Chapter 3
Rain tapped softly against the villa windows throughout the night.
Rose stood alone in the cloakroom, quietly folding the last of her clothes into a suitcase.
Even though they had been married for seven years, there was not much for her to pack. So it didn’t take long to finish.
After packing her bags, her eyes slowly moved around the large bedroom.
As she looked around, a mocking smile suddenly appeared on her face.
In this entire room, there was nothing that truly belonged to her.
The expensive furniture had been selected by the Knight family.
The paintings had been chosen according to Ryan’s preferences.
Even the perfume on the vanity had once been purchased because a magazine mentioned that Samantha liked that particular scent.
Everything in this house revolved around another woman.
Suddenly, Rose’s eyes fell on the diamond ring on her finger.
The diamond briefly caught the light.
Cold.
Beautiful.
Meaningless.
She remembered the day Ryan had given it to her.
There had been no proposal.
No affection.
During a family dinner, he had looked at her calmly and said, “Grandfather prepared this for you. Wear it during public events.”
At the time, she had still foolishly hoped.
Hoped that one day they might become like other couples.
However, seven years later, she finally understood.
A loveless marriage was like a tree growing in dead soil.
No matter how carefully you watered it, nothing would bloom.
Just then, her phone rang.
The screen vibrated suddenly.
Diana was calling.
The moment Rose answered, Diana’s furious voice exploded through the speaker.
“You finally came to your senses?! I’ve been waiting seven years for this divorce!”
Rose couldn’t help smiling faintly.
“You sound happier than I do.”
“Of course I’m happy,” Diana snorted. “That man treated you like decorative furniture. Honestly, even the family dog probably saw him more often than you did.”
Rose did not refute it.
Because it was true.
Ryan rarely came home.
Even when he did, they barely spoke.
Sometimes entire weeks passed with nothing exchanged except basic necessities.
She remembered once catching a severe stomach flu and collapsing alone in the bathroom overnight.
When Ryan returned the next morning, he had merely glanced at the medicine beside her bed and asked calmly:
“Did you call a doctor?”
Then he left again.
No concern.
No comfort.
As though caring for her would waste precious energy.
Diana’s voice softened slightly.
“Are you really okay?”
Rose zipped the suitcase shut.
“I’m better than I expected.”
At least now, she no longer had to keep hoping.
Hope was the most exhausting thing in the world.
After hanging up, Rose sat quietly beside the suitcase for a long while.
Then, without warning, memories resurfaced.
The only time Ryan had ever truly touched her willingly.
Six years ago.
Before leaving for France for an overseas acquisition project, he had attended a business banquet and returned drunk late at night.
That night, he had been unusually silent.
For once, the alcohol blurred the cold distance between them.
In the darkness, he had held her tightly enough to leave bruises.
And afterward—
Neither of them mentioned it again.
Until one month later, Rose discovered she was pregnant.
She had stared at the pregnancy report for an entire afternoon.
For the first time in years, something resembling hope slowly bloomed inside her chest.
Maybe...
Maybe a child could change things.
Maybe a family could soften Ryan’s heart.
So she flew overseas alone to find him.
At the time, Ryan was staying in a high-end hotel in Paris, surrounded daily by business elites and partners.
When he saw her appear unexpectedly in the lobby, his expression darkened immediately.
“Why are you here?”
There was no happiness or surprise in his voice.
Only displeasure.
Rose still remembered gripping the pregnancy report nervously.
“I have something important to tell you.”
But Ryan had merely glanced at the executives beside him and said coldly:
“Don’t mention our relationship outside.”
Rose froze.
Even now, recalling it still hurt faintly.
He had hidden her identity completely while overseas.
No one there knew he was married.
To outsiders, she had looked more like an embarrassing secret than his wife.
Later that night, when she finally gathered the courage to tell him about the pregnancy, Ryan’s first response had been silence.
Then:
“I told you before. I don’t want children.”
Rose had forced herself to remain calm.
“But this is different.”
Back then, she had looked at him carefully, almost pleading.
“Maybe a child could improve our relationship.”
Ryan’s eyes had remained cold.
“A child won’t change anything.”
That one sentence completely destroyed every illusion she still carried.
That night, Rose sat alone in the hotel room until dawn.
Then she quietly booked a return flight home.
She never mentioned the pregnancy again.
And she never asked Ryan another question about love.
Back in America, she secretly gave birth to Ariel in another province under the protection of the Robinson family.
The child took the Robinson surname for legal registration purposes, completely separating her from the Knight family.
Perfect secrecy.
Perfect distance.
At first, Diana had worried.
“What if Ryan finds out someday?”
Rose had looked quietly at her sleeping newborn daughter.
“Then he’ll find out.”
“But this child has nothing to do with him anymore.”
And now—
That tiny child had become the only truly precious thing Rose possessed after seven years of marriage.
The only proof that her life had not been entirely empty.
Rose continued packing her personal belongings without a moment’s pause.
After seven years as a wealthy socialite, all she had managed to pack was two suitcases.
She glanced down once more at the diamond ring on her ring finger.
She gently ran her finger over it. Though it had become smooth and warm from years of wear, it felt as if a knife were cutting into her skin.
She took a deep breath, then slipped it off without a second thought and placed it in the folder containing the divorce papers.
Taking advantage of the late-night quiet, she loaded the suitcases into the car.
It was too late.
When she returned, she fell asleep fully clothed.
The next day.
Rose was woken by the noise of moving and hauling downstairs.
She had slept for only three hours, and listening to the noise, it felt as if someone were prying open her skull with a power drill.
Gritting her teeth against the discomfort, she washed up and placed the manila folder containing the divorce agreement right in the center of her now-empty vanity.
She wanted to make sure that as soon as Ryan walked in, he would notice this long-awaited surprise.
Then she headed out.
Last night, Diana had already found an apartment for her.
Considering that Ariel would be living with her in the future, she had specifically chosen a three-bedroom unit.
She would take her luggage there shortly.
As she reached the staircase, she saw a boy of about twelve or thirteen standing in the living room, directing the workers.
Upon spotting her, he barked orders at Rose in a gruff, cracking voice: “Hurry up and pack your stuff and get out of here! My sister-in-law is moving in here soon—don’t dirty her place!”
The boy was rude and unreasonable.
He was Ryan's younger brother, Evan Knight.
Spoiled rotten and completely out of control, he bore no resemblance to Ryan.
He had never once called her 'sister-in-law' yet his tone now betrayed his defense of another woman.
Rose looked down at him from above, her tone icy: “Who?”
“Samantha, of course. She’s the exceptional woman who’s truly worthy of my brother. You’ve monopolized my brother and my family for all these years—besides being a nanny, what else can you do?” Evan stood with his hands on his hips, his still- boyish face brimming with disdain.
Rose glanced at the items that had been moved into the living room.
A new vanity, a new sofa, a new full-length mirror—all in a style that suited Samantha perfectly.
“Who gave you permission?” Rose asked, her face almost frozen in coldness.
Evan was startled by Samantha's icy demeanor and, in a fit of anger and humiliation, snapped, “My brother, of course! Who else could it be?”
“He doesn’t want you anymore! He thinks you’re disgusting—a woman who’s been used like a dirty rag! If you know what’s good for you, get out of here right now!”
Rose pressed her lips together.
It felt as if a blunt object had been driven hard into her chest, and her mind went blank for a few seconds.
She hadn’t expected Ryan to be so eager to have her make way for the woman he loved.
She’d only discovered yesterday the outrageous things he’d done with Samantha—who was carrying his child—and yet here he was, acting so brazenly today.
Was he planning to get the bridal chamber ready to welcome his new mistress?
