Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 184: Caught Off Guard, A Reunion

When Raina Reddington heard the news, she glanced at Miles Hawthorne, who was sitting across from her.

The man’s gaze was fixed on the computer screen. "Tell me, don’t you think Ethan Lancaster is a madman?"

"That’s an understatement."

Miles Hawthorne had clearly escaped back then, and Ethan Lancaster knew it. Yet, he’d pretended to bring his ashes back to her. Raina Reddington’s finger lightly traced circles on the rim of her cup. "I even buried your ashes on your family’s land."

Hearing this, Miles Hawthorne’s chest heaved a few times before he finally burst out laughing. "You’re so cheap. You could’ve at least found me a decent cemetery. What’s the deal with just burying me so carelessly?"

"I was just helping you return to your roots."

"Hemlock Village has decent cemeteries, you know..."

It was only because he had cheated death that the two of them could discuss it so casually. Otherwise, seeing this news would have surely sent Raina Reddington into another frantic panic.

’Who knew what was even in that urn. Even if Ethan Lancaster decided to scatter its contents to the wind now, it had nothing to do with her.’

"My family’s gone, and only the old house is left. He can have it for all I care." Miles Hawthorne closed his laptop. "Raina, just give me one more month. Then, we can go back out in the open."

"It’s fine. I can already."

’If she weren’t so busy looking for a new place to live, she wouldn’t have to avoid the Lancasters. She couldn’t hide forever. Besides, to her, Ethan Lancaster was no different from a stranger.’

Seth Sinclair had sent out so many men that they’d all but turned Stoneworth upside down, yet they still hadn’t found Raina Reddington.

Ethan Lancaster’s plan to make Raina Reddington come to him was proving to be an even bigger failure.

As long as she was still in Stoneworth, there was no way she hadn’t heard the news. Yet, she refused to show her face.

Meanwhile, for Zion Lancaster, it was one crisis after another. She had just recovered from her appendectomy, but lately, she had been suffering from unbearable abdominal pain again. She was rushed to the best and most prestigious private women and children’s hospital in Stoneworth.

She had an entourage with her throughout the examinations, but the results were far from optimistic.

Ethan Lancaster followed the medical staff out of the hospital room and pulled the door shut behind him. They were in a break room, separated from the patient’s room by a single door. Fortunately, the soundproofing was exceptionally good.

"Explain yourself. What do you mean?"

"The tumor inside the patient must be removed immediately, but it’s in a very difficult location. The risks are extremely high..."

Zion Lancaster had gone through hell giving birth to her first child. Now that she was remarried, even though her husband doted on her, Ethan Lancaster hadn’t dared to relax for a moment during her entire pregnancy, terrified that something would go wrong. But despite all that, trouble had found her anyway.

"Didn’t she have prenatal checkups? Weren’t all the results fine?"

"Please, try not to panic. Some conditions can manifest very suddenly, and pregnant women have weaker immune systems..."

Ethan Lancaster suppressed a mountain of rage and said in a low voice, "Are you telling me surgery isn’t an option? Or do we have to wait until after she gives birth?"

"Waiting until after she gives birth will definitely be too late."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do!"

The doctor wiped cold sweat from his brow. "The only option is removal, but the risk is immense. If an infection sets in, the baby... definitely won’t make it."

Ethan Lancaster was so angry he looked ready to kick the man. "She’s over eight months pregnant, and you’re telling me the baby won’t make it?"

"This is truly the first time we’ve encountered a case like this..."

The line of Ethan Lancaster’s jaw tightened. "Fine. We’ll transfer her. We’ll go abroad for treatment."

"Sir, please calm down. The patient’s condition absolutely doesn’t permit her to travel abroad. Besides, putting her through that kind of ordeal..."

Another doctor beside him cautiously suggested, "Perhaps we should have Dr. Ainsworth come take a look?"

"Right, Dr. Ainsworth is a new specialist our hospital just hired. We can have her join the consultation."

"Get her over here now!"

The doctor looked troubled. "She’s in a meeting."

In Ethan Lancaster’s eyes, Zion Lancaster’s safety was more important than anything. "Forget it. I refuse to believe there isn’t a single person in all of Stoneworth who can perform this surgery!"

They were chased out of the break room. One of the doctors quickly made a call, explaining the situation and insisting that the newly hired specialist had to come and take a look.

Ethan Lancaster was not a man to be crossed, and Zion Lancaster had been admitted through the VIP route. If anything happened to her here, the hospital wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences.

The man sat down on the sofa. He clasped his hands, bent forward, and rested his forehead against his knuckles. "If I tell my sister the truth... will she be able to handle it?"

Seth Sinclair struggled to find his words. "We’ll find a way."

After a moment, voices could be heard from outside. "Dr. Ainsworth, you’re finally here."

"The medical records are in there, but the patient’s family is extremely agitated right now. They won’t let any of us in."

A hand landed on the doorknob and turned it, only to find the door was locked from the inside.

Irritable and agitated, Ethan Lancaster grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at the door. A loud CRASH echoed as the cup shattered into a million pieces.

The hand lifted again and tapped twice on the door panel. "Open up."

The two words were spoken with a resounding force, carrying an authority that brooked no argument, making Ethan Lancaster’s tantrum seem both petty and childish.

Hearing those two words, goosebumps erupted all over the man’s skin. He snapped his head up, his flustered gaze meeting Seth Sinclair’s. Seth, too, looked incredulous as he glanced toward the door.

Ethan Lancaster didn’t dare to make a sound, terrified that the person outside would hear a noise and simply vanish.

Seth Sinclair took a step toward the door, but Ethan Lancaster shot to his feet as if jolted by electricity. As he lunged forward, his leg sent the coffee table flying.

He beat Seth Sinclair to the door, his hand closing over the knob.

The person outside knitted her delicate brows. "Open the door. An attitude like yours isn’t going to solve anything."

Ethan Lancaster couldn’t contain his agitation, his hand trembling. He could never mistake that voice.

He yanked the door open, his gaze falling almost greedily upon her face. Those familiar features, that familiar face—it was identical to the one etched into his memory.

Raina Reddington stared steadily at Ethan Lancaster. The encounter was completely unexpected, catching her off guard, but she had long since found her inner peace, so not a single ripple of emotion showed on her face.

"You’re the patient’s family member?"

Ethan Lancaster ignored her question. "Raina."

One of the doctors standing nearby stepped forward to explain. "This is the new specialist our hospital just hired—"

"You really are alive."

Raina Reddington gave him a look one might reserve for a complete idiot. "Can a dead person talk to you?"

"Raina, you..."

She cut him off impatiently. "You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not this ’Raina’ you speak of, nor do I know her. I have my own name."

"Impossible. You can’t fool me."

Raina turned to the doctor beside her and asked calmly, "The medical records?"

Ethan Lancaster’s gaze dropped to her ID badge. He reached out to rip it off, to see exactly what name was written there. His hand had just reached her chest when Raina slapped it away. The next moment, a sharp slap landed squarely across his face.