Trick Him Into Divorce, Then Flee With His Unknow Kid novel Chapter 387

Chapter 387: Chapter 387 The Price of a Secret

Rose could only let out a quiet sigh.

“I’m the one who dragged your family into this mess in the first place. I don’t have the right to be angry.”

She wasn’t being unreasonable. Ryan’s decision to pressure Trevor into backing out of the bid—and the embarrassment it had caused Trevor—had all started because of her.

“Rose, you have every right to be angry.”

Trevor was quiet for a long moment before he finally spoke.

“Shouldn’t you be asking me why I broke my promise? Why I’m still bidding? Why I chose the company over you?”

Rose pulled the collar of her jacket tighter against the cold.

“I’m not that kind of person.”

There was another pause.

“But you don’t blame me.”

Rose froze slightly.

“You don’t blame me because you don’t care whether my feelings for you are real. You don’t need them.”

His voice was calm, almost matter-of-fact.

Rose frowned.

They had been clear about this from the beginning.

Their relationship existed because of Ariel. Nothing more.

She had told Trevor from the start that she might never be able to return his feelings, no matter how much he cared about her.

And yet, there was something beneath Trevor’s words now.

Something that sounded dangerously close to hurt.

Rose didn’t know what to say.

“I know you didn’t do this because you wanted to hurt me,” she said finally. “So I’m not blaming you.”

“What if I had known this would happen?”

Trevor’s voice was quieter this time.

“Would you still not blame me?”

Rose hesitated.

She couldn’t answer.

When she’d first seen the news the night before, she’d never felt betrayed by Trevor.

If anything, she’d understood.

The Robinson family was a massive corporation with dozens of executives, board members, and relatives whose interests were tied to the company. From their perspective, protecting the family’s business had to come before one woman’s feelings.

How could Trevor’s voice possibly outweigh all of theirs?

How important could she really be?

Important enough to make him turn his back on his family’s fortune?

Rose had always been realistic about her own worth.

“Forget it.”

Trevor seemed to realize he’d pushed her into a corner.

His tone softened.

“We’re getting married. Whether we’re doing it for business or for Ariel, everyone else is going to see us as a couple. We should probably have a place of our own.”

Rose opened her mouth.

“If you have some free time, come house hunting with me.”

He paused.

“We don’t have to actually live there. We can make it look convincing. And if nothing else, it’s an investment.”

Rose was already preparing to refuse.

“A house can be an investment whether we call it our wedding home or not,” Trevor added before she could speak. “Think of yourself as my real estate adviser.”

There was a faint note of authority in his voice.

Rose considered it.

Finally, she nodded even though he couldn’t see her.

“Okay.”

They ended the call.

Rose remained sitting on the edge of the flower bed, staring blankly ahead as her thoughts tangled together.

Ever since the previous night, one question had kept circling through her mind.

If the conflict between Trevor and the rest of the Robinson family was really as serious as it appeared—if his decisions could be overturned by the family and the two sides were already at odds—then what would happen if she actually married into the Robinson family?

Would getting Ariel away from them be easier?

Would it be easier than dealing with the Knights?

And what about Julia’s competing bid?

Was Trevor genuinely unaware of it?

Or had he known all along and quietly allowed it to happen?

Rose couldn’t stop thinking about it.

These were the things a grown woman had to consider before tying herself to another family.

She remained outside until the cold finally seeped through her clothes.

Winter was coming.

Another year was almost over.

And Ryan...

She still hadn’t heard from him.

According to Alicia, Ryan knew that she and Trevor had left early to spend time alone together.

Apparently, he hadn’t objected.

The thought left Rose surprisingly unaffected.

If Ryan cared less, if he reacted less, then perhaps things would be easier when it came time to fight for custody of Ariel.

There was no reason to worry about something that hadn’t happened yet.

*****

For the next two days, Rose and Ryan seemed to disappear into separate worlds.

They crossed paths with hundreds of people, but never with each other.

Then Rose received a phone call from Margaret.

Rose had changed her phone number, which meant most of her old contacts were gone. She didn’t recognize the number, so she answered without thinking.

The moment she heard Margaret’s voice, however, a knot formed in her stomach.

“How are things going at NYU?” Margaret asked warmly. “Are you settling in?”

Her voice sounded exactly as it always had—gentle, affectionate, almost grandmotherly.

As though nothing had ever happened between them.

That alone made Rose suspicious.

She knew better than to believe Margaret suddenly cared about her.

“Everything’s going well. Thanks for asking.”

“Rose, Grandma isn’t calling just to make small talk.”

Margaret’s voice remained pleasant.

“I heard Mr. Robinson really withdrew from the bidding.”

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