Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 82: The Child’s Dad

Raina rushed downstairs, too humiliated to stay a second longer.

She stood at the building entrance waiting for Ethan Lancaster, and Seth Sinclair had the driver pull the car over.

He rolled down the window and saw a light drizzle starting to fall. "Young Madam, get in."

"That’s not necessary." Raina heard footsteps approach from behind her but didn’t turn around. "Seth, this area is a bit rough. You’d better keep a close eye on the Fourth Master."

Ethan Lancaster walked past her to the car, pulled open the door, and got in. Seth Sinclair heard the commotion and was just about to turn back.

"Drive."

"Aren’t we waiting for the Young Madam?"

"What’s there to wait for?" ’What she does now has nothing to do with me.’

The driver did as he was told and started the car. The roads inside the complex were congested, with electric scooters parked on both sides, forcing the car to move at a crawl.

Raina watched the car inch away. She could have easily caught up if she’d just quickened her pace, but she remained rooted to the spot. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Ethan Lancaster was intentionally giving her an out, but she refused to take it.

Over the next few days, Raina’s apartment hunt was anything but smooth. Either a landlord would back out at the last minute, or she’d get stood up at their meeting spot.

She knew someone had to be sabotaging her efforts. ’Who else could it be but Ethan Lancaster?’

At noon, Cameron Fairchild went to Ethan Lancaster’s company to personally hunt him down, finally managing to drag him out for a meal.

It was just the two of them in the private room. Cameron Fairchild poured Ethan a drink himself. "If you’ve got a problem with me, just say it. Don’t keep avoiding me like this."

"And you seriously don’t know why I don’t want to see you?"

A smile spread across Cameron Fairchild’s lips. "Fine. If she’s angry, let her take it out on me. I’ll go and beg for forgiveness."

"Just be careful she doesn’t take a scalpel and cut you to pieces."

"A bit violent, don’t you think?" Cameron Fairchild settled in beside Ethan. "Didn’t she say she wants to divorce you? Don’t worry, I’ll help you this time. I’ll make her move back home without a fuss."

Ethan glanced sideways at him. "You even know about that?"

"See how much I care about your business?"

"Piss off."

Cameron Fairchild grinned cheekily. "If you want her to submit, you have to make her realize her own limitations. I’ve set a big trap for her, just waiting for her to walk right into it. When she can’t handle it, she’ll have no choice but to come to you."

Ethan’s finger circled the rim of his glass. His brows knitted together at Cameron’s words. "Do you have a death wish? What kind of ’good’ could you possibly be up to?"

Cameron Fairchild leaned in and whispered a few words in his ear. The color drained from Ethan’s face. "You son of a bitch, tell him to get his ass back here right now!"

"What’s wrong?" Cameron propped his left arm on the table. "Relax, it’s just to give her a little scare. It’s not like we’re actually going through with it."

"She worked her ass off to get into Mercy Seas Hospital, and she’s meticulous with every single consultation and surgery. Now you’re sending people to stir up trouble for her? You think my life isn’t messy enough already?"

Cameron Fairchild narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping across Ethan’s face. "He knows what he’s doing. You, on the other hand... you’re not acting right."

"Knows what he’s doing, my ass!" Ethan cursed. He stood up and snapped at Cameron, "Stay out of my business. Just worry about yourself."

The patients Raina found most unbearable were always the ones who came through the VIP channel.

They were invariably arrogant, and would only disclose their medical issues in a strict question-and-answer session. The woman sat on a nearby stool as Raina carefully examined her medical records and lab reports. "Are you sure you don’t want to keep this child?"

"Yes."

Raina felt conflicted. "Your uterine wall is already very thin. If you go through with the abortion, you may have trouble conceiving in the future."

The man standing nearby waved his hand impatiently. "Can we get this over with? I’m on a tight schedule."

"Are you the child’s father?"

"That’s none of your business."

Raina fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. She still had to clearly explain the risks to the patient. "It’s your body, and of course, the decision to keep the baby or not is ultimately yours. Look..."

Suddenly, a nurse’s voice drifted in from the hallway. "Hey, you can’t go in there! There’s a patient inside—"

"Sir... there might be a patient undergoing an examination! Stop..."

Ethan Lancaster pushed open the office door with practiced ease, strode in, and locked it behind him. The nurse jiggled the handle from the outside a few times. "This is the OB/GYN department!"

"What are you doing here?" Raina put down her pen.

He walked up to her desk and saw the medical file and ultrasound report lying there. The man, who had been standing around slouching, immediately straightened his posture upon seeing him.

Ethan reached over and snatched the papers from the desk. "And what’s this little drama all about?"

The man standing to the side quickly wiped his palms on the seams of his pants. "Um... she wants to get rid of the baby."

Ethan knew what kind of trick they were pulling. They planned to cause a scene and blame Raina after the procedure. Even if she followed hospital protocol perfectly, what do doctors fear more than a fabricated medical dispute?

"I forbid it!" Ethan said, tearing the lab reports in his hands to shreds.

Raina was dumbfounded. Her gaze slowly shifted to the woman’s face as she watched Ethan step forward and grab the woman’s arm. "Get out!"

The woman remained on the stool, unmoving, her eyes pleading with the man for help.

’This is a total mess. Why isn’t this going according to plan?’

The man walked over and gave Ethan a light nudge, gesturing for him to speak in private. He lowered his voice, but Raina could still make out the gist of it. "Fourth Master... I’m doing all this for you, you know? This baby can’t be kept anyway..."

"You take her and get the hell out of here right now."

The man glanced at Raina. He’d seen her at social events before but had no idea if she’d recognize him.

"Fourth Master, I’m trying to help you."

Raina understood perfectly now. These people were all cut from the same cloth, always helping each other clean up their messes.

She just never imagined that after Miranda Cameron, Ethan would have other women.

Now Raina knew. It wasn’t that she was particularly shocked, but her heart still felt like it had been stabbed with a knife. Of course his friends knew a pregnancy would be a hassle, so they’d tried to solve the problem for him behind his back.

But unexpectedly, he’d chased them down. He couldn’t bear to lose it.

Raina placed her pen back on the desk. She reached for her cup to take a drink, only to find her wrist felt weak, unable to muster much strength.

"Figure it out amongst yourselves before you talk to me."

"Get rid of it," the man said, pushing the woman’s shoulder. "You, say something."

Ethan yanked him away. "I said no."

"Fourth Master, I’ve already arranged everything. Don’t worry..." The man tried to convince Ethan to step outside.

A layer of frost seemed to settle over Raina’s eyes, making them cold and distant. "How can an outsider like you get involved in something like this? Since the baby’s father is here now, we should let him be the one to decide. Wouldn’t you agree, Fourth Master?"