Chapter 434 The Father She Never Knew

Chapter 434: Chapter 434 The Father She Never Knew

Rose stepped into the hallway to answer the call.

A woman’s voice came through the phone.

“Is this a family member of Morgan Bennett? I’m calling from the hospital. Your mother is awake. You need to come as soon as you can.”

Rose froze.

For a second, she wondered if she’d heard incorrectly.

Her eyes widened.

Her throat tightened.

“She’s awake...?”

Her voice trembled.

Her hands began to shake.

Her mother had been bedridden for years.

Rose knew better than most how difficult it was for someone in Morgan’s condition to regain consciousness, let alone recover enough function to live normally again.

For years, Rose had prepared herself for the possibility that her mother might never wake up.

And now—

She was awake.

Rose snapped back to reality.

She didn’t have time to think about anything else.

She turned around, only to find Ariel standing behind her.

“Mommy?”

Ariel looked up at her.

“Why are your eyes red?”

Rose’s eyes were already filling with tears.

She laughed through them.

“Ariel, Mommy’s going to take you to see Grandma, okay?”

Ariel’s eyes immediately lit up.

“Did Grandma get better?”

Rose scooped her up.

“She’s better.”

Her voice shook with emotion.

“She has to be better.”

She hurried outside with Ariel in her arms and drove straight to the hospital.

When Morgan first became ill, the family had barely been able to afford her long-term care.

Logan had covered the basic medical bills at the time, partly because he cared about appearances, but the care had been limited to what was absolutely necessary.

Once Rose began making money herself, everything changed.

She transferred Morgan to a better hospital and made sure she had consistent access to the medications, equipment, and specialist care she needed.

Eventually, the hospital’s private-care program assigned Morgan a dedicated caregiver who was there around the clock.

She also received regular physical therapy and passive range-of-motion exercises to prevent severe muscle loss and joint stiffness from years of immobility.

Because of that continuous care, Morgan had avoided the worst effects of prolonged bed rest.

But none of the doctors could promise that she would ever regain consciousness.

Until today.

When Rose arrived with Ariel, she stood outside the room for a few seconds.

She took a deep breath.

Then she pushed open the door.

The first thing she saw wasn’t her mother.

It was Ryan.

He was already sitting beside Morgan’s hospital bed, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees as he watched her sleep.

His overcoat had been draped over the nearby sofa.

At the sound of the door opening, Ryan looked up.

His eyes rested on Rose for a moment.

Then they shifted to Ariel.

Perfect timing.

A nurse came into the room to check Morgan’s IV and change her dressing.

She recognized Rose immediately.

“Ms. Bennett, you’re here.”

Then she glanced toward Ryan.

“Your husband has been here for quite a while. Your mother was awake earlier, but she fell asleep again. She was very weak while she was awake, but don’t worry. The doctors are monitoring her closely.”

Rose didn’t bother correcting the nurse.

She barely even heard the words.

Her eyes were fixed on the hospital bed.

Morgan looked incredibly thin after so many years confined to bed.

But she was breathing steadily.

She was here.

She was awake.

Ryan had apparently been sitting beside her for who knew how long.

Rose didn’t have the energy to wonder why he’d come here.

She didn’t care what had happened before this moment.

All she could think about was one thing.

Her mother had opened her eyes.

Rose walked toward the bed.

One step.

Then another.

Finally, she reached out and took Morgan’s thin, fragile hand between both of hers.

The moment she felt that familiar warmth beneath her fingers, something inside her broke.

For years, she’d forced herself to be strong.

She’d handled everything alone.

She’d learned how to survive without depending on anyone.

But right now, none of that mattered.

She could finally be someone’s daughter again.

For a brief moment, she wasn’t the accomplished professor, the famous Aster, the Taylor family’s granddaughter, or the woman who had survived a disastrous marriage.

She was simply Rose.

Her mother’s daughter.

Ryan quietly watched her.

He knew she needed this moment.

He stood and looked toward Ariel, who was still lingering near the doorway.

He lowered himself slightly so he was closer to her height.

“Let Mom spend some time with Grandma.”

His voice was gentle.

“Would you like to sit outside with me for a little while?”

Ariel looked up at him.

Now that she knew who he really was, she seemed slightly more cautious.

She tightened her little backpack against her chest.

Then she nodded.

“Okay.”

Ryan glanced back at Rose.

She was leaning against the side of the bed now, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Then his eyes moved to Morgan.

Something dark flickered across his expression.

Without saying another word, he led Ariel out of the room.

The private-care floor was quiet.

The hallway was almost empty, designed to give patients as much peace as possible.

Ryan and Ariel sat together on a bench outside the room.

Ariel lowered her head and opened her backpack.

She pulled out a small advanced Rubik’s Cube and began solving it.

She didn’t speak.

She simply turned the pieces in her hands with quiet concentration.

For such a young child, she was remarkably composed.

Ryan watched her for a moment.

A faint smile touched his lips.

“Do I need to introduce myself properly?”

Ariel didn’t look up.

“No. I know who you are.”

Then she glanced at him.

“But Mommy said you and her broke up a long time ago. You’re not in love anymore, right?”

Ryan remained silent.

Ariel continued, “So does that mean I don’t have to call you Dad?”

Ryan looked at her.

“That’s up to you.”

Ariel considered that.

Then she nodded decisively.

“Then I’ll still call you Uncle.”

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Because you and Mommy aren’t married anymore.”

She looked at him seriously.

“You’re not my dad in the same way anymore.”

Ryan was quiet for a moment.

“Okay.”

Then he added calmly, “You should listen to your mom.”

Only then did Ariel put down the Rubik’s Cube.

She studied him carefully.

“Does your leg still hurt?”

Ryan knew exactly what she meant.

A few months earlier, he’d fallen from an upper-floor landing while saving her.

He stretched his leg slightly.

“Almost completely healed.”

Ariel visibly relaxed.

She had always believed that kindness should be repaid.

But now everything had become confusing.

The man she’d thought was simply Uncle Knight was actually her father.

And she didn’t know what she was supposed to do with that information.

Her eyes remained fixed on Ryan.

“Did you and Mommy really break up for good?”

Ryan didn’t answer immediately.

Ariel continued before he could.

“Why?”

She counted the possibilities on her fingers.

“Did you stop loving each other?”

A pause.

“Or did you fall in love with someone else?”

Then she suddenly remembered something.

“Oh. I mean Aunt Hill?”

The questions came one after another.

Ryan reached over, took the little backpack from her lap, and placed it beside him.

“No.”

Ariel frowned.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Ryan looked at her.

She was Rose’s daughter in every physical sense.

The same eyes.

The same features.

Even the little expressions she made were almost identical.

But her temperament—

That was unmistakably his.

A faint smile appeared on Ryan’s lips.

“I haven’t fallen in love with anyone else.”

“Ever?”

“Ever.”

Ariel studied him.

“Then do you still like Mommy?”

Ryan fell silent.

He crossed one leg over the other.

The faint smile at the corner of his mouth softened his normally distant expression.

“If I told you I still liked her very much,” he said quietly, “would you help me?”

Ariel immediately scooted farther away.

“No.”

Ryan blinked.

Ariel’s expression was completely serious.

“This is between you and Mommy.”

She crossed her arms.

“If I helped you, I’d be betraying Mommy.”

Her little chin lifted.

“What you need to do is respect Mommy’s decision.”

She looked him straight in the eyes.

“Don’t try to use me to make Mommy change her mind.”

Ryan’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

“You’re very independent.”

Ariel puffed out her cheeks.

“It’s a matter of principle.”

She refused to budge.

“Even if you saved my life, that doesn’t change it.”

Ryan couldn’t help himself.

He reached over and gently touched the little bun of hair on top of her head.

“All right.”

He smiled faintly.

“I won’t force you.”

Ariel hesitated.

She stared at him for several seconds before asking, “Then... do you want Mommy back?”

Ryan’s expression became still.

He lowered his eyes.

For a moment, he didn’t answer.

Then he said quietly, “It wouldn’t work between us.”

Ariel listened.

Ryan continued.

“Your mom has a lot on her plate right now.”

He glanced toward the closed hospital-room door.

“You. Your grandparents. The Taylor family. Everything that’s happened.”

“She deserves a peaceful life.”

His voice was calm.

“She needs stability more than anything.”

Ariel’s small hands tightened together.

Ryan looked at her.

“Take good care of your mom from now on.”

Ariel didn’t speak.

“She doesn’t want me in her life anymore,” Ryan said.

“So, I’ll do my best not to interfere.”

He paused.

“You can pretend I don’t exist.”

His gaze softened slightly.

“I’m your father, but you don’t have to choose me.”

He looked toward the hospital room.

“Just let your mom live the life she wants.”