Chapter 7

That laugh—neither loud nor soft—felt like a thorn stabbing deep into Rose’s heart.

Samantha had witnessed the humiliating scene of Isabella slapping her.

And she had openly laughed at it.

She had even seen Ryan’s cold indifference—his complete failure to defend her.

Even though Rose had long since given up on Ryan, having the woman who ruined her marriage witness such a humiliating scene still made her feel utterly ashamed.

Ryan shot Isabella a cold glance before telling Samantha they would talk later and ending the video call.

His emotionless gaze swept over Rose’s reddened cheek before settling on Isabella.

His voice was calm and cold.

“Auntie, what exactly is the meaning of this?”

Ryan didn’t immediately ask whether Rose was hurt.

Nor did Rose expect to see even the slightest concern on his face.

Over the past seven years, she had long since grown used to his indifference toward her.

She had already accepted it.

Yet when Isabella met Ryan’s gaze, she still shuddered instinctively.

After all, Rose was still Ryan’s wife.

By slapping Rose, she had effectively slapped Ryan in the face as well.

Even if Ryan didn’t care about Rose personally, his reputation mattered far more to him than she did.

Thinking of this, Isabella immediately pointed accusingly at Rose.

“Isn’t this all Rose’s fault? The fact that you accompanied Samantha to the hospital has already been exposed! And the hospital involved just so happens to be where Rose works. If it wasn’t her, then who else could it be? The post is full of malicious rumors and inflammatory accusations! It says Samantha is carrying your child! It even implies that the two of you—”

Isabella couldn’t bring herself to continue.

All she could do was glare furiously at Rose.

After all, Samantha was still officially engaged to her son.

They hadn’t even formally discussed calling off the engagement yet.

Wasn’t this a public humiliation for their family?

How was she supposed to hold her head high in their social circle after this? How much ridicule would they have to endure?

That was why she despised Rose for being so useless.

After seven years of marriage, she still couldn’t secure even the smallest place in her husband’s heart.

Unable to keep her husband faithful, she had destroyed her own marriage instead.

Rose herself was somewhat surprised.

She had only threatened to publicly apologize to Samantha; she hadn’t actually done anything yet.

The timing of the leak was almost suspiciously perfect.

It practically looked as though she had orchestrated it herself.

Taking out her phone, Rose searched the keywords online.

There really was a post about it.

And the wording had clearly been carefully crafted.

The writer had somehow managed to romanticize Ryan’s affair with his future sister-in-law, painting it as some tragic love story between soulmates.

Unable to help herself, Rose glanced sideways at Ryan.

Only then did she realize he had already been watching her for who knew how long.

The next second, he suddenly asked in a detached tone, as though he were merely an uninvolved bystander.

“Do you really hate her that much?”

Ryan hadn’t directly accused her of anything.

Yet Rose could clearly hear the implication beneath his words.

Had he already decided she was so consumed by jealousy that she would stop at nothing to ruin Samantha?

Faced with such an unfounded accusation, Rose remained expressionless.

“If it had really been me, I wouldn’t have used such polite wording to describe your relationship.”

Why would she soften the truth or romanticize their affair?

Isabella scoffed immediately.

“Of course you wouldn’t dare rant openly! You’re terrified Ryan might throw you out!”

Everyone in the Knight family knew Rose couldn’t survive without Ryan.

Rose despised Isabella’s twisted logic.

Yet, heartbreakingly, she realized she couldn’t even deny it.

Because in the past, she really had devoted herself entirely to Ryan, abandoning all dignity in the process.

Ryan cast her a brief sidelong glance.

Without caring whether she wished to defend herself further, his gaze shifted toward her reddened cheek.

Then he turned to Martha, the housekeeper, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.

“Bring an ice pack for Madam.”

Martha snapped out of her daze and hurried off immediately.

Ryan’s words abruptly interrupted Rose’s spiraling thoughts.

Yet inside, she felt absolutely nothing toward his so-called concern.

To her, this wasn’t kindness.

Nor was it genuine care.

It was simply a byproduct of Ryan’s upbringing—a habitual display of courtesy completely devoid of feeling.

The cruelest thing a person could do was mistake politeness for affection.

Ryan turned back toward Isabella and calmly stated his decision.

“Allowing this matter to continue will benefit no one. For the sake of the Knight family’s reputation, Samantha and Ethan’s engagement will be canceled. Publicly, we will announce that the two were never formally engaged.”

Isabella froze.

She had never expected Ryan to take such a stance.

She had originally come to confront him.

But now…

There seemed to be no other solution.

Holding the ice pack against her cheek, Rose stared at Ryan’s refined and noble features with faint self-mockery in her eyes.

So this had been Ryan’s intention all along.

To use this opportunity to completely sever Samantha’s engagement with the second branch of the family, allowing him and Samantha to be together openly and legitimately in the future.

Ryan truly couldn’t wait to give Samantha an official status.

“Martha, see the guest out.”

Ryan had never been asking for Isabella’s opinion in the first place.

After speaking, he cast Rose a cryptic glance before turning and heading upstairs again.

Isabella was furious, but she didn’t dare challenge Ryan directly. He was the heir personally chosen by the family patriarch and the man destined to seize absolute power within the Knight family.

As she left, all she could do was glare viciously at Rose.

“Housewives are useless. All they know how to do is fuss around kitchens and households. So what if you’re pretty? If you had even half of Samantha’s capability or cunning, would you have ended up like this? Rose, you deserve it!”

Rose didn’t even have the energy to argue anymore.

For the first time, she truly felt that all her sacrifices and hopes over the years had been nothing more than a delusion.

Rose went into the bathroom.

Her skin was naturally fair, and even though she had avoided most of Isabella’s slap, her cheek was still visibly red and swollen.

She rinsed the area Isabella had touched under cool running water.

Then she stood quietly for a moment, forcing herself to calm down.

Now that the incident at the hospital had become public knowledge, she had no intention of taking the blame for it.

After asking Martha, she learned Ryan had returned to the bedroom upstairs.

This time, Rose remembered to knock.

After all, this place would no longer be her home much longer.

She still had enough self-awareness to behave like a guest.

The bedroom door wasn’t fully closed, and at first, no sound came from inside.

Rose waited quietly.

Finally, voices drifted out from the room.

“Did Isabella go looking for Rose?” Selena’s voice sounded through the phone.

Ryan emerged from the bathroom, walked to the cabinet, and bent down to search for something.

“Mm.”

“Was it you or Samantha who leaked the news about the two of you visiting the gynecology department together? Are you deliberately making Rose take the blame and bear the anger of Isabella family?”

That question made Rose’s heart skip violently.

She had never even considered such a possibility.

Had she unknowingly become the shield protecting their twisted romance?

But Ryan never answered the question.

Whether he was tacitly admitting it or simply too indifferent to respond remained unclear.

Selena chuckled softly. “This won’t become a major issue. We can suppress it before it spreads too far. Rose is completely devoted to you. She would never do anything to distract you.”

“I know.”

This time, Ryan replied.

His tone remained casual and detached, making it impossible to tell which part of Selena’s words he was agreeing with.

Standing silently outside the door, Rose slowly clenched her fingers.

She lifted her head, panic flashing briefly through her eyes before she forced herself to calm down again.

This time, she no longer bothered following Ryan’s absurd rule about knocking before entering.

Without hesitation, she pushed the door open.

Hearing the sound, Ryan glanced sideways at her but said nothing.

The phone call had already ended.

Rose didn’t even spare him another look.

Nor did she bother explaining the situation.

She refused to become the kind of fool who got sold out and still helped count the money afterward.

Walking straight to the safe, she entered the combination and retrieved the medical textbook she treasured most.

Ryan’s gaze lingered on her slender figure for two brief seconds.

He wasn’t entirely oblivious to her emotional state.

But he still made no effort to ask about it.

Turning away, he strode across the balcony with long, effortless steps.

Yet as he passed Rose’s vanity table, his eyes suddenly landed on the folder resting there.

His footsteps stopped abruptly.