Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 204: Take Her Home

An intoxicating aura emanated from Ethan Lancaster. The moment he tasted her sweetness, he was hooked, his mind feeling as if it had just exploded.

Raina Reddington’s hands pushed against his chest. He opened his eyes to stare at her. Her eyelashes fluttered wildly, the usual clarity in her eyes long since drowned in the depths.

His thin lips quickly found Raina Reddington’s ear, and her ragged breaths fell upon Ethan Lancaster’s. Unable to control his passion, he pulled open her coat and kissed the fabric of her sweater over her collarbone.

A sudden cold sensation touched his neck. Ethan Lancaster turned his head to look, but Raina Reddington pressed harder. "Don’t move."

He refused to listen. The moment he turned his head, he felt a sting on his neck. Ethan Lancaster glanced over and saw that Raina Reddington was holding a scalpel blade. The short blade was exposed, but with enough ruthlessness, it could still cause serious injury.

"Why are you carrying something like this?"

Raina Reddington’s face was flushed, her forehead beaded with sweat. "For self... defense."

Ethan Lancaster remained hovering over her. "And how many people do you think you can fend off with that little thing?"

"If I can’t, then I’ll just cut my own throat."

Ethan Lancaster’s pupils constricted. Raina Reddington moved the hand holding the blade to her own neck. "Find the artery, stab, and tear. We’ll see if they’ll spare even a corpse."

Ethan Lancaster grabbed her wrist, trying to snatch the blade away. Raina Reddington’s fingers, though limp, tightened their grip. The sight made his heart pound in terror, and he forcibly pried her fingers open.

"Don’t worry, I won’t touch you."

"Take me... take me home."

Ethan Lancaster took the blade away. As his finger brushed against the sharp edge, he felt a faint sting on the pad. He looked down to see a shallow cut.

’If I’d been a moment later, would that blade really have sliced open Raina’s neck?’

Without looking up, Ethan Lancaster gave an order to the driver. "Go to the nearest hospital."

"Yes, sir."

Raina Reddington clutched both sides of her coat, trying to cover herself completely. But no matter how incredible her willpower, she couldn’t fight the drug’s escalating effects.

She opened her hazy eyes and stared at Ethan Lancaster’s profile—his commanding brows, his high, well-defined nose. It wasn’t that she was captivated by his good looks; her gaze just unconsciously drifted to his lips.

Raina Reddington swallowed hard, her legs kicking restlessly against the seat. Her own panting filled her ears. She writhed in place, her vision blurring until she could barely make out the face of the man in front of her.

Ethan Lancaster glanced at Raina Reddington again. "Can you hold on?"

’I’m done for,’ she thought. ’At this point, just hearing his voice is almost too much to bear.’

Raina Reddington pinched her own leg, trying to cling to the last shred of her sanity. "Go away..."

"Go where? Where do you expect me to go?"

Raina Reddington ignored him. But there was an incredibly handsome man right in front of her, one who was more than willing to help without her even having to ask. The temptation was like a venomous snake coiling in her heart, making her want to throw caution to the wind and devour Ethan Lancaster whole.

The car quickly pulled into the hospital. By the time Raina Reddington was carried out, she was no longer aware of her own actions.

She could vaguely hear a nurse’s voice. "Let go! Let go now!" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Raina Reddington was clutching Ethan Lancaster’s shirt, having already ripped off several buttons. She refused to let go even when they placed her on the hospital bed, her hands locked in a death grip. The man’s entire chest was exposed, as was the lean stretch of his waist above his pants.

The doctor tapped Raina Reddington’s hand. "Let go, quickly."

Raina Reddington shook her head. With Ethan Lancaster standing there, they couldn’t continue their work. A nurse had to forcibly pry her fingers open. But before Ethan could back away, Raina’s hand shot out again, this time grabbing his belt.

The nurse was at her wit’s end. "Fine, fine. Just stand here."

Having her stomach pumped was agonizing. But even as she suffered, her will was set: she would never let him touch her. Drowsy, Raina Reddington lay on the hospital bed. The doctor said she needed an IV, but Ethan Lancaster refused and carried her out.

The worst of it had passed. Ethan Lancaster took her back to The Verdant Garden. Raina Reddington lay in bed, unsure how long she’d been asleep. When she finally managed to pry her eyes open, the room was pitch-black.

"Who’s there?"

A figure was standing by the window. Ethan Lancaster turned and walked over. "Who else would it be?"

The drug wasn’t completely out of her system, but the only aftereffects now were weakness and fatigue. She no longer felt the urge to pounce on the first person she saw.

"Where is this?"

"My home."

Raina Reddington’s fingers twitched slightly. "I want to go home."

Ethan Lancaster sat down on the edge of the bed. He took Raina Reddington’s hand and laced his fingers through hers.

"Why did that man do this to me?"

Ethan Lancaster lay down beside her, propping his head on his hand to look at her. "He knows you’re Raina Reddington."

"What, did Mrs. Lancaster have a thing with him in the past?"

"What nonsense is that!"

A cold smile touched Raina Reddington’s lips. "Then why would he resort to something like this against me?"

Ethan Lancaster said nothing. Raina Reddington knew this incident wasn’t enough to make them turn on each other. After all, in Ethan’s eyes, she simply wasn’t that important.

His eyes, hidden in the darkness, glinted with a treacherous and sinister light. Cameron Fairchild had crossed a line. It no longer mattered that they were once the closest of brothers. If Raina Reddington had truly suffered that fate today, he very well might have killed Cameron with his own hands.

Raina Reddington pulled her hand back and struggled to sit up, but Ethan Lancaster grabbed her arm. "You’re not going back."

"On what grounds?"

"You’re this weak. You have to stay here for a couple of days."

Raina Reddington didn’t have the strength to push him away. "I need to use the restroom."

The tension on Ethan Lancaster’s face eased slightly. He lifted her from the bed. Raina Reddington’s voice was soft and weak. "What are you doing?"

"I’m carrying you there."

He carried Raina Reddington into the bathroom, only heading out after making sure she could stand on her own. "Call me when you’re done."

Raina Reddington heard the door click shut, but Ethan Lancaster was just leaning against it on the other side; he hadn’t left. "The kind of hand soap you like is on the counter. See it?"

Raina Reddington pulled her phone from her pocket. Her gaze swept over the counter, where a bottle of that brand of hand soap sat in the corner. Even the scent was one chosen to her liking.

But the face reflected in the mirror showed not even a hint of a smile. Her expression was cold and indifferent as she quickly looked away, paying the bottle of hand soap no mind.

All she knew was that Miles Hawthorne must be worried sick. Raina Reddington quickly sent him a text.

"I’m fine. Don’t worry."

Miles Hawthorne replied instantly, as if he’d been staring at his phone without blinking. "Where are you now? Did they do anything to you?"

"I’m at The Verdant Garden. Don’t worry, I know how to protect myself."

Ethan Lancaster’s voice came through the door again. "There’s a towel and a toothbrush in the drawer. They were prepared for you."

Raina Reddington heard him, but a scornful smile touched her lips, as if she had just heard a joke.

She continued her message to Miles Hawthorne, "Don’t show your face. And don’t make me worry."