Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 163: Afraid of Dying

Gwen Sharp waited in the car for a long time, but Ethan Lancaster never came. She didn’t dare get out uninvited, fearing he might think she had ulterior motives.

Raina Reddington simply gave a faint "okay." She’d considered it before—if she couldn’t keep up with her medical bills, she would have had to use the money on that card.

’Whatever. Survival is what matters.’ But now that he’d canceled the card, she couldn’t bring herself to get tangled up with him, begging for mercy.

Ethan Lancaster knew she wouldn’t use it. The only time she’d ever touched the money on that card was for Miles Hawthorne.

Raina Reddington pulled her phone from her pocket and calmly called the police. It was the evening rush hour, and with two cars stopped in the road, traffic was inevitably starting to back up.

The incessant blare of car horns was giving her a headache. After making the call, Raina could only stand there and wait for someone to arrive and handle the situation.

Ethan Lancaster glanced at Seth Sinclair beside him. "You stay here."

"Yes."

Seth Sinclair took out his phone, stepped aside, and quickly hailed a car.

Ethan Lancaster walked over to the car and tapped twice on the window. Gwen Sharp saw him and quickly pushed the door open to get out.

"We’re going home."

"Okay."

Gwen Sharp followed Ethan Lancaster; hearing him say they were going home made her beam. But with Raina Reddington present, she could only lower her eyes and maintain a submissive demeanor.

The car Seth Sinclair had arranged pulled up nearby. Ethan Lancaster nonchalantly took Gwen Sharp’s hand and led her toward it.

The two of them quickly got into the car; this sort of matter didn’t require him to handle it personally. Raina Reddington glanced at Seth Sinclair, who was standing nearby. "I’ll wait in my car."

"Okay."

Back in the driver’s seat, Raina Reddington slumped forward limply. She wrapped her arms around the steering wheel, pressing her head against her forearms. The position brought her some relief. She closed her eyes, desperate to sleep, even if only for a moment.

Seth Sinclair stood outside the window and glanced in. ’Raina Reddington probably isn’t lying,’ he thought. ’She really does look sick.’

After a while, the traffic police arrived. Despite feeling awful, Raina Reddington forced herself out of the car. She was completely at fault and ready to admit it; she just wanted to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

But the procedure had to be followed step-by-step. Raina Reddington simply couldn’t remain standing any longer and sat down on the curb.

She sniffled, her lips trembling from the cold. Her gaze drifted past the small crowd, watching the cars stream by in the adjacent lane. ’Ethan Lancaster is determined to make me suffer through this.’ She had done her best to stay out of his way, to avoid him entirely, but Stoneworth was only so big. Running into him was just her bad luck.

Raina Reddington sat there, hugging her knees. After some time, Seth Sinclair walked over and gently shook her shoulder. "Young Madam."

She lifted her head, and Seth Sinclair’s eyes scanned her face. "It’s all been resolved."

"Good." Raina Reddington tried to stand, but the pain felt like it had seeped into her bones. She couldn’t find any strength in her legs.

Seeing her struggle, Seth Sinclair took her by the arm and easily pulled her to her feet. Even through her thick, padded coat, her arm was so thin he could wrap his hand completely around it, as if he were gripping nothing but bone.

"Young Madam, are you alright?"

"I’m fine."

Seth Sinclair watched her, hesitating. "You look deathly pale."

"Just a cold."

Raina Reddington glanced at the time. An hour had passed. Seth Sinclair walked to her car and held the door open for her.

Raina Reddington murmured her thanks and pulled the door shut. An odd, unsettling feeling crept over Seth Sinclair. ’If it were just a cold, she wouldn’t be in this state. Raina was always thin, but her complexion was never this ghostly. I can’t put my finger on what’s wrong... maybe it’s just a hunch.’

But Ethan Lancaster had given a clear order: stay out of Raina Reddington’s business. ’Besides,’ he reasoned, ’she’s a doctor. She should be able to take care of herself.’

Back at The Verdant Garden, Raina Reddington was starving. She forced herself to eat a little something, but she vomited it all up before she could even make it upstairs.

A wave of dizziness washed over her as she walked out of the kitchen. A terrifying thought struck her. ’What if I just... die suddenly one day? Will there even be anyone to find my body?’

’The Reddington Family doesn’t care if I live or die, and there’s no one else here at The Verdant Garden. I wonder how long it would take for someone to find me.’ Raina didn’t dare let the thought go any further.

「The next day」

On her way home from work, Raina Reddington stopped by a small supermarket near the hospital. She had run out of many basic necessities at home.

She pushed a cart inside, hanging her purse on the handle. A message came through, so Raina pulled out her phone. Her unlock pattern was incredibly simple—she’d never felt the need to guard it from anyone. With two quick swipes of her finger, the phone was unlocked.

A man standing nearby, pretending to browse, watched as Raina replied to the message and casually dropped her phone back into her purse.

She stopped in front of the aisle with paper towels and turned to grab a pack from a higher shelf.

The man sidled up to her shopping cart, expertly slipped his hand into her purse, and pinched her phone between two fingers, lifting it out.

He walked away as if nothing had happened and, mimicking the pattern he’d just seen Raina use, unlocked the screen.

It took no more than four or five minutes. The man quickly returned to his spot behind Raina and stealthily slipped the phone back into her purse.

After finishing her shopping and paying, Raina carried her large bags outside. Thankfully, her car was parked right by the curb. She put the shopping bags inside.

When she drove back to The Verdant Garden, Raina was shocked to see Ethan Lancaster’s car parked by the gate.

’Didn’t he say he was never coming back?’ she thought.

Raina acted as if she hadn’t seen it. She grabbed her bags from the car and tried to walk straight to the house.

Seth Sinclair got out of the car. "Young Madam."

"What is it?"

"His grandfather is insisting that you and the Fourth Master come home for dinner. The Fourth Master has already put him off for two days and can’t delay any longer."

Raina let out a cold laugh. "Why doesn’t he just take that Gwen Sharp? That would be so much more presentable. He could even introduce her to the family while he’s at it."

"Young Madam, please don’t say things like that out of anger."

"I’m not saying it out of anger." The plastic handles of the bags were cutting into her hands, so she set them down by her feet. "Give him a message for me. I’m not going. How he explains that to his grandfather is his problem. Besides, his grandfather can’t possibly be unaware that he’s keeping another woman. He should understand why I refuse to show up."

Seth could see how incredibly stubborn Raina could be. "Young Madam, it’s only for one dinner. Just put on an act with the Fourth Master for one night. It’ll put his grandfather’s mind at ease."

"Seth Sinclair, I’m just so tired." Raina didn’t want to waste another second on Ethan Lancaster. "What’s the point of getting through one night? A farce is still a farce. The Fourth Master is used to doing whatever he wants, so why does he have to come here and make things difficult for me?"

Hearing this, Seth Sinclair lowered his voice. "Young Madam, this is a good opportunity."

Raina scoffed. "And what? Is one dinner supposed to make him forgive me for aborting our child? Don’t bother giving me opportunities. I know exactly where I stand."

’It’s not just that he hates me; I hate him, too. Every time the pain starts, my hatred for Ethan Lancaster is so intense I can feel my teeth ache.’

The rear passenger window suddenly slid down. A man’s voice, frigid and menacing, cut through the air. "Seth Sinclair, get in the car!"