Chapter 469 The Things He Left Behind

Chapter 469: Chapter 469 The Things He Left Behind

"Rose!"

James’s expression changed instantly.

Charlotte dropped her bag and rushed forward.

"Oh, God."

James was already there.

He caught Rose before she could hit the floor and lifted her into his arms.

"What happened to her?"

Nathan hurried over and checked her pulse.

His expression immediately tightened.

"She’s completely exhausted."

He looked at the others.

"If she keeps pushing herself like this, she’s going to collapse from sheer exhaustion."

Charlotte’s face hardened.

"Of course she collapsed."

Her voice was sharp with frustration.

"She hasn’t properly rested since she got to Germany. She’s been sleeping maybe two hours a night, if that. Then she flew back to the States to find Ryan and came straight back. She hasn’t stopped for a second."

She looked at Rose lying unconscious in James’s arms.

"Her entire nervous system has been running on adrenaline. She just spent more than ten hours in a high-risk operation, watching the man she used to love fight for his life."

Charlotte shook her head.

"It’s a miracle she was still standing at all."

"Get her to a room," Grace said immediately. "Start fluids and monitor her."

The medical staff moved quickly.

Once again, everyone was pulled in two directions.

Ryan was fighting for his life in intensive care.

And Rose had finally collapsed from everything she’d forced herself to endure.

Charlotte watched the chaos for a moment and sighed.

"She’s made of steel."

She had seen it herself.

Rose had worked relentlessly throughout those days.

She had barely slept.

Barely eaten.

Yet every time someone spoke to her, she had remained calm, precise and rational.

Not once had she allowed herself to show how frightened she was.

Not once had she let exhaustion interfere with the work.

Charlotte had witnessed Rose’s stubbornness firsthand.

And now she understood just how much that strength had cost her.

Rose remained unconscious for a long time.

Her body simply couldn’t keep going.

And in that exhausted state, she dreamed.

The dreams came in fragments—some beautiful, some strange, some so vivid that she couldn’t tell where one ended and another began.

When she finally opened her eyes, it was already evening the following day.

For several seconds, she stared blankly at the ceiling.

Then she remembered.

Ryan.

Rose immediately rolled over and tried to get out of bed.

The movement was too fast.

The room spun.

Her vision went dark around the edges, and she instinctively grabbed the mattress.

"Easy!"

Charlotte hurried over and caught her arm.

Robert was right behind her.

Charlotte frowned.

"Take it easy. You can’t run forever without refueling. Even machines break down when you keep them running without maintenance."

Rose steadied herself.

"I’m fine."

"You passed out."

"I’m fine now."

Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"Sure."

Rose ignored her and looked at Robert.

Her voice was still hoarse.

"How is he?"

Robert’s expression became serious.

"The critical period isn’t over."

Rose’s eyes sharpened.

"There were a few complications after surgery, but the team caught them quickly and stabilized him."

She nodded.

She had expected as much.

With Ryan’s clotting disorder and the extent of the surgery, postoperative bleeding had always been the biggest concern.

As long as they could prevent a major intracranial hemorrhage, there was still a chance.

"But..."

Rose hesitated.

"If he wakes up, how much neurological damage could remain?"

Robert knew exactly what she meant.

"The answer isn’t clear yet."

He spoke carefully.

"It will depend on how his brain responds as the swelling comes down and how much function was affected by the tumor itself and the surgery."

Rose remained silent.

"What about his vision and speech?"

"There’s a possibility that some of those problems could persist."

Robert paused.

"But there’s also a possibility that they’ll improve."

Rose’s fingers tightened slightly around the blanket.

"Could he be paralyzed?"

Robert shook his head.

"That’s not what we’re expecting. Based on the location of the tumor and what we were able to preserve during surgery, we don’t expect complete paralysis."

He didn’t soften the rest.

"But there could still be neurological deficits we can’t predict yet. Vision, speech, coordination, memory, weakness—there are several possibilities."

"We won’t know until he wakes up."

Rose closed her eyes for a moment.

"Thank you."

Robert shook his head.

"You don’t need to thank me."

His gaze softened.

"Take care of yourself, too. And Rose... the operation would have been far more dangerous without your system."

She didn’t respond.

But she understood what he meant.

Rose had given Ryan a chance.

A narrow one.

But a chance nonetheless.

Robert left shortly afterward to review Ryan’s latest vital signs, neurological monitoring and postoperative imaging.

There could be no missed warning signs.

Not now.

Charlotte poured Rose a glass of water and handed it to her.

"He’s going to make it."

Rose looked at her.

Charlotte crossed her arms.

"Don’t look at me like that. I’m just killing time."

She sniffed.

"I figured I might as well keep you company."

Rose almost smiled.

She didn’t expose the concern hiding behind Charlotte’s usual attitude.

After drinking some water, she slowly pushed herself to her feet.

"I want to see him."

Charlotte understood immediately.

"Okay."

She pointed toward the staircase.

"He’s upstairs."

Rose nodded.

She made her way upstairs without disturbing Nathan and Grace, who were still working through Ryan’s case.

Several specialists were gathered outside the intensive care unit, monitoring Ryan’s condition closely.

When Rose arrived, one of them approached her.

"Ms. Bennett, do you want to go inside?"

Rose hesitated.

Then nodded.

"Yes."

She was about to change into the required sterile gown when her phone began ringing.

Rose glanced at the screen.

The number was from Germany.

She frowned.

She didn’t know anyone in Germany outside the medical team.

The phone kept ringing.

Eventually, Rose stepped away from the ICU doors and answered.

"Hello?"

A man’s voice came through.

"Hello. May I speak with Ms. Rose Bennett?"

"Speaking."

"And you are?"

"Good evening, Ms. Bennett. My name is Daniel Weiss. I’m calling from a Swiss private trust company."

Rose’s brow furrowed.

"We’re contacting you regarding a trust established by Mr. Ryan Knight approximately seven years ago."

Rose froze.

"A trust?"

"Yes."

The man’s tone remained professional.

"Mr. Knight established the trust through our firm and named you as the beneficiary."

Rose’s fingers tightened around her phone.

"Why are you contacting me now?"

"We’ve been unable to reach Mr. Knight."

There was a brief pause.

"Under the terms of the trust, if the settlor cannot be contacted for a specified period, we are required to notify the beneficiary and begin the verification process."

Rose’s heart suddenly began beating faster.

"What does the trust contain?"

"Mr. Knight has made annual contributions to the trust since it was established."

Daniel consulted the records.

"This is the eighth year."

Rose said nothing.

"According to the instructions attached to the trust, distributions are scheduled for March thirteenth of each year."

Rose’s breath caught.

March thirteenth.

Her birthday.

Daniel continued.

"Beginning this year, the beneficiary is scheduled to receive an annual distribution of approximately three hundred and thirteen million dollars, subject to the exact terms of the trust and applicable tax and regulatory requirements."

Rose’s mind went blank.

For several seconds, she couldn’t process what she had heard.

Three hundred and thirteen million dollars.

Every year.

"Mr. Knight instructed the trust company to make these distributions to you after his death."

Rose’s hand began to tremble.

Daniel’s voice softened slightly.

"We’re contacting you now because we have been unable to establish contact with Mr. Knight, but we have no independent confirmation that he has died."

Rose swallowed.

"So you’re notifying me in case..."

"In accordance with the trust terms, yes."

He continued professionally.

"Once the required verification is completed, the first distribution would be made according to the schedule established in the agreement."

Rose’s throat felt painfully dry.

"Can you send me the documents?"

"Of course."

"We’ll send the trust agreement and beneficiary documentation to your email."

Daniel paused.

"Would you like to confirm the email address we have on file?"

Rose gave it to him.

"Thank you, Ms. Bennett. Please review the documents at your convenience. If you have questions, our legal and fiduciary team can assist you."

"Okay."

She ended the call.

Her hand remained wrapped around the phone.

For a long time, she didn’t move.

Then she opened her email.

A message from the trust company was waiting.

It had been sent the previous day.

Rose opened the attached documents.

The trust had been established seven years earlier.

Before their marriage.

Ryan had funded it from his own assets and designated Rose as the sole beneficiary.

The contributions had been made every year without interruption.

Seven years.

Eight years.

Every year.

And the distribution date was always the same.

March 13.

Her birthday.

Rose scrolled further.

There were clauses concerning the beneficiary’s rights, distribution conditions, confidentiality requirements and procedures to be followed after the settlor’s death.

One clause stopped her completely.

The trust’s financial arrangements were to remain confidential, and the identity and personal information of the settlor were not to be disclosed beyond what was legally required.

Ryan had planned everything.

He had built the trust quietly.

Year after year.

Never telling her.

Never giving her a reason to suspect anything.

It wasn’t simply money.

He had been building something that would remain behind after he was gone.

A safety net.

A foundation.

Something that would allow her to live without ever having to depend on him again.

Rose stared at the screen for a long time.

If the surgery hadn’t become necessary so suddenly...

If Ryan hadn’t disappeared...

If the trust company hadn’t lost contact with him...

She might never have known.

She slowly lowered the phone.

Ryan had prepared for a future in which he wasn’t there.

And somehow, even then, he had still been thinking about her.

Rose sat completely still.

She didn’t cry.

She didn’t speak.

After a long while, she finally put her phone away.

Then she stood.

Her movements were slow but steady.

She changed into a sterile gown.

And walked into the intensive care unit to see him.