The Rose He Killed novel Chapter 317

Chapter 275: Margaret’s Call

Bella POV

I was sitting at my desk with a hot cup of coffee resting beside my laptop The screen was bright, displaying my calendar for the day, with my nine o’clock call still forty minutes away.

A sharp chime sounded from my phone. The screen lit up with an incoming sss notification from my solicitor. I reached over and tapped the screen to open it.

Ms. Black,

We received an urgent notification from Silverton Memorial Hospital regarding Richard Hart. You remain listed as his official primary contact and next of kin on his legacy file.

た

Mr. Hart suffered a severe stroke on Wednesday evening and was admitted to the intensive care unit. His condition is currently stable, but he has experienced significant physical and speech impairment.

Please advise if you wish to update your contact preferences or require further action.

Regards,

Legal Team

I stared at the screen while my coffee grew cold. I picked up my phone and dialed Caleb’s number. He answered on the second ring.

“Bella? Is everything okay?” Caleb asked, his voice instantly attentive.

“Richard had a stroke,” I said, my voice steady. “He is in the hospital.”

A long pause fell over the line. “Do you want me to come home?” Caleb asked gently.

Claim

“No,” I replied softly. “I just needed to tell you. I’m going to call Maya, and then I’m booking an appointment with Dr. Anand for tomorrow morning.”

“I’m here, Bella,” Caleb said. “Whatever you decide to do, I’m right behind you.”

“I know,” I said. “Thank you.”

The next morning, I sat in the armchair across from Dr. Anand in her quiet office.

“What would going to see him mean to you, Bella?” Dr. Anand asked, leaning forward slightly.

“It’s not about forgiveness,” I said immediately, looking directly at her. “I am not going to sit beside his bed and tell him it is all right, because it isn’t, and I won’t pretend for his sake.”

“And it’s not reconciliation either?” she asked.

“No,” I said, looking toward the window. “He is never going to be someone I can fix a relationship with. That is completely impossible.”

“What is it, then?” Dr. Anand asked quietly.

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Chapter 225 Margaret’s Call

Hook a slow breath, thinking of my life.

Claim

“Closure,” I said finally. “On my terms, not his. I want to walk into that hospital room as the woman I am today, look at him, and walk out as the exact same person.”

Dr. Anand smiled softly and nodded. “Then you already know what you need to do.”

On Friday afternoon, I walked through the double doors of Silverton Memorial Hospital. The long corridors were quiet and smelled of clean disinfectant. A nurse pointed toward Room 412 without asking for my

name.

I stopped outside the door, took a breath, and stepped inside.

Richard Hart lay in the center of the room. His face was thin, his hair messy against the white pillow, and his right side was completely frozen. The sharp, calculating man who had once ruled boardrooms and sold me off was gone. What remained was just a tired, frail old man.

I pulled a wooden chair closer to the bed, sat down with my back straight, and kept my hands in my lap.

Richard turned his head slowly. His eyes found mine, clouded and heavy. He tried to speak, but only a raspy breath came out.

“Bella…” Richard rasped, his voice tiny, fragile, and stripped of its former authority.

“I am here, Richard,” I said, keeping my tone smooth and even, refusing to let any tremor show.

He swallowed hard, his eyes blinking slowly as if trying to clear his foggy mind. “Why… why are you… here?”

“Because I needed to see you one last time,” I replied, leaning back in the chair. “Not to hear an apology. Not to bargain. Just to see the man who spent years trying to break me.”

A shadow of his old frustration flickered across his face, but his weak body couldn’t back it up. “I… I built… everything,” he managed to whisper, a dry breath rattling in his throat.

“And you lost it,” I said quietly, looking directly into his eyes without anger or cruelty. “You tried to take my son. You tried to destroy my life. But I built my own world without a single penny of your money or a single shred of your blessing.”

Richard closed his eyes for a long moment. A single tear slipped down his hollow cheek. “You… hate me.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head softly. “Hate takes energy, Richard. I don’t hate you anymore. I just see you for what you are-a lonely man in a quiet room.”

He didn’t answer. He simply lay there, listening to the steady beep of his heart monitor.

I sat with him in silence for the rest of the twenty minutes. I didn’t hold his hand, nor did I offer comfortable lies. When the time was up, I stood up from the chair and smoothed down my coat.

“Bella…” Richard rasped out once more, his hand giving a small, pathetic twitch on the blanket.

I looked down at him at the foot of the bed, gave a single, firm nod, and walked out the door without

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<Chapter 275 Morgaret’s Call

looking back.

Clam

Later that evening, the house was completely dark and quiet. Caleb was upstairs putting Tom to bed, and I stood in the kitchen pouring myself a cold glass of water.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed against the marble counter. The screen illuminated, showing an unlisted number I recognized instantly.

I tapped the green button and brought the phone to my ear.

“Hello?” I said.

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