Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 98: The Deepest Wound

"Dad—!" Ethan Lancaster was the first to rush over.

The paramedics lifted Zachary Lancaster onto the ambulance stretcher and asked Ethan, "Are you family?"

"Yes."

"Get in."

Just as he was about to climb in, several people following close behind blocked him. "Excuse me, but you can’t have contact with him right now."

"What do you mean? Why did he go in perfectly fine, only to come out like this?"

Someone else got into the ambulance. Ethan couldn’t be bothered to argue right now; he turned, got into his car, and followed them to the hospital.

The tightness in Raina Reddington’s chest grew heavier. Ethan Lancaster sat on a chair in the hospital corridor, speechless.

Outside the emergency room, men were stationed on either side, standing guard. Ethan’s gaze was vacant. He just felt scared, just like last time—so scared he was trembling all over.

Raina gently placed a hand on his back. "He’s going to be okay."

"I swore I would never make him angry again. Why did this still happen?"

Raina was scared too. She patted his shoulder.

When the doctor in charge of the emergency treatment came out, he had a brief conversation with the men at the door. Raina saw him take off his mask and shake his head slightly.

Ethan shot forward. "How is my dad?"

His voice was firm and resonant, unlike his previous weakness.

"A massive cerebral infarction has left him in a coma. There are no effective treatment options..."

Raina’s mind went blank, buzzing. Ethan completely panicked. "What do you mean, ’in a coma’? If he’s not awake, then keep trying to save him! I don’t care how much it costs."

"The location of the infarction is also in a very bad spot. We’ve truly done everything we can."

Raina’s hands and feet went cold. She couldn’t bear to look at Ethan’s expression. "What’s the best-case scenario?"

"The optimal recovery period for the aftereffects is within the first three months. If more than half a year passes... his condition will likely become permanent. He’ll be in a vegetative state."

"You’re lying!" Ethan couldn’t accept this. In his memory, Zachary Lancaster was robust, his voice booming like a bell. The force of the blows that had landed on him couldn’t be faked, could it?

Raina was afraid Ethan wouldn’t be able to handle it and would cause a scene at the hospital, but after a long moment of stunned silence, he became surprisingly calm.

Zachary was soon wheeled into the intensive care unit. The family didn’t know yet, and Ethan couldn’t keep it from them. He clutched his phone, but he couldn’t bring himself to make the call.

"I’ll call," Raina said, her voice hoarse.

Ethan’s gaze was unfocused. He reached out to Raina, and she took two steps forward, letting him pull her into a tight embrace. "Don’t go to the hospital today. I’ll call in for you, okay?"

"Okay. I’ll stay here with you."

Ethan’s arms tightened around her. "I don’t want you to stay. Go home and rest."

"No."

"Be good. Listen to me." Ethan was genuinely scared now. ’What if something happens to Raina, too?’ He couldn’t let her stay with him like this.

"I’ll take you home."

"You don’t have to," Raina said, knowing how much pain he was in. "I can get back myself."

"No, I’ll drop you off on the way. Then I’ll go home and get Mom."

Raina didn’t refuse again. After giving a few instructions to Seth Sinclair, Ethan led her out of the hospital.

Back at The Verdant Garden, Ethan Lancaster led Raina Reddington upstairs by the hand. He pulled back the covers for her, helped her lie down, and then tucked the corner of the blanket around her shoulder. "Get some sleep."

"Can you handle this?"

"I’m fine. Dad will wake up. Maybe he’ll be awake by the time I get back to the hospital."

Raina closed her eyes, trying to put him at ease. "You’re right. He’ll wake up any minute."

Ethan sat on the edge of the bed for a while. Raina felt him get up and then walk out, his footsteps light.

Once outside, he gently closed the door.

Raina opened her eyes, threw back the covers, and sat up. She tiptoed to the bedroom door and pulled it open just a crack.

Ethan was on the phone outside the room. His voice was hushed, but the suppressed volume seemed to bore straight into her ears.

"Mom, something’s happened to Dad..."

Raina’s lips trembled. She couldn’t imagine the carefree, arrogant Fourth Master of the Lancaster Family sounding so helpless. "He’s at the hospital. I’m coming to get you. Don’t tell Grandpa yet."

Mr. Lancaster was too old; he probably wouldn’t be able to handle such news.

"Mom, don’t cry. It’s going to be okay." Before Ethan could even show his weakness in front of his closest family, he had to bottle it up. With Zachary down, he was now the sole pillar of the Lancaster Family. He had to hold it together, whether he could or not.

Ethan hung up and hurried away. As he got into his car, he couldn’t help but glance toward the master bedroom. ’Thank God I still have Raina. If I really can’t hold on, I’ll come back and hold her for a bit.’

They couldn’t enter the intensive care unit, so the family could only wait outside.

Zachary’s condition was critical. Even if he made it through the observation period, he would remain in a coma. What Ethan feared most right now was that his father wouldn’t even survive the next couple of days.

Back home, Raina couldn’t sleep either. When the maid called her for the meal she’d prepared, Raina hastily ate a few bites, then packed the rest of the food into a container and went out.

Arriving at the hospital, Raina saw Ethan sitting stiffly on a chair outside the ICU. Jessica Jacobs had collapsed from the stress, and Zion Lancaster was with her while she rested in a hospital room.

Raina placed the thermal container beside him. "Ethan Lancaster."

The man’s eyelids fluttered, but he said nothing, simply pulling her in front of him and holding her tight.

"I brought you some food. Eat a little."

He shook his head, like a helpless, fragile child. "I can’t eat."

"Then I’ll feed you." Just like he had fed her last time.

Ethan still shook his head. "I just want to hold you. I can’t eat a single bite."

"Just sitting here isn’t a solution. Why don’t you go home and rest for a bit? I’ll keep watch."

Ethan fell silent, his eyes squeezed shut. It was as if he had found the safest place in the world and could finally lean on someone without any other thought.

"Fourth Master—" A man’s voice suddenly reached their ears. Ethan sat up straight and saw Cameron Fairchild walking over quickly.

His arms around Raina loosened. He stood up and went to meet him. "What did you find out?"

Cameron Fairchild glanced at him and moved to the side. Ethan followed him to the end of the corridor. "Spit it out!"

"They did find key evidence in your father’s possession, related to a demolition case from years ago."

"What does a demolition case have to do with my family?"

Cameron’s expression was grim. This group of rich kids knew how to play hard, but when it mattered, their methods and capabilities were top-notch. "Well, does Arkwell Hospital have anything to do with your family?"

Ethan froze. ’Isn’t that the hospital I just took over?’ Zachary had been managing it before. "And then?"

"It’s complicated. In short, someone died during a demolition a few years ago. The person was sent to Arkwell Hospital, and the people behind the scenes were afraid he’d wake up and cause trouble. So they conspired with... your father, and had the person killed."

"What?" Ethan’s voice rose. "Bullshit! That’s complete nonsense."

"Calm down."

Ethan was so angry his chest heaved. "My dad wouldn’t be stupid enough to keep key evidence! Where did they find this thing?"

"In your study at home. It took a lot of effort for me to find this out. They say it was tucked inside an antique book."

"Wh... what antique book?"

Cameron glanced around, then took out his phone and pulled up a photo. It was a picture of the scene taken during the search—one he had clearly pulled a lot of strings to get.

The moment Ethan saw it, his scalp tingled and a wave of dizziness hit him.

’Isn’t that the birthday present Raina gave me?’