Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 186: Threat

The pain in Ethan Lancaster’s chest felt like it was being brutally torn apart. "So you hate me. You’ve always hated me." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Sir, there’s something wrong with your comprehension. Please let go."

He studied her face, already certain she was Raina Reddington. He cupped her face in both hands, the pads of his thumbs caressing her cheeks.

’Nothing had changed. Her looks, her voice, even the feel of her skin—it was all the same.’

Ethan Lancaster was lost in the moment and completely unprepared for Raina Reddington’s next move. She opened her mouth and sank her teeth into his hand, biting down so hard it felt like she would snap his finger. Seeing the situation turn ugly, Seth Sinclair quickly jumped out of the car.

Ethan Lancaster doubled over in pain, but he didn’t make a sound. Raina Reddington released her bite and aimed a vicious kick at him.

Seth Sinclair yanked Ethan Lancaster aside, barely dodging the blow. However, Raina Reddington’s high heel connected with Seth Sinclair’s leg instead. The dull thud made it clear she had put all her strength into the kick.

"Fourth Master." Seth Sinclair glanced at Ethan Lancaster’s hand. "Are you alright?"

As Raina Reddington pulled open the car door to get in, Ethan Lancaster rushed forward, blocking her with his arm and pinning her against the frame. He ran his fingers through her hair and plucked out several strands. "I’m going to have a DNA test done right now."

"Suit yourself." There wasn’t a hint of panic in Raina Reddington’s eyes; she was frighteningly calm. The calmer she acted, the more afraid Ethan Lancaster became. ’Could I really have gotten it wrong? But that’s impossible. Absolutely impossible!’

"Once the results are in, it won’t matter if you deny it."

"Suit yourself!" Raina Reddington’s patience was wearing thin. "Go ahead, get your test. You took the hair yourself, so you can deliver it for testing yourself. We can talk once the report is out. You won’t believe me when I say I’m not her anyway. Besides, your sister’s condition is very serious. Instead of wasting time harassing me, you should let me go home and prepare for her surgery. If you keep me here and I don’t get enough rest... a surgeon’s hand might shake, and the outcome could be very different."

"Are you threatening me?" Despite his words, Ethan Lancaster’s grip on her clearly loosened.

Raina’s shoulder ached where he was pressing down on it. "I wouldn’t dare threaten you. It’ll take time for the results to come back, so you might as well leave me in peace for a few days. I have a consultation tomorrow. Fourth Master, you wouldn’t gamble with your own sister’s life, would you?"

After saying this, she shoved him in the chest. This time, when Raina Reddington opened the car door and got in, Ethan Lancaster didn’t stop her.

But on her way back, Ethan Lancaster’s car stayed right behind her. He followed her into the apartment complex and then into the parking garage.

Raina Reddington acted as if she hadn’t seen him. She headed straight for her apartment, unlocked the door, and went inside. She flipped on the lights and walked in. The apartment was empty, with no trace of anyone else living there.

’Thank goodness I found this new place in advance,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, with that persistent pest Ethan Lancaster acting the way he is, Miles Hawthorne would’ve been exposed tonight.’

Raina Reddington walked out onto the balcony to bring in her laundry. As she did, she glanced down and saw Ethan Lancaster’s car parked below.

The man was leaning against his car, his head tilted up in her direction. Raina took a step back, then proceeded to gather the clothes.

Her phone rang, playing a clip in the distinctive voice of the anime character Chibi Maruko-chan. Raina knew instantly who was calling. She answered while gathering her clothes. "Hello."

"Are you home yet?"

"You’re as punctual as an alarm clock. I just walked in the door."

Miles Hawthorne chuckled on the other end of the line. "I’ve got a tracker on you. Nothing you do escapes my watch."

"Okay, okay, you voyeur." Raina moved closer to the window and glanced down. Ethan Lancaster was still standing there, motionless as a statue.

"You haven’t had dinner yet, have you? What are you in the mood for?"

"Don’t you even think about coming over."

"Why not?"

Raina stared down at him, her head starting to ache. "I ran into Ethan Lancaster today. It’s a good thing you weren’t here."

"So you ran into him. As long as you’ve truly moved on, he’s nothing to worry about."

"I just think he’s a huge pain," she said. To the Raina of today, Ethan Lancaster was just a nuisance. "He might decide my life isn’t miserable enough yet and team up with that pack of cronies of his. Then this job I worked so hard to get will be gone too."

"Don’t worry. If you can’t stay at this hospital, I’ll find you a new one. If all else fails, I’ll just hide you away somewhere."

Raina reached out, toying with a spider plant on the windowsill. "I can handle it myself."

"Get some rest. Don’t overwork yourself. I ordered some food for you; it’ll be at your door in about twenty minutes."

"You don’t have to, I have food in the fridge..."

Miles Hawthorne, ever the worrier, insisted, "Eat up and get a good night’s sleep."

"Okay." Raina hung up. Seeing that Ethan Lancaster was still standing down there, she simply finished gathering her laundry and went back inside.

Seth Sinclair stood beside Ethan Lancaster. As the night deepened, the wind grew colder. Since they were both lightly dressed, Seth Sinclair’s hands started to go numb from the chill.

"Fourth Master, the Young Madam lives here now. It’s not like she can just up and move overnight."

"How do you think she’s gotten by these last three years?"

Ethan Lancaster always asked questions he couldn’t answer. "Judging by the Young Madam’s current physical condition and state of mind, she seems to be doing very well."

’Compared to how she was before she died, it’s a total transformation. This is the Raina Reddington Seth Sinclair remembered.’

"Three years... How could she be so patient? Why didn’t she even contact the Reddington Family?"

Seth Sinclair’s gaze followed Ethan Lancaster’s upward. "Fourth Master, do you remember the suicide note the Young Madam left?"

Seth Sinclair’s words hit their mark. ’How could he possibly forget? Just how desperate must Raina have been back then to leave behind only a couple of lines?’

’She hadn’t mentioned him at all. Even at her death, she hadn’t left a single word for him. That was the deepest wound in Ethan Lancaster’s heart.’

「On the day of Zion Lancaster’s surgery, both Jessica Jacobs and Ethan Lancaster arrived at the hospital. Ethan made an excuse for Jessica Jacobs to stay in the patient room, telling her the surgery would be over soon and to wait there peacefully.」

Before the surgery, Raina went over all the potential risks. Zion Lancaster’s husband remained silent, his face as pale as a freshly painted wall.

"If you have no further questions, please sign here."

Ethan Lancaster picked up a pen and handed it to him. "Brother-in-law."

"D-Doctor... she’ll be okay, right?"

As a doctor, Raina couldn’t give him that assurance. "If it comes to a point where we can only save one—the mother or the child—who do you choose?"

"My wife, of course. You have to make sure she’s okay."

Raina had only asked it as a matter of procedure, but the question struck a nerve with Ethan Lancaster.

’Years ago, she had aborted their child without a word, an act that had nearly driven him insane. But at the time, he genuinely hadn’t known that Raina was sick.’

As Ethan Lancaster watched Raina walk out, he called after her, "Raina, my sister..."

She wasn’t Raina Reddington, so she didn’t even turn her head.