Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid

Around two in the morning, the emergency department at Manhattan General was unusually quiet.

Only the hum of fluorescent lights and the occasional beep from the monitoring equipment echoed through the corridors.

After finishing her rounds, Rose Bennett had just sat down in her chair in the staff lounge when the phone in her pocket beeped.

She took it out and, upon seeing the name on the screen, a smile appeared on her exhausted face.

It was a voice message from her daughter, Ariel.

She opened WhatsApp and clicked on the voice note.

"Mama..." a sweet little voice came from the phone, and Rose's expression softened instantly.

"Mama, is my daddy dead?"

Hearing that question, Rose froze, her fingers tightening unconsciously around her phone.

On the other end, Ariel continued in her sweet yet confused voice, "All the other kids have daddies, and they come to pick them up from kindergarten. But mine never visits me. Grandma says he is very busy... but how can someone be busy for five whole years? Doesn't that mean he's dead?"

Hearing her daughter's words, Rose lowered her head, her throat tightening painfully.

Ariel's father was not dead.

But he was no better than dead.

Ariel was already five years old, old enough to have her own little thoughts and notice the empty space where her father should have been.

Rose leaned back against her chair, her eyes drifting toward the window. New York glowed cold and silver beneath the city lights.

Slowly, her thoughts drifted to the past.

Seven years ago, she had married a man named Ryan Knight.

However, theirs had never been a marriage built on love. It was nothing more than an arrangement meant to protect the Knight family's reputation.

So when Rose discovered she was pregnant, instead of getting an abortion, she went alone to another province to give birth.

What's more, Ryan's grandfather, Mr. Knight, had never considered her a suitable match for the family. He had forced her to sign a seven-year agreement. According to its terms, once the seven years were over, she and Ryan would divorce peacefully.

No entanglements.

No attachments.

So she had decided long ago that the child would belong only to her.

But now...

Children were far more sensitive than adults imagined.

For the first time in years, she hesitated.

Should she tell Ryan about Ariel?

If she told him that he could skip the exhausting years of diapers and midnight fevers and effortlessly become the father of a five-year-old daughter... would he be happy?

Rose let out a cold laugh at herself.

She replayed the voice message several times before finally exiting Ariel's chat window and opening the one she shared with Ryan.

Their chat history was pitifully sparse.

Mostly:

[Grandmother wants us home for dinner.]

[Mm.]

Or:

[I am on night shift tonight.]

[Understood.]

Nothing more.

They were nothing more than two strangers forced to share a marriage certificate.

Finally taking a deep breath, she typed:

[Do you like children...?]

She stared at the message for a minute before deleting it.

Then she typed again:

[What if I told you we had a daughter...?]

Once again, she deleted it.

She repeated the process more than ten times, but in the end, the typing box remained empty.

Looking at the blank screen, Rose rubbed her temples.

"Forget it. There are only three months left before our agreement ends. There's no need to complicate things."

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and it was suddenly pushed open by the nurse on duty.

"Dr. Bennett!" the nurse said anxiously. "We have an emergency patient. It's suspected that vigorous intercourse during early pregnancy may have caused

a ruptured corpus luteum!"

Rose immediately turned off her screen.

She quickly stood up and followed the young nurse out, frowning deeply. "This is ridiculous! You're not supposed to have sex in the first trimester! And these people..."

"What's her current vitals?"

"Blood pressure is unstable. Approximately eight weeks pregnant."

Rose pushed open the curtain while pulling on her gloves.

"Prepare the ultrasound and notify-"

Her words stopped abruptly as her eyes fell on the woman lying on the hospital bed.

The woman looked pale and fragile, clutching her abdomen tightly.

"Samantha?" Rose called out in surprise.

Samantha glanced at her, then deliberately looked away without responding.

The woman lying on the hospital bed was none other than Samantha Hill, the fiancée of Ryan's cousin.

However, that cousin had been in federal prison for the past five months.

So...

Rose's gaze flickered briefly toward Samantha's flat abdomen.

Even if she was pregnant, it couldn't have been more than a month or two.

But if that was the case...

The math didn't add up.

Even though she was curious, Rose asked no questions.

Doctors in Manhattan hospitals quickly learned that the secrets of wealthy families were above their pay grade.

Without saying another word, Rose adopted a professional tone.

"Lie down. Let me examine you first."

Her voice was cold and detached.

Samantha looked up.

The moment their eyes met, something strange flickered across Samantha's face.

Then she suddenly pulled her hand away.

"I want another doctor."

The nurse frowned. "Miss Hill, your condition-"

"I said I want a transfer," Samantha interrupted coldly.

She had always disliked Rose's aloof and haughty demeanor.

Rose's expression remained calm. "Miss Hill, before transfer procedures, we need to conduct a basic examination to ensure your safety."

As Rose reached forward, Samantha abruptly slapped her hand away.

The force was sharp enough to sting.

Rose lowered her eyes. The back of her hand was already turning red.

At the same time, Samantha turned toward the doorway, her eyes reddening instantly.

"Ryan..."

Hearing that name, Rose's back stiffened.

That single word pierced straight through her nerves like a needle.

Slowly, she turned around.

A tall man stood beneath the cold white lights outside the curtain.

His stride was steady and decisive, his black overcoat draped over one arm. Tall and slender, he carried an air of nobility that was impossible to ignore.

As he walked forward, his gaze briefly met Rose's.

But only for a fleeting moment.

Soon, he moved past her and headed directly toward Samantha's bedside.

"How is she?" Ryan asked softly, his voice low and cold, filled with concern.

Rose stared at the tall, handsome man before her, shock filling her eyes.

She had never expected that the man accompanying Samantha to the hospital in the middle of the night would be her husband-the man she had secretly been married to for seven years.

Samantha bit her lower lip as tears gathered in her eyes. "Ryan, you know the reason why I am here. I'm little scared..."

That single sentence made it instantly clear to the staff around them.

Wasn't this just confirming that the male protagonist of the "passionate lovemaking" was the man standing right in front of her?

Ryan offered no denial or explanation to the others.

Seeing this scene, Rose felt a sharp pain stab through her chest.

She watched helplessly as her husband treated. his sister-in-law with such concern and indulgence.

Even though Ryan was usually unemotional, a woman's nature is sensitive-how could she fail to sense the subtleties of this situation?

Especially since the reason Samantha had been rushed to the emergency room was so shameful-and her husband was actually privy to the details!

It wasn't until that moment that a chill ran through her entire body.

She had always believed that Ryan's coldness toward her was simply his nature, not that he was incapable of love.

Now she understood: he simply had someone else in his heart.

Yet the current situation and her own position were so absurd it made her want to laugh.

Anyone with eyes could see who the so-called "passionate lovemaking" was with tonight.

Seeing that she remained motionless for a long time, Ryan's gaze finally settled on her.

It was like a poisonous sting, bringing Rose back to her senses for a moment.

Her gloved hand-which had been poised to examine him-trembled imperceptibly.

It was as if the sting from Samantha's slap had taken effect belatedly, causing a momentary lack of oxygen to her brain.

Samantha noticed Ryan's indifferent, stranger-like attitude toward Rose, and a subtle smile flashed across her face.

"Ryan," she said softly, "I want to transfer hospitals. I don't like the doctors here."

"Alright."

Ryan agreed without hesitation, as though he would grant any request Samantha made.

The intimacy between them was obvious-something outsiders could never intrude upon.

And from Rose's perspective, as the wife who had once deeply loved the man standing before her, how could she possibly fail to notice it?

The pain was so sharp it felt as though her heart were being torn apart piece by piece.

Ryan handled all the arrangements personally and meticulously.

Throughout the entire process, he never once spoke to Rose.

Not even a greeting.

Let alone any trace of guilt or shame.

Even after they left the ward, Rose still couldn't recover from the shock.

Meanwhile, the colleagues who had witnessed everything immediately launched into a flurry of gossip.

"My goodness! Young people these days really know how to have fun."

The younger nurse looked envious. "But that guy is seriously gorgeous. He even looks like he'd be amazing in bed."

Rose kept her head lowered as she quietly removed her gloves, her expression unreadable.

"Is that so?" she replied absentmindedly.

The nurse failed to notice the underlying meaning behind her words. Then something suddenly occurred to her.

"By the way, Rose," she whispered, leaning closer, "haven't you been married for years? Why have I never heard you mention having kids?"

Rose tossed the gloves into the trash can.

"My husband has erectile dysfunction," she said calmly. "He's still undergoing treatment."

Hearing Rose's remark, the nurse fell silent, feeling a little embarrassed.

She hadn't expected Rose to expose her husband's "secret" so matter-of-factly.

Yet she also believed it.

After all, Rose had been married for seven years without children. With Rose's beauty and figure, if they still couldn't have a child, then there had to be something wrong with her husband.

As a result, the nurse looked at Rose with sympathy.

Seeing the young nurse's eyes full of sympathy toward her, Rose merely smiled and walked away.

The cold white corridor lights stretched her shadow thin and long across the floor.

Erectile dysfunction?

She had only said those words casually to shut them up.

Yet the ridiculous thing was...

Most people actually believed it.

However, no one knew that Ryan was perfectly healthy.

The reason they didn't have a child was because he simply never wanted children with her.

Rose stepped into the stairwell and finally let out a quiet laugh.

Her thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to seven years ago.

On their wedding night, the Knight family mansion had been brightly lit. Every guest had smiled and congratulated them as though it were truly a joyous marriage.

However, only the two people involved understood the truth.

This marriage was nothing more than a transaction.

After entering the bedroom, Ryan had loosened his tie and looked at her calmly beneath the warm lights.

"There's something I need to make clear first."

His tone had been polite.

Rose looked at him, only to meet his cold and indifferent eyes.

"I don't want children," he had said.

At the time, Rose had only paused briefly before nodding.

"Understood."

She had assumed he simply disliked family responsibilities.

Or perhaps he valued freedom.

After all, neither of them loved each other.

A child born into such a marriage would indeed be unfortunate.

So she had understood him.

Even cooperated with him.

Until tonight-

When she saw the tenderness in his eyes while holding Samantha.

Only then did Rose suddenly realize the truth.

It wasn't that he disliked children.

He simply didn't want to have children with her.

Because once a child existed, Samantha would forever become the shameful outsider in their relationship.

And how could he allow the woman he loved to become a shameful existence?

So Ryan had chosen the cleanest method from the very beginning.

With no children involved, there would be no complications when they divorced in the future.

Ryan really had planned everything well.

However, surprisingly, she didn't feel heartbroken anymore.

Just... completely disillusioned.

Just then, footsteps approached from behind.

Rose turned around and immediately met Ryan's cold, unfathomable gaze.

Did he hear what she had told the nurse about his condition?

Even better if he did.

So what if he heard?

She no longer cared what he thought anymore.

However, Ryan quickly withdrew his gaze and walked toward the nurses' station, retrieving several medical documents left behind during the transfer procedures.

One nurse hurriedly handed them over nervously.

"President Knight, these are the forms-"

"Mm."

His expression remained indifferent.

Rose wasn't surprised.

Ryan had always been like that.

He had never hidden his impatience toward her. To him, even speaking with her was a waste of time and energy.

Even with a husband, she had no one to lean on.

Nor did she have any emotional support.

For seven years, she had once hoped-however faintly-that someday this man might treat her differently.

Now she finally understood.

You could never wake someone pretending to be asleep.

And you could never make someone love you.

Ryan signed the last page before finally looking toward her.

"What are you still doing here?"

The question sounded colder than if he were speaking to a subordinate.

Rose answered calmly, "Working."

He frowned slightly, seemingly displeased by her tone.

But before he could speak, his phone rang.

The moment he saw the caller ID, the frost in his eyes visibly softened.

"Didn't I tell you not to move around?" he said quietly into the phone.

"Wait for me. I'll be there soon."

Rose lowered her gaze.

There it was again.

That tenderness reserved exclusively for Samantha.

After hanging up, Ryan left immediately.

From beginning to end, he never once asked how she was feeling.

Nor did he explain anything.

As though she were completely irrelevant.

Rose watched his figure disappear before finally turning away.

Looking at his retreating figure, she sighed inwardly.

Three months.

Just three more months.

Then everything would end.

*****

Late that night, Rose returned to the villa.

The enormous living room was dark and empty.

It had never resembled a home anyway.

She walked upstairs and opened the safe in the study.

Inside lay two documents.

The prenuptial agreement.

And the divorce agreement prepared seven years ago by Mr. Knight himself.

Back then, the old man had worried that the two young people might become entangled in future disputes, so he had arranged everything in advance.

After seven years of marriage, the agreement would automatically take effect.

A clean separation.

No complications.

Ryan had signed it back then without even reading the contents carefully.

To him, the marriage itself had never mattered.

So naturally, neither had the agreement.

Rose flipped through the papers silently.

Three months remained until the official expiration date.

Then she carried the documents downstairs.

At nearly midnight, the villa doors finally opened again.

Ryan entered while loosening his cuffs.

The faint scent of disinfectant mixed with a trace of women's perfume lingered on him.

Rose sat quietly on the sofa.

"Let's divorce."

Ryan's movements paused slightly.

Then he looked at her calmly, unsurprised.

"You're making trouble because of tonight?"

Rose found it almost amusing.

Even now, he still believed she was acting out of jealousy.

She placed the agreement on the table.

"There are three months left. That should be enough time for asset division and public arrangements."

Ryan glanced casually at the papers without picking them up.

His voice remained indifferent.

"You can do whatever you want privately. But publicly, maintain proper appearances."

He looked at her meaningfully.

"Especially regarding Samantha."

Ah.

So that was his true concern.

Not their marriage.

Not the divorce.

Only Samantha's reputation.

Rose suddenly felt absurdly tired.

She nodded lightly.

"After the divorce, your affairs won't concern me anymore."

Ryan seemed satisfied with that answer.

"Good."

Then he added coldly, "Draft the final agreement yourself. Send it to my lawyer afterward."

There was no hesitation in his voice, nor any attempt to stop her.

As though ending a seven-year marriage was no more important than concluding a business meeting.

Rose stared at him quietly for several seconds before smiling faintly.

"Alright."

Ryan apparently interpreted her calmness as another attempt to gain his attention.

His expression remained completely unconcerned.

Without another word, he turned and walked upstairs.

Soon, the sound of the shower echoed from the bedroom.

Rose sat alone in the silent living room for a long time.

Then she finally stood up and began packing her belongings.

There was not much.

Most of the things in this villa had been prepared by servants under the Knight family's instructions.

Very little truly belonged to her.

Halfway through packing, her phone suddenly lit up.

A video call request.

The moment Rose answered, a tiny, soft face immediately filled the screen.

"Mama!"

Ariel's face appeared on the phone screen. The little girl looked at her sweetly while hugging her stuffed rabbit excitedly.

"I'm coming to New York soon! Grandma said I can finally live with you!"

The child's eyes sparkled brightly.

Rose's heart softened instantly.

All the coldness from tonight seemed to melt away.

"Really?" she asked gently.

Ariel nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! Then I can see Mama every day!"

Rose's eyes grew slightly warm.

At that moment, she suddenly felt grateful.

Grateful that she had insisted on keeping the child back then.

Otherwise, in this empty marriage, she truly would have been left with nothing.

After ending the video call, another message quickly arrived.

From Diana.

[If Ryan ever finds out he has a five-year-old daughter, he'll probably go insane.]

Rose stared at the message briefly before replying calmly.

[He doesn't care enough to deserve being a father.]

Diana immediately sent back a string of exclamation marks.

The entire upper-class circle had long rumored that Ryan was infertile.

After all, after seven years of marriage, Rose had never become pregnant.

Only Rose herself knew the truth.

The man was perfectly capable.

He simply refused to give her a child.

And now-

She no longer wanted to give him the chance.

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?