Chapter 401 - 389: Venting with Fury

Lorelei tightly covered her mouth, preventing herself from sobbing, fearing the two people in the hospital room would notice.

She knew this time she had lost, utterly and completely lost.

But at the same time, she lost willingly, wholeheartedly.

Yet what Lorelei never expected was Rosalind’s refusal that came unexpectedly.

"Soren, if this were before the holiday, I might have considered it. But now, regardless of what you say, I can’t be with you."

"Because this time, I got injured on your behalf, lost ten fingers, and I don’t want this kind of gratitude-filled relationship. What I want is a pure and unblemished love. Soren, I’m sorry."

Those few words made Lorelei burst into tears outside the door.

She couldn’t help but rush into the hospital room, throwing her arms around Rosalind.

"Rosalind, you fool! How can you be so foolish? You’re the biggest fool, the most foolish of all. Rosalind, as long as you want, I’ll step back. Everything you’re enduring now is because of Soren and me."

"It’s all because of us. Rosalind, don’t hold onto this notion of gratitude-filled love; Soren truly loves you. I’ve never seen him look at a woman the way he looks at you, not even me."

Lorelei spoke tearfully, and Rosalind was moved, choking on her words.

But in the end, Rosalind chose to leave.

It seemed the matter would conclude here, and things would come to an end.

Yet it seemed everything was predestined in some inexplicable way.

The gears of fate, once set in motion, couldn’t be stopped by anyone.

Two months passed after that incident.

Soren Johnson found himself in trouble again.

This time, domestic rivals planned to frame him by drugging him, leading him to assault the daughter of a notorious trade leader.

Rosalind Warner happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That night, a frenzied Soren pinned Rosalind to the bed, venting his distress.

By the next morning, the bed was already empty.

Soren had no idea who he had slept with; he only vaguely remembered a face reminiscent of Rosalind’s.

Even so, he couldn’t confirm if it was indeed Rosalind.

As he dressed, Lorelei hurried over.

If it weren’t for Lorelei’s father uncovering the plot, Lorelei and Soren would have remained oblivious.

Neither knew that the previous night’s events were a set-up.

Lorelei asked Soren what had happened the previous night.

Soren himself couldn’t recall, only hazily remembering a face seeming like Rosalind’s, but he couldn’t be sure.

So he didn’t tell Lorelei.

Meanwhile, Rosalind, troubled by what had happened, called Lorelei to meet that morning.

The phone number she hadn’t dialed for a long time suddenly rang.

Seeing the number, Lorelei felt a hidden unease.

And indeed, her intuition proved correct.

Upon meeting, Rosalind told her everything.

"Rosalind, I’m sorry, you should know me; I’d never do anything to betray you. But last night, I couldn’t help it, I thought about calling you."

"But when I arrived, my phone was smashed to the ground by Soren, breaking it. He was drugged and out of control."

"I couldn’t escape, and at that point, he wasn’t aware of what he was doing. From the moment I realized their plan to entering the room, I had no time to call you, believe me. Rosalind, you must believe me."

"Besides, I left before Soren awoke, so he shouldn’t know it was me last night. I felt guilty, so I had to tell you."

"Of course, I’m not threatening you or asking for money; I’m just troubled by my conscience, so I’m informing you, also asking you not to tell Soren."

"Two months ago in the hospital room, I promised you we’d end things, completely severing any ties, and I meant it."

Rosalind’s eyes were incredibly sincere, and Lorelei trusted her.

If Rosalind wanted to intervene in her marriage as a third party, she had countless opportunities, yet she hadn’t done so until now.

Lorelei tightly held Rosalind’s hand, "Rosalind, maybe everything between the three of us was fated, and both our names contain ’lei,’ isn’t that quite a coincidence?"

"No wonder we fell in love with the same man and resemble one another. Rosalind, if things didn’t happen by mistake, we could have been the best sisters in the world."

"Rosalind, I’ll call Soren now, telling him it was you last night. Please don’t go; stay this time, alright?"

Lorelei genuinely believed in Rosalind and held no malice against her.

She truly hoped Rosalind would stay, aware of the perilous night they had.

One might say Rosalind sacrificed herself again, saving their marriage.

To be more precise, she saved the Johnson Family and the Reed Family.

After the Johnson and Reed Families united by marriage, they flourished and perished together.

This time, their opponent went all out, willing to sacrifice substantially just to harm Soren.

So Lorelei sincerely thanked Rosalind and invited her to stay.

But Rosalind immediately stopped her from calling Soren.

"Rosalind, if you really do this, who would I become? I met you today to be honest, not expecting things to turn out like this. Wouldn’t it mean I’m threatening you?"

"If you choose this path, let’s cut ties entirely—I’ll delete your number, block it, and never reconnect."

Rosalind had said this much, leaving Lorelei helpless, unsure what else to say.

In the end, Lorelei just watched Rosalind leave.

But things got even more dramatic, surfacing again a month later.

Lorelei and Rosalind thought the matter was behind them, leading to calmness.

Yet fate played a cruel trick, resulting in Rosalind unexpectedly pregnant.

More troubling, the severe injuries Rosalind suffered abroad had already left her physically compromised.

Doctors clearly advised her that terminating this pregnancy could mean she’d never bear a child again, never become a mom.

Rosalind cradled the budding life in her belly, sleeplessly pondering all night long.

At dawn, hearing a neighbor’s baby cry, her heart melted.

She picked up her phone and called Lorelei again.

"Rosalind, I’m sorry, I never imagined just one night would lead to pregnancy; I didn’t take any precautions."