Chapter 322 Will You Still Marry Me?
Nathan stood on the porch with his hands in his jacket pockets, studying Ryan.
Ryan met his gaze without a word.
Whether he thought Nathan’s comment wasn’t worth answering—or simply didn’t care enough to respond—was impossible to tell.
Nathan hadn’t expected an answer anyway.
The point wasn’t to start an argument.
It was to make one thing unmistakably clear.
Rose’s future no longer involved Ryan.
Whatever had existed between them was over.
If they happened to cross paths from time to time, fine. But tonight, after seeing them arrive together, Nathan felt it was better to draw a line before anyone started blurring it again.
"It’s getting late," Nathan said evenly. "Drive safe."
Without waiting for a response, he stepped inside and closed the front door behind him.
The deadbolt clicked.
Ryan remained on the sidewalk.
One hand rested in his coat pocket while his eyes drifted toward the second floor.
A bedroom light flickered on.
He stood there beneath the streetlamp, lit a cigarette, and watched the window until it burned halfway down.
Then he crushed it beneath his shoe and walked away.
*****
When Ryan arrived at the Hill house, the atmosphere inside was suffocating.
Samantha sat frozen on the living room sofa, still wearing the same dress from earlier that evening.
She looked pale.
Not just tired.
Shaken.
It felt as though the warmth had been drained from her body.
Across the room—
Crash.
Daisy slammed her designer handbag onto the coffee table.
A crystal vase toppled over, shattering across the hardwood floor.
"Victoria did this on purpose."
Her voice shook with rage.
"She wanted everyone to hear that you weren’t a Taylor."
She paced across the room.
"And those DNA results..." she muttered. "They don’t make any sense. Rose’s sample shouldn’t have caused this."
Nothing made sense anymore.
She had spent months planning every move.
Kidnapping Rose.
Manipulating the investigation.
Covering every loose end she could think of.
They had taken enormous risks.
And somehow...
Rose had walked away untouched.
Samantha suddenly looked up.
"You were so certain Rose was the missing Taylor daughter."
Her voice was sharp enough to cut glass.
"What if she never was?"
Daisy stopped pacing.
"Your father told me everything," she said.
"He only married Morgan because of the prenup."
The memory resurfaced.
Years earlier, Morgan Bennett had insisted on one condition before the wedding—
Her infant daughter would become Logan Hill’s legal responsibility.
Logan had agreed without hesitation.
Back then, Morgan came from money.
Marrying her—and accepting Rose—had been the price of joining that world.
She had even invested in Logan’s struggling company, turning his business around.
None of it should have led here.
"So why were we wrong?" Daisy whispered.
Samantha’s composure finally broke.
"Because we bet everything on it."
She shot to her feet.
"And now we’ve lost everything."
Her breathing became ragged.
"Grace will never support my career again."
"The Taylors will destroy this family."
"My future is over."
The room fell silent.
She had spent years trying to eliminate Victoria as competition.
She’d wanted Grace to reject Victoria.
To make sure Victoria would never become part of the Taylor family.
Instead...
She had cleared every obstacle for the real heir.
Someone else’s victory.
Not hers.
Daisy’s face had gone gray.
Samantha sank back onto the couch, rubbing her temples.
"If I lose the Taylors..."
"...the Knights will never accept me."
That terrified her more than anything else.
Daisy knelt beside her.
"No."
She grabbed Samantha’s hands.
"Ryan loves you."
"He didn’t fall in love with your last name."
"None of this changes that."
The words steadied Samantha’s breathing.
She wanted to believe them.
Ryan wasn’t like other men.
He was disciplined.
Controlled.
Once he made a decision, he rarely changed it.
If he loved someone...
...he stayed loyal.
Daisy lowered her voice.
"Then don’t wait."
"Convince Ryan to marry you now."
"Before this gets any worse."
"Before the rest of the Knight family hears everything."
"If his grandparents find out first..."
She didn’t finish the sentence.
She didn’t need to.
Samantha understood.
This might be her last opportunity.
Without another word, she grabbed her phone.
She called Ryan.
The ringtone echoed through the speaker.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Her stomach twisted.
For the first time in years...
She was afraid he wouldn’t answer.
Then the line connected.
"Are you home?"
His voice was calm.
Ordinary.
Relief hit her so suddenly she almost cried.
"I’ve been calling you," she said softly.
"What took so long?"
"I was finishing some work."
Nothing more.
No explanation.
No reassurance.
Her chest tightened.
She forced herself to keep talking.
"Ryan..."
"Do you think I lied to you?"
Her voice trembled.
"I don’t understand what happened tonight."
"I’m hurting too."
"Do you believe me?"
There was a pause.
Finally he answered.
"Right now, nobody knows exactly what happened."
His tone stayed measured.
"If someone wanted you recognized as a Taylor..."
"...someone else had every reason to stop it."
"So until we know the truth, I’m not jumping to conclusions."
Samantha and Daisy exchanged a glance.
He wasn’t accusing her.
But he wasn’t defending her either.
Someone could have switched the DNA samples.
It wasn’t impossible.
If they had considered doing it...
Someone else could have done the same.
Hatred flashed across Samantha’s face.
Rose?
Victoria?
Who had ruined everything?
She swallowed the anger.
"Ryan..."
Her voice cracked.
"If Grace blacklists me..."
"If the Taylors abandon me..."
"You’re all I have left."
She hesitated.
Then asked the only question that mattered.
"Will you still marry me?"