Chapter 461 The Years He Hid
Rose tightened her grip on the handle of her suitcase.
“He’s gone?”
“I told Robert yesterday that you actually managed to convince him,” Charlotte said anxiously. “I was going to call Ryan this morning and ask when he was leaving, but I couldn’t reach him. His secretary said he had no idea where he was.”
Charlotte’s voice rose in frustration.
“He obviously disappeared on purpose!”
Even Charlotte, who usually treated everything with an almost careless confidence, was nervous when it came to something involving life and death.
Rose’s expression changed.
She took a slow breath.
“Let’s find him first.”
None of this had been part of the plan.
Yesterday, Ryan had behaved exactly as he always did. He had even agreed to go to Germany for treatment.
Rose had believed him.
She hadn’t expected him to disappear the moment she turned her back.
She immediately contacted Kingswell Group.
But Owen gave her nothing.
He only repeated that he didn’t know where Ryan was.
No matter how many questions Rose asked, she couldn’t get any useful information from him.
A strange sense of unease settled over her.
Ryan had been so decisive about leaving.
If he was refusing to be found now...
Was his condition much worse than she had imagined?
Rose couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.
After meeting Charlotte, Rose said quietly, “I want to see Robert first. Can you take me to him?”
Only Robert could tell her what was actually happening.
Charlotte nodded.
“Of course.”
She tried to lighten the mood.
“I take a couple of months off every year anyway. I might as well spend them tracking down that idiot.”
Rose didn’t respond.
Her eyes lowered, her thoughts somewhere far away.
Her fingers tightened around the handle of her suitcase until her nails pressed into her skin.
If they couldn’t find Ryan yet, then there was something else she could do.
Prepare.
“Let’s go.”
They booked the earliest flight to Germany.
Robert was currently in Berlin.
*****
After they landed, Robert had a car waiting for them.
Even in first class, Charlotte had found the long flight exhausting.
The moment she stepped outside the airport, she kicked off her high heels and carried them in one hand.
“That man owes me,” she complained. “I’ve never gone to this much trouble for anyone.”
She was still furious about Ryan rejecting her so completely.
All because she’d been beautiful, kind, and—most importantly—willing to forgive him for being an idiot.
How dare he?
Rose barely heard her.
She sat quietly in the car, staring out the window.
Her mind was elsewhere.
When they arrived, Robert came out to meet them.
He was still energetic despite his age, his expression brightening when he saw Rose.
Then recognition flashed across his face.
“It’s you.”
He looked at Rose in surprise.
“You’re Ryan’s wife?”
Rose shook her head.
“No. We’re divorced.”
Robert stroked his beard.
“What a shame.”
Then he looked at Charlotte.
“You two became friends?”
Charlotte gave him a completely straight-faced look.
“What’s so strange about that? I’m allowed to do charity work.”
Robert burst into laughter.
Charlotte rolled her eyes.
But his amusement faded quickly.
He looked back at Rose.
“I looked into your background while you were on the flight.”
Rose’s expression remained serious.
Robert continued.
“Ms. Bennett, you’re an exceptional physician. But Ryan’s situation isn’t as straightforward as you may think.”
Rose’s heart sank.
“What exactly is wrong with him?”
She paused.
“Can I see his latest medical records?”
Robert’s expression tightened.
“Come with me.”
He led Rose and Charlotte into his study.
Robert pulled out several older files.
“To be honest, there aren’t any recent scans.”
Rose frowned.
“What?”
“He hasn’t had a full evaluation in almost a year.”
Charlotte stared at him.
“A year?”
Robert nodded.
“He’s been relying almost entirely on medication and conservative management.”
Rose’s fingers tightened.
If Ryan had a malignant tumour and had gone nearly a year without proper imaging or reassessment...
The implications were frightening.
Charlotte couldn’t believe it.
“Has he completely lost his mind? He hasn’t even contacted you in a year?”
Rose looked at Robert.
“When did he first get sick?”
Robert was silent for a moment.
“I’ve known Ryan for about eight years.”
He opened one of the files.
“He already had the tumour when we met.”
Rose’s pupils trembled.
“Eight years?”
Robert nodded.
“The tumour is malignant, but it grows relatively slowly. That’s one of the reasons he’s survived this long.”
Rose stared at the medical reports.
“Then why hasn’t he had surgery?”
Robert sighed.
“Because of where it is.”
He pointed to the imaging scans.
“It’s located deep inside a functionally critical region of the brain. Surgery isn’t simply a matter of removing the tumour and hoping for the best.”
His expression became grave.
“There’s a narrow margin for error. If the surgeon damages the surrounding tissue, Ryan could die during the procedure.”
Charlotte swallowed.
“And if he survives?”
“He could lose his ability to speak. His vision could be affected. He could lose motor function or suffer permanent paralysis.”
Rose’s face remained still.
But her fingers had gone cold.
Robert continued.
“There’s no surgical approach that guarantees a good outcome. For years, the risks were simply too high compared with the rate at which the tumour was progressing.”
“So you treated it conservatively,” Rose said quietly.
“Yes.”
Medication and regular monitoring had allowed Ryan to keep functioning.
But that didn’t mean the tumour had disappeared.
“It was always a temporary solution,” Robert said. “The tumour is malignant. Conservative treatment can slow things down, but it can’t eliminate the disease.”
Rose lowered her eyes.
“So eventually...”
Robert didn’t finish the sentence.
He didn’t need to.
Charlotte’s voice was barely audible.
“He’s going to die?”
Robert’s silence was answer enough.
Rose felt something inside her tighten.
All these years...
Ryan had been living with a disease that could kill him at any time.
Every choice had carried the same terrible calculation.
Surgery could kill him.
Refusing surgery could eventually kill him.
And there was no guarantee that either choice would give him a normal life afterward.
Robert looked at Rose.
“His condition has deteriorated recently.”
Rose slowly raised her eyes.
“He knows it, too.”
Robert’s voice was heavy.
“We’ve been trying to reassess the surgical options, but we still haven’t been able to establish a plan with an acceptable risk. Ryan understands exactly what he’s facing.”
Charlotte’s face fell.
“So he doesn’t want treatment.”
Robert nodded.
“He’s tired of fighting.”
Rose’s heart sank.
“He wants to let it end.”
Robert didn’t contradict her.
Now Rose understood.
Ryan had lied to her.
Again.
Yesterday, he’d agreed to let her help.
He’d known all along that his situation might be beyond what she could fix.
And yet he’d still agreed.
Only to disappear afterward.
He hadn’t wanted her to see the truth.
He hadn’t wanted her to follow him.
Charlotte looked troubled.
“But how did he even end up with something like this?”
She rubbed her arms, suddenly uncomfortable.
“Knowing you’re going to die and just having to wait for it... that’s horrible.”
Rose remained silent.
Then something occurred to her.
She looked at Robert.
“You’ve been treating him here for several years?”
“Yes.”
Rose’s gaze sharpened.
“What about the year he was in Paris?”
Robert paused.
He thought back.
“Paris?”
Rose gave him the approximate year and season.
Robert searched his memory.
Then his expression changed.
“Oh.”
He nodded slowly.
“That year, Ryan had another health problem. He was hospitalized in Paris for several months.”
Rose’s fingers curled.
“He stayed in the hospital the entire time?”
“For most of it.”
Rose’s voice became quieter.
“Was he there during the winter?”
Robert frowned.
He seemed to be searching through an old memory.
Then his eyes suddenly widened.
He slapped a hand against the desk.
“I remember.”
His expression turned irritated.
“That was the year he drove me crazy.”
Charlotte looked at him.
“What happened?”
𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Robert shook his head.
“Ryan was already in terrible shape. One night, he pulled out his IV and left the hospital.”
Rose’s breathing stopped.
Robert continued.
“The security team didn’t even realise he’d gone until later. He didn’t come back until the next day.”
“Where did he go?” Charlotte asked.
“I don’t know.”
Robert frowned.
“I asked him. He wouldn’t tell me. He refused to explain anything.”
Rose’s throat suddenly felt dry.
She swallowed.
It hurt.
Like she’d swallowed a handful of razor blades.
She knew.
She knew exactly where he’d gone.
That winter...
That was the day she’d flown to Paris.
The day she’d found out she was pregnant.
The day she’d gone there because she wanted to tell Ryan herself.