The Substitute Bride Is Reborn and Loves Her Husband No more - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Her son has been kidnapped!

Rose came back to her senses and struggled out of Rolan’s grip. To her surprise, he let go of her wrist more easily than she had expected. She took a deep breath, sighing in relief.

Why was Rolan here anyway?

“I called you, Rose, but you didn’t answer,” Rolan said, rubbing his forehead and looking at her with accusation in his eyes.

He felt so down—so frustrated. Why didn’t she pick up when he called her? He was really upset.

…

~Flashback~

Rolan sat in his office, handling the last business matters of the day. He dropped his pen and stared into the void, unsure of what to do next.

His cold gaze darkened, his mood slowly turning sour.

He hadn’t seen Rose for a long time, and his mind kept drifting back to her.

The door clicked open, and Alfred walked in.

Alfred wasn’t just his assistant—he was the only person Rolan trusted with everything.

Rolan lifted his head to look at him.

“Don’t tell me you’ve brought more work to pile on my desk,” Rolan hissed, glancing at Alfred’s hands for any documents.

If he saw even one, he might just rip it apart. He was already exhausted.

“No, Alpha. I have no more work for you,” Alfred replied, shaking his head. “I actually came to tell you that you’re done for the day. You should get some rest.”

Rolan remained silent. Those were the words he had been waiting to hear.

Without hesitation, he stood up from his chair, walking past Alfred.

“I’ll leave the rest to you, then. I’m going home,” he said.

Alfred raised a brow, watching him suspiciously.

Why leave so suddenly?

Rolan could rest in the office if he wanted to, yet he was rushing off as if he had somewhere important to be.

Outside the company, Rolan started his car, staring at the road ahead before setting his destination.

His car drove smoothly, and in less than 30 minutes, he arrived at Rose’s house.

He stepped out, adjusting his suit and checking his reflection in the car window before making his way to the door.

Ding, ding, ding.

He pressed the doorbell several times.

No answer.

Is she not home? he thought, pulling out his phone.

He had planned to surprise her, to see her expression when she opened the door. But instead, he was the one caught off guard—she wasn’t here.

His expression darkened, thoughts swirling in his mind.

Carefully, he dialed her number.

This was the new number he had obtained through his own means—specifically, when she was asleep, he had taken it from her phone.

The call rang once.

Just as he was about to tease her with a single phrase—

Click.

The call ended.

Rolan stared at his phone, gripping it tightly.

“Rose, you ended my call… Did you not recognize my voice?”

His brows furrowed as he chuckled bitterly.

Getting into his car, he no longer wanted to rest or sleep.

He had planned to hold her, maybe rest in her lap while she ran her fingers through his hair.

But she wasn’t here.

And now—he was going to find her.

~flashback ends ~

“Why should I tell you where I am? And why should I even pick up your calls, Rolan?” Rose folded her arms and asked bitterly.

He had no right to demand such a thing from her. Even if she had a good explanation, she wouldn’t give it to him.

If she had answered his call, she could have found herself in a dangerous situation. No, she didn’t want that. She needed to stay safe—to take care of her son.

“What do you mean I have no right to ask you such a question? I have every right,” Rolan said, his voice cold and firm, confidence radiating from him.

He hadn’t even brought up the fact that he had seen her with another man.

That scene kept replaying in his mind, and it stung.

Was she really seeing someone else? He wasn’t sure. His investigations hadn’t uncovered any other man in her life. But that stranger who suddenly appeared—who was he?

“You’re not my man, Rolan,” Rose shot back with a cold sneer.

His arrogance seemed to grow every day. How many hints did she have to give him? She didn’t want him in her life.

Yet somehow, he kept coming back.

She was exhausted—burnt out from this whirlwind of emotions.

“If I’m not your man, then who is?” Rolan suddenly grabbed her wrist. “Is it the guy who just left, huh, Rose?”

She tried to yank her hand away, but his grip was firm.

“Think before you speak, Rolan,” she hissed. “I’m not giving you answers to that question.”

“Stop playing with me, Rose,” Rolan said, keeping his composure. “Tell me—who was that man to you?”

He wanted to hear her answer while he was still thinking clearly.

Her response would determine his mood—the outcome of how he would react.

“And what if I told you, Mr. Rolan, that he’s my new man?” Rose finally yelled, sick and tired of his interrogation.

“Would you stop harassing me? I have nothing to do with you anymore!”

“You’re lying to me,” Rolan said, his gaze locked onto hers. “I can see it in your eyes.”

Before Rose could react, she found herself pulled into his embrace.

She bit her tongue at the wrong moment, startled by his sudden movement.

His words, his actions—she hadn’t predicted this.

He should have been angry. He should have yelled, grabbed her shoulders, or given her some harsh response.

But instead, he said this—this cliché “I understand you” nonsense that belonged in old family dramas.

“You’re wrong,” Rose muttered, breaking free from his hold. “You don’t understand me.”

Rolan was becoming someone… different.

Someone she no longer understood.

“Let’s get in the car and talk,” Rolan said suddenly, grabbing her wrist.

“No, I won’t—”

Before she could protest, he pulled her inside, cutting her words short.

Rose hissed, folding her arms and glaring at him inside the car.

“I don’t have time for this,” she spat.

Ring. Ring.

Her phone vibrated in her hand.

She glanced at Rolan one last time before answering.

“Yes? Who is this?” she asked, her tone shifting to polite as she spoke.

A voice came through the line.

“Hello, woman. Your son has been kidnapped.”

Rose’s hands trembled, but she refused to let her phone slip from her grasp.