Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid novel Chapter 431

Chapter 431: Chapter 431 The End Of Their Debts

His tone was flat.

Rose, however, caught the unmistakable sarcasm beneath his words.

She tried to pull her hand free.

Ryan instinctively tightened his grip, his warm palm closing around hers. But only for a few seconds. Then, just as suddenly, he released her.

“Victoria and Alicia will be sent away by the Taylor family. Now that you’ve become part of the Taylor family, there’s at least a chance to repair some of the damage between you and them. Ariel staying with you and the Taylors is the best possible outcome.”

The warmth of his hand lingered against the back of hers.

Rose slowly curled her fingers into a fist.

“Aren’t you going to tell me what’s really going on with you?”

She wasn’t asking about what he’d done to Alicia.

She wasn’t asking why he’d refused to remarry.

She wanted to know when he’d made this decision—and what exactly he intended to do about Ariel.

For so long, Rose had been waiting for Ryan to make a move.

She’d been prepared for him to fight her for their daughter.

Instead, he’d quietly stepped back.

He had handled everything behind the scenes. He’d shut down the Knight family’s hopes of taking Ariel back and left the Robinson family with no real room to interfere.

And the strangest part was that Ryan didn’t seem to care what surname Ariel carried.

“You don’t want Ariel going back to the Knight family, and neither do I,” he said. “We both know what kind of family the Knights are. They’re not exactly known for putting a child’s feelings first, and I don’t think that’s the kind of environment Ariel should grow up in.”

Ryan looked directly at her.

“Ariel is my daughter. That doesn’t change because of a last name. Knight, Taylor, whatever she chooses to call herself someday—it doesn’t change the fact that she’s my daughter.”

His voice softened slightly.

“She’s proof that I existed in your life. Proof that we had a child together.”

Rose frowned.

“Ryan, you really are incredibly sure of yourself.”

Almost arrogant.

As though none of the rest of it mattered.

Ryan didn’t deny it.

“If you’re asking how I found out Ariel was biologically mine...” He slipped one hand into his pocket. “At this point, does the process really matter?”

Rose stared at him.

He continued calmly, “You have the result.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“You already knew when you jumped off that building to save Ariel?”

Ryan met her gaze.

He said nothing.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

Then Ryan was the first to look away.

“I knew.”

Rose wasn’t surprised.

If anything, it only confirmed what she’d already suspected.

How could Ryan have risked his life to save Ariel if he’d still believed she was Rose and Trevor’s daughter?

“Right.” Rose let out a quiet breath. “That was a pointless question.”

What unsettled her was the timing.

He had known for so long.

And yet, all this time, he’d shown no interest in taking Ariel away from her.

That realization sent a brief chill through Rose.

If Ryan had ever truly wanted custody—even with the parental-rights waiver she’d made him sign—his money, influence, and connections would have given him countless ways to challenge her.

She looked at him steadily.

“What about you?”

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

“The Knight family is going to find out eventually. Aren’t you going against them?”

Edward Knight was not a man who tolerated defiance. Going directly against him could have serious consequences.

Ryan’s mouth curved faintly.

“What? Are you worried about me?”

Rose nearly rolled her eyes.

That’s not what I meant.

But she didn’t bother arguing.

She pressed her lips together before saying quietly, “I’ve come this far with you. We’ve caused one hell of a scandal together.”

Her gaze was calm.

“But Ryan, as of today, we’re even. Whatever we owed each other before ends here.”

No matter how much pain he’d caused her.

No matter how much she had once loved him.

After today, it was time for both of them to move on.

Ryan had genuinely helped her secure the one thing she cared about most—Ariel.

Rose had never been the kind of person who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong. She wasn’t going to pretend his help meant nothing simply because of everything that had happened between them.

They were even.

She looked straight at him.

“From now on, you don’t owe me anything, and I don’t owe you anything. No more love. No more hate. If we run into each other somewhere, we’ll say hello like normal people.”

She paused.

“If you want to see Ariel, ask her. I’ll respect whatever relationship she wants with you. I won’t interfere.”

Her voice remained steady.

“But outside of that, let’s live our own lives.”

After everything they’d been through, Rose finally understood something.

Life was too long to spend carrying the same person in your heart—whether through love or resentment.

She had spent far too many years doing exactly that.

It was time to live for herself.

Now that Ariel was officially part of the Taylor family, Rose no longer had to live in constant fear that someone would take her daughter away.

For the first time in a long while, she felt herself breathe easier.

Sooner or later, Ariel would learn that Ryan was her biological father.

When that day came, Rose wouldn’t make the decision for her simply because she was young.

That was the one concession she was willing to make.

The rest would be Ariel’s choice.

Ryan watched her quietly.

Rose used to smile often.

Whenever she did, the cool distance that usually surrounded her disappeared completely. The small dimples at the corners of her mouth made her look almost carefree.

That was who Rose really was.

Soft when she wanted to be, sharp when she needed to be, and strong enough to hold on when she loved someone—and strong enough to let go when it was time.

And now she was telling him, without bitterness or anger, that she had finally let him go.

She was moving forward.

Ryan stared at her for a long time.

It struck the floor at his feet and shattered. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

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