Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Chapter 32: Chapter 32 The Missing Marriage Certificate

Rose looked at Ryan’s expression, which was so calm it bordered on ruthless.

Even with his coat draped over her shoulders, she couldn’t help but feel a chill seeping into her very bones.

“You want me to be Samantha’s shield? To put on a lovey-dovey act with you?”

If she went back, Samantha would be spared the trouble Margaret was giving her.

Ryan didn’t deny it.

“Isn’t this the family harmony you’ve always wanted? Does the reason behind that harmony really matter?”

“I’m not a stepping stone or a tool in your relationship with Samantha. I won’t go back.”

Rose forced herself to keep her voice steady.

She pulled off his coat and shoved it back into his hands.

Then she turned and walked into the hotel.

He couldn’t possibly expect her to sacrifice herself just to satisfy his desire to protect Samantha.

Ryan turned slightly, watching Rose’s retreating figure.

Rose had become much more headstrong than she used to be.

But this kind of defiance was a first.

Still, he didn’t take it too seriously.

Rose would come back.

*****

Early the next morning, Rose returned to the city.

She immediately mailed the heirloom pendant she had brought back from Silver Pine Resort to Washington, D.C.

The thought of fleecing Ryan out of a staggering hundred million dollars filled her with satisfaction.

As for the Knight family dinner, she had no intention of attending.

Margaret already knew she was divorcing Ryan, so there was no need to keep up the charade. As for Ryan’s concern that Samantha might be given a hard time, that was his problem. He could figure out a solution himself.

At first, Rose’s lower back only ached from the bump.

But as time passed, the pain began to spread.

She had no choice but to stay home and rest for a day.

She also applied a cold compress and treated the injury herself to reduce the swelling and bruising.

The following day, Rose returned to Peace Hospital.

Grand Sage’s R&D center had been extremely busy lately.

Peace Hospital was eager to advance its partnership with G.S. and jointly develop a specialized medication.

Rose considered it a good opportunity. After all, Peace Hospital was one of the most advanced private hospitals in the country, surpassed only by a handful of top public institutions.

If the research succeeded, Peace Hospital’s reputation would serve as the strongest possible endorsement for the medication.

That afternoon, after collecting the necessary data, Rose prepared to return to G.S.

As she passed several young nurses she was friendly with, she noticed they all wore strange expressions and seemed to be deliberately keeping their distance.

Rose frowned in confusion.

She was about to ask what was going on when Caleb hurried over.

Grabbing her arm, he lowered his voice.

“Something happened. You’ve been doxxed.”

Rose blinked.

“Me?”

Caleb quickly summarized what was spreading online.

“You went to Silver Pine Resort and had a confrontation with Samantha. Someone with ulterior motives took a misleading photo and posted it online, claiming you intentionally hurt Samantha. They’re even saying that you...” A cold glint flashed across his eyes. “They’re calling you a homewrecker. They claim you’re trying to seduce her boyfriend and take Samantha’s place.”

Not a single detail about Ryan’s identity had been revealed.

After all, nobody dared leak Ryan’s personal information.

Caleb was so angry he could barely maintain his composure.

The world had truly turned upside down.

“Where’s the post?” Rose asked, frowning.

Caleb shook his head.

“It was deleted within half an hour.”

Probably because the person responsible was afraid Rose would sue for defamation.

But thirty minutes was more than enough time for the story to spread.

Samantha was a moderately famous celebrity doctor with more than a million followers on social media. Countless people had already learned about the incident.

The timing had been perfect.

The rumor that Rose was the other woman had spread like wildfire, and because the post disappeared so quickly, there was little evidence left for Rose to use against them.

Rose pulled out her phone and searched for it herself.

The post was gone.

Instead, she discovered that her personal profile had been exposed.

Friend requests flooded her Instagram account.

Her pending messages were packed with vicious, disgusting insults.

[You shameless slut! Aren’t you afraid you’ll shorten your lifespan by being a homewrecker?]

[So desperate for a man that you have to chase someone else’s boyfriend? We won’t let Samantha be bullied by someone like you!]

[Get lost! Your entire family deserves a miserable ending, and any children you have in the future won’t fare any better!]

Rose could have tolerated the insults directed at her.

But when she saw strangers dragging Ariel into it, anger surged through her veins.

Her hand trembled around the phone.

How had these people gotten her number?

Unless someone had deliberately leaked it, there was no way they could have found it.

Rose clenched her fists.

“I’m going to splash some water on my face.”

She needed to calm down before dealing with this.

Caleb looked at her with concern.

“Okay.”

Rose went into the restroom and splashed cold water across her face.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw a pale face and eyes filled with icy determination.

She had always believed there was no need to antagonize Ryan or the Knight family while the divorce was still pending.

There was no point in making a scene.

But now, she had reached her limit.

Grabbing a tissue, she headed for the door.

Just as she approached it, voices drifted in from outside.

“You really can’t judge a book by its cover. She seemed so nice, but I never expected her to be so disgusting.”

Another voice sounded even more indignant.

“Exactly. I’ve seen the woman in the photo before. She came to our hospital with her husband and child. I even told Rose how happy their family looked. I never imagined she’d immediately set her sights on the husband. It’s disgusting.”

“Seriously? Is stealing other people’s men just a habit of hers?”

“That poor woman really has it rough. But her husband obviously isn’t interested in Rose. Otherwise, why would Rose have tried to push the wife aside? She probably couldn’t replace her, so she went crazy with jealousy.”

Rose paused.

Then she walked straight out anyway.

The nurses standing outside looked visibly awkward when they saw her.

But perhaps believing they had done nothing wrong, none of them apologized.

Instead, they quickly dispersed.

Rose let out a slow breath.

Then she left the hospital with Caleb.

“How are you planning to deal with this?” Caleb asked, concern evident in his voice as he looked at her pale profile.

Rose tilted her head back and looked at the snow drifting from the sky.

“She doesn’t have a marriage certificate. It’s not as though I don’t.”

Caleb’s expression changed.

“You mean...”

Rose climbed into the car. “Proving the truth takes time and energy, but a bottom line is a bottom line. She’s getting too full of herself. I’m not Ryan. I won’t indulge her.”

She decided to return to the Knight family estate.

Since Samantha was being so provocative, Rose didn’t mind tearing off her mask.

The marriage certificate was kept at the Knight family home.

If she produced it and exposed Samantha’s connection to the Knight family, the person caught in the scandal wouldn’t be Rose at all.

Snow continued to fall.

The roads were slick and dangerous.

Along the way, Rose even passed several cars that had skidded off the road.

Fortunately, she arrived safely at the Knight family estate.

She headed straight for the courtyard she shared with Ryan.

She clearly remembered storing the marriage certificate inside a cabinet.

But—

Rose searched the entire room from top to bottom and still couldn’t find it.

A flicker of surprise crossed her face.

Just as she was wondering where it could have gone, footsteps sounded outside the door.