Free Web NovelChapter 59: Chapter 59 He Didn’t Even Know She Was Allergic
“True, you’re close with Diana.” Ryan didn’t seem particularly concerned about the matter; his tone remained casual.
Although Diana wasn’t exactly a favored daughter of the Robinson family, given that connection, it wasn’t surprising that Rose and Trevor had each other’s contact information.
Besides—
On a day like today, WhatsApp was flooded with mass-sent New Year’s greetings.
The message Rose received was most likely one of those as well.
“Yeah. Otherwise, how would I have met Trevor?” Seeing that Ryan didn’t seem to take it seriously, Rose’s lips twitched slightly.
She lowered her gaze and replied to Trevor: [Happy New Year.]
Ding-dong—
Trevor replied almost instantly. [I’m coming back to the country next month.]
Rose didn’t dwell on why Trevor had chosen to share his travel plans with her.
[Okay. See you then.]
She certainly couldn’t tell Ryan that Trevor was Ariel’s legal father—and, in a way, her savior.
If Trevor hadn’t added Ariel to his household registration back then, Rose truly wouldn’t have been able to care for Ariel on her own, nor could she have kept everything hidden.
But secrets couldn’t stay buried forever.
Once she and Ryan were officially divorced, he would eventually find out.
By then, it would be too late. He wouldn’t be able to take her daughter away.
“Hmm. I’m going to take a shower.”
As expected, Ryan showed no interest in the matter. Without paying attention to who Rose was chatting with, he turned and walked toward the bathroom with a detached expression.
Rose suddenly remembered what had happened early that morning, when Ryan had mistaken her for someone else and pulled her into his arms.
Was he planning to stay here again tonight?
“Are you sleeping here?” she blurted out.
Ryan unbuttoned his shirt and glanced at her indifferently before stepping into the bathroom.
“Then where do you think I should sleep? Give me some advice.”
At your mistress’s place.
The answer surfaced immediately in Rose’s mind.
But she gave no sign of it.
Ryan ignored her, closed the bathroom door, and turned on the shower.
Rose frowned briefly, but soon figured it out.
It wasn’t that Ryan wanted to stay.
Rather, Margaret and the rest of the Knight family were staying at the same hotel. Even if Ryan was eager to see Samantha, he had to keep a low profile for the time being.
If Margaret and Isabella found out, Samantha would likely be in for a great deal of trouble.
Rose had absolutely no interest in being used as a pawn.
She simply carried her laptop into her bedroom and locked the door.
Besides, there was a guest room next door.
The next day, she was scheduled to visit a pharmaceutical research cultivation site to inspect the plant-derived compounds they needed. Rose didn’t bother wondering what Ryan might think about her locking the door. She shut down her computer and fell asleep almost immediately.
She slept until three in the morning.
Still half-asleep, she stumbled out of bed to get a glass of water.
As she passed the guest room, she noticed the door was still open. Only the neon lights outside shone faintly through the window.
The bed showed clear signs of having been slept in.
But it was empty.
Ryan...
Going to such lengths as to get up in the middle of the night just to see Samantha?
Rose’s sleepy eyes gradually cleared.
A wry smile curved her lips.
She poured herself a glass of water and returned to her room.
This time, there was no need to lock the door out of misplaced hope.
After all, his heart had never been with her.
*****
The next day.
A group of more than thirty people set off for the pharmaceutical research farm.
They toured the rare compound cultivation fields and the processing facilities, holding brief meetings along the way.
After negotiating prices for several key botanical ingredients, the contracts were finalized that afternoon.
Rose found that the quality of the raw materials exceeded even her expectations.
She collected samples and then pulled Caleb back to their room to discuss optimizing the formula ratios.
She skipped the team dinner entirely.
They were in the middle of their discussion when someone knocked on the door.
A hotel attendant stood outside, pushing a cart with two slices of cake.
“Excuse me, but we didn’t order anything,” Rose said, puzzled.
The attendant smiled. “Ms. Bennett? Ms. Hill wanted mango cake, but all the bakeries were closed for the New Year. President Knight hired a pastry chef at a premium rate to make it here at the hotel and asked me to bring a slice to you and Mr. Byrne.”
Rose could barely maintain the polite smile on her face.
She had already skipped the group dinner to avoid them.
Were they still determined to remind her how much Ryan doted on Samantha?
Not to mention—
“No need. Take it back. Rose is allergic to mangoes.”
Caleb walked over from the living room, his expression grave.
The attendant froze. “I’m sorry. Mr. Knight and the others weren’t aware of that. I hope you won’t hold it against them.”
Rose laughed softly, though it was hard to tell whether it was self-mockery or sarcasm.
“It’s fine. It’s only natural he wouldn’t know.”
After the attendant left, Rose felt a sharp ache pulse at her temples.
Her mind had already been overloaded with drug-development work.
Now Ryan and Samantha had somehow found a way to add to her frustration.
“You’re allergic to mangoes. Doesn’t he know that?” Caleb poured her a glass of water and handed it over.
What was the point of sending a cake made specifically for the mistress to the lawful wife?
Was Rose’s dignity worth nothing?
To be humiliated like this?
Rose sat back down and flipped through the pharmacology report.
“His mind has never been on me. How could he possibly know?”
That was different from knowing which dishes she liked or disliked.
As long as they sat at the same table, Ryan’s sharp observation skills would naturally pick up on those things.
But knowing what foods she absolutely could not eat required genuine attention, understanding, and care.
And that kind of understanding could only be built on a foundation of love.
That was the fundamental difference between her and Samantha.
“But you’re his savior. How can Ryan treat you this coldly?” Caleb said angrily.
Savior...
Rose’s gaze wavered slightly.
That had happened more than ten years ago.
Given Ryan’s status, countless people would have risked everything to gain his favor.
Back then, he had been kidnapped and nearly failed to make it back to the Knight family alive.
When Rose found him, he was covered in wounds, barely conscious after escaping through the wilderness.
By the time she reached him, he had already collapsed by the roadside.
Fortunately, she had spent several years training under Nathan in advanced medical research and emergency care.
After stopping the bleeding and providing critical treatment, she quietly used a significant amount of Nathan’s restricted research-grade medications and administered them to Ryan.
Otherwise, she genuinely wouldn’t have been able to save him.
At the time, she hid him in the attic while he recovered
Unfortunately—
When Ryan finally left, he did so without a word.
Years later, after returning to the capital and meeting Rowan, she happened to encounter Ryan again.
But by then, he no longer recognized her.
Returning to the present, Rose smiled softly and stretched.
“Using the fact that I once saved him as leverage to make him love me would be unreasonable from the start. That’s not how feelings work.”
She lowered her eyes to the report.
“I’m a doctor. Saving lives is my responsibility. If I kept obsessing over whether he owed me something, I’d only exhaust myself.”
Caleb sighed. “You’re too open-minded. People mistake that for weakness and think they can take advantage of you.”
“That won’t happen anymore.”
Rose continued flipping through the data sheets.
In the past, she had tolerated many things because she loved Ryan.
From now on, she would put herself first.
Everything else...
To hell with it.
*****
The drive back from the pharmaceutical cultivation facility wasn’t long.
Rose had originally planned to return with the rest of the group.
But then Margaret called. “Rose, I planned to visit the temple tomorrow to pray and offer incense. Why don’t you come with me and pray for blessings?”
Rose thought about it.
The temple here was said to be exceptionally effective.
If she could pray for Ariel and her grandfather, it would be worth the trip.
She agreed immediately.
Then she told Caleb and the others to lead the team back first.
The next morning, Rose was ready bright and early.
After hearing nothing from Margaret for quite some time, she called to check in. “Rose, I had an urgent matter and had to leave ahead of schedule,” Margaret explained. “But I asked Ryan to stay behind and accompany you. The two of you can come back together.”
Margaret’s tone became warm and teasing. “Now that it’s just the two of you, enjoy a little time alone as husband and wife.”
