Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 113: So Ruthless, So Vicious

"I can turn myself in. This has nothing to do with Miles Hawthorne," Raina said, turning to leave.

Ethan Lancaster’s laughter stopped her in her tracks. "Fine, go ahead. But your best friend probably won’t even make it home before she gets a little ’invitation’ herself."

He saw Raina freeze. She wasn’t ignorant of the stakes.

If she admitted to bringing the camera, it would inevitably drag Annabelle Spencer into it. But if she didn’t come clean, Miles Hawthorne would be the one taking the fall.

Raina’s hands, hanging by her sides, clenched the fabric of her pants. Ethan Lancaster rested his arm on the open car window, propping his chin on the back of his hand. "Don’t you worry. Miles Hawthorne knows exactly what’s happening. He’ll never mention you, which is pretty good of him, I’d say."

"Why does it have to be this way?" Raina spun around to stare at him.

A fire ignited in Ethan’s heart. "It’s just a taste of his own medicine. He used you to sneak those antique books into the Lancaster estate. Shouldn’t he get to suffer a little now, too?"

"Then what does that make me? A weapon in your little war? Or just a worthless pawn?" Raina found it both ironic and heartbreaking. "None of you ever asked what I wanted. You all just stop at nothing to get what you want. Is that all I’m worth in your eyes?"

Ethan was silent for a long moment. Raina couldn’t read him, couldn’t guess what was going through his mind.

"I was the one who brought the camera in. He hurt you once, so you’re hurting him once. Are you really that certain he won’t rat me out?"

A mocking smile touched Ethan’s lips. "Even *I* believe in his feelings for you. How is it that you don’t?"

"But what if?"

"There is no ’what if’."

Raina took two steps forward, leaning down to lock eyes with Ethan. "Miles Hawthorne has worked so hard to get where he is. This is his moment to reap the rewards. I’m just the most naive, bland Chapter in his romantic history. If he rats me out, I’m finished."

Raina didn’t need to guess how dirty, how poisonous the things they’d found at Aristor Hall were. ’Ethan is pushing me into a fiery pit.’

"Then go turn yourself in. You were completely unaware of the situation. The police won’t give you a hard time."

Did she dare?

Miles Hawthorne might still be able to find a way out of this. But if Annabelle Spencer, with her spotless family background, were dragged in, she would be utterly ruined, destroyed without a trace.

Raina clenched her jaw, her sharp teeth piercing the soft flesh of her lip. The sharp pain snapped her back to reality.

"Ethan Lancaster, you’re ruthless. And you’re vicious."

He knew she would be caught in a dilemma. He was using her to put Miles Hawthorne away, and doing it in a way that would prevent Miles from retaliating. Of course, even if he did retaliate, Raina was ultimately an unwitting participant. She wouldn’t face serious charges. The worst-case scenario was simply the loss of Annabelle Spencer.

Miles Hawthorne was now sitting in a small room with no decent windows.

His gaze was fixed on a single spot, as if he could see a junior high school girl leaning on a classroom windowsill, annoyed that he was engrossed in his math problems. She couldn’t bring herself to interrupt him, so she could only stand to the side and glare in frustration. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Even the sunlight seemed warmer back then. Miles’s expression softened.

"Do you know what was inside?" The interrogation continued.

He forced his mind back to the present. "I don’t know."

"Was it yours, or did a guest leave it behind?"

Miles Hawthorne slowly shook his head. "It’s not mine, but I don’t know if it belonged to a guest."

"Then is there anything you *do* know?"

Miles Hawthorne lifted a hand. "The item was found at Aristor Hall. I bear the ultimate responsibility. That, I know."

’How could he possibly drag Raina into this? He would protect her with his life.’

’He wanted to let her live her life as Dr. Reddington. It was one of the few hopes she had left.’

Ethan Lancaster hadn’t expected Raina to use the word "vicious" to describe him.

He couldn’t suppress a laugh. "Me? Vicious?"

Raina closed her eyes. She knew she and Ethan could never go back to the way things were. She knew his circle would never let Miles Hawthorne off the hook. She just hadn’t expected to be the instrument of his downfall once again.

She never intended to harm anyone, yet it seemed everyone around her ended up suffering because of her.

Raina stood by the car, her shoulders slumped. She had always been defiant, someone who, even when bullied, would find the right moment to pay it back twofold. But seeing her like this, Ethan found her somewhat unfamiliar.

"Fourth Master?" Seth Sinclair called out softly from the passenger seat.

On some strange impulse, Ethan unlocked the car doors. "Get in."

Raina glanced at him but didn’t move. Although Ethan had calculated everything perfectly, he still feared she might impulsively go and confess. If that happened, she’d be left with a taint that could never be washed away.

"Get in the car!"

"Is it because you’re disappointed you couldn’t throw me in there with him?"

Every word they exchanged was barbed. Nothing good could come of this conversation.

Ethan reached out and pushed the car door open. "If I really wanted to threaten you, I could easily find a hundred ways to do it."

Seth Sinclair rolled down the passenger-side window. "Young Madam, please get in. You’re too conspicuous standing out here. Miles Hawthorne was just taken away; there could be plenty of eyes watching us right now."

Hearing this, Raina stopped hesitating. She saw Ethan shift to the side to make room, and she ducked into the car.

The car quickly started up again, heading toward The Verdant Garden.

The moment Ethan got out of the car, he felt something was off. Why was their home so cold and empty?

He pushed the door open to an empty house. Turning to Raina, he asked, "What’s going on?"

"You don’t live here anyway. The hospital has a cafeteria, so I sent the housekeeper back to the Lancaster Family estate."

Ethan’s brow furrowed. "So you’ve made your decision, then? You’re telling me not to come back?"

"There’s food in the kitchen. If you want to eat, serve yourself."

After saying this, Raina walked over to the sofa and sat down.

Her head was splitting and her stomach ached with a dull throb. She hugged a throw pillow and lay down on the sofa.

Ethan walked into the kitchen. On the counter was a bowl Raina had left behind, half-filled with soup that had long gone cold.

The electric stew pot was open, its keep-warm light still on. The soup inside, at least, was hot.

She had come home from work intending to have a hot meal, but Cameron Fairchild’s call had pulled her away before she could even start.

A complicated mix of emotions churned within Ethan, a feeling he couldn’t quite name. He ladled out some rice and a large bowl of soup, then lifted the lid of the adjacent pot, only to find it empty.

’Not even a single side of vegetables? Was this all she was going to eat?’

Ethan carried his bowl and chopsticks into the dining room. He saw Raina lying motionless on the sofa, seemingly asleep.

He pulled out a chair, sat down, and called out to her. But the curled-up figure didn’t stir.