.
Derick choosing Victoria.
Samantha trying to escape.
Ariel being thrown from the rooftop.
Ryan risking his life.
And now—
The impossible fact that Ryan somehow knew exactly what Ariel needed.
Rose’s entire world felt upside down.
Trevor didn’t say anything.
He simply stayed beside her.
*****
Nearly an hour passed.
Then the elevator doors opened.
A nurse rushed back from the rooftop helipad carrying the plasma.
She didn’t stop for even a second.
She ran straight into the operating room.
Rose immediately clenched her hands together.
All she could do was wait.
Finally—
The operating room doors opened.
The doctor walked out.
“Family members.”
Rose immediately stood.
“How is she?”
The doctor removed his mask.
“She’s stable now.”
The words almost made Rose collapse from relief.
“The main danger was hemorrhagic shock caused by uncontrolled bleeding.”
The doctor continued.
“We completed a full examination. Her internal organs are fine.”
Rose covered her mouth.
“She’s okay?”
The doctor nodded.
“Other than a minor fracture near the injured area of her arm, there are no major injuries.”
He frowned slightly.
“Actually...”
He looked confused.
“Are you certain she fell from an upper floor?”
Rose froze.
The doctor continued.
“Given her age and body size, a fall from that height should have caused severe internal injuries. Even with an emergency air cushion, this outcome is extremely unusual.”
“But aside from the arm injury...”
He shook his head.
“There’s nothing else.”
Rose’s eyes filled with tears.
For the first time in hours, she allowed herself to breathe.
“Thank you.”
Her voice cracked.
“Thank you so much.”
Trevor immediately asked:
“What about the plasma?”
The doctor’s expression became serious.
“That plasma was not ordinary.”
Rose looked at him.
“Plasma?”
“Yes.”
The doctor explained.
“Patients with clotting disorders require extremely precise treatment. The concentration of clotting factors has to meet very strict standards, and storage conditions are extremely demanding.”
He paused.
“That is why children with this condition have to be protected so carefully. Even a small injury can become dangerous.”
He looked toward the hallway.
“But the plasma provided today...”
His expression changed.
“The concentration was exceptionally high.”
“Someone had stored it under professional medical conditions.”
“A full 1,600 milliliters was delivered immediately.”
“That amount is enough for a severe emergency involving an adult.”
Silence filled the hallway.
Rose and Trevor both looked in the direction Oliver had taken Ryan.
Neither of them spoke.
But both had the same thought.
Ryan.
*****
Eventually, Rose forced herself to calm down.
“Thank you, doctor.”
When Ariel was brought out, her little face was still pale.
Her arm was wrapped in bandages.
The injury itself wasn’t considered severe.
But because of her blood disorder, the continuous bleeding had nearly become life-threatening.
Rose knew exactly how it happened.
Samantha.
That woman had thrown Ariel away without hesitation.
If Ryan hadn’t jumped—
If he hadn’t protected her—
Ariel wouldn’t have just been injured.
She might have died.
In the hospital room, Rose sat beside Ariel’s bed.
She gently pulled the blanket higher.
Her heart ached.
Trevor waited quietly before speaking.
“When Ariel wakes up, we’ll arrange psychological counseling.”
Rose looked at him.
“Today’s incident will leave a trauma.”
“She’s young. She needs help processing what happened.”
Rose hadn’t even thought that far ahead.
She forced a smile.
But the smile looked more painful than tears.
“You really think of everything.”
“Thank you.”
She lowered her gaze.
“I just don’t know how I’ll explain what happened at the birthday party.”
Trevor pulled a chair beside her.
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“I already handled it.”
“The hotel staff have been instructed. Someone is managing the guests, and nothing will leak.”
He paused.
“Security has already handed Samantha over through the proper channels.”
Rose nodded slowly.
This matter could cause a massive scandal.
The guests couldn’t find out.
The Knight family especially couldn’t know.
If they learned Ryan had risked his life to save a child who supposedly had nothing to do with him...
The consequences would be impossible to predict.
“The Knight family cannot know.”
Rose’s voice was firm.
“Not even a hint.”
Especially now.
With Edward Knight back.
Trevor nodded.
“As long as the Knight family keeps quiet, this can be contained.”
Then his expression changed.
“But...”
He looked directly at Rose.
“Ryan is the problem.”
Rose understood immediately.
The plasma.
Ryan’s knowledge.
His reaction.
Everything pointed to one thing.
He knew something.
Something she didn’t.
Rose looked down at Ariel.
She gently held her daughter’s hand.
Then she slowly released it and tucked it back beneath the blanket.
Her decision was made.
“I’m going to see him.”
Trevor nodded.
“I’ll stay here.”
Rose looked at him.
“Thank you.”
She paused.
“For saving me today.”
Trevor’s expression shifted slightly.
“And for everything else.”
He remembered the rooftop.
If he hadn’t grabbed her in time...
If Samantha had moved just a little faster...
Rose might have fallen too.
Trevor didn’t say anything.
He only nodded.
“Go.”
Rose walked out.
The moment she left the room, she called Oliver.
She needed to know where Ryan was.
When she arrived at the floor he was on—
The operating room doors opened.
And Ryan was just out as well.