Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 156: The First Joy

’How could Ethan Lancaster be so forgetful? One moment, he’d driven someone to their death, and the next, he was acting as if nothing had happened, even talking to her about having a child?’

Raina’s world had always been simple, so she had truly never encountered anyone like him.

That night, Raina lay in bed. Every time she opened her eyes, she saw the drawings of babies. She got up, walked over, and tore them down.

Ethan Lancaster closed the book in his hands but didn’t say anything.

After the lights were out, Raina habitually slept with her back to Ethan. The man sat leaning against the headboard for a long time, listening to her breathing until it sounded like she was asleep. He carefully lay down, and once he was sure she wouldn’t suddenly sit up, he scooted a little closer to her.

In a sleepy haze, Raina felt someone hugging her. A warmth spread over her lower abdomen as Ethan pressed his palm firmly against her.

Raina opened her eyes and tried to pull his hand away, but Ethan held on tight and refused to let go.

"Are you still half-asleep, or do you have me confused with someone else?"

Ethan’s voice softened. "You’re Raina, and I’m not mistaking you for anyone else."

’She really couldn’t understand why Ethan was suddenly acting like this.’ "Let go of me. I’m uncomfortable."

"You just go back to sleep. Don’t mind me."

Raina tried to shrug him off, but the hand pressed against her lower abdomen began to rub gently. She grabbed his wrist. "If you do that again, I’m going to the guest room."

Ethan’s hand loosened, and he shifted away from her.

Now that she was awake, she couldn’t fall back asleep. Raina sat up, took a sip of water, then put on her slippers and went to the bathroom.

Ethan saw light shining from under the door. He drummed his fingers on the bedsheet for a moment, then, as if a thought suddenly struck him, he got out of bed. He hurried to the bathroom door and pressed his ear against it.

It was silent inside. He raised his hand and knocked. "Raina."

Raina stood inside without answering. Ethan spoke again, "Are you feeling sick?"

She splashed some cold water on her face. She didn’t overthink it, assuming Ethan was referring to what happened with Miles Hawthorne.

’Ethan knew some women experience severe morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy—they can’t eat or sleep well. ’Could it be starting for her already?’’

He waited at the door for a moment. When Raina came out, Ethan noticed her face was still wet. "You wouldn’t eat dinner. How about I go heat it up for you?"

"No, that’s not necessary. Don’t trouble yourself."

Raina lay back down, and Ethan got into bed after her. "I’ll pack some snacks for you to take to the office tomorrow. And hey, would you like some preserved fruit?"

She closed her eyes and said nothing more. No matter what else Ethan said, she didn’t respond.

’But Ethan wasn’t put off. He’d always been thick-skinned, practically impenetrable. What was a little cold shoulder to him?’

While Raina was at work, Ethan would call her from time to time. Sometimes she missed the calls, and other times she saw them but chose not to answer.

Raina walked to the hospital parking garage to get her car. As she got closer, she saw Ethan leaning against it. She frowned. The moment she opened the driver’s side door, Ethan had already slipped into the passenger seat.

She could only pretend he wasn’t there and start the car. Ethan leaned in with a wide smile. "What do you feel like eating tonight?"

Raina pulled out of the hospital garage. Even though she was driving, Ethan reached over to touch her hand. "How about The Pine Crane Pavilion?"

She flicked her arm, knocking his hand away.

Undeterred, Ethan reached out again, this time taking Raina’s wrist. "Let’s stop by the mall first. Mom asked us to pick something up for Dad."

Upon hearing that, Raina turned the steering wheel and headed toward a nearby mall.

Once inside, Raina had no idea what to buy, so she just followed Ethan. She watched as he strode quickly into a maternity and baby store.

Ethan ran his hands over the toys on the shelves, looking as if he couldn’t bear to put them down. Then he spotted the tiny clothes hanging up and his face lit up with excitement. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

’He must have lost his mind,’ Raina thought. She stayed outside the store. Ethan picked up a little crawler outfit, clearly smitten by how adorable it was. "What age is this for?"

"How old is your baby, sir?"

The question caught Ethan off guard. He looked a little embarrassed. "I-I’m just asking."

"It fits babies from zero to two years old."

Raina figured he was probably buying something for Zion’s child, so she didn’t rush him and just waited by the entrance.

"Raina, come in here."

She remained where she was, her expression impassive. Ethan came out to get her, grabbing her arm. Raina tried to shake him off but couldn’t. "What do you think you’re doing?"

"Look at the cribs over there." Ethan pulled Raina over, pointed to two different models, and asked, "Which one should we get?"

"I don’t know anything about them."

"Well, which one do you like?"

Seeing that she wasn’t speaking, a store employee chimed in to ease the tension. "It mainly depends on whether you’re having a boy or a girl. The sky-blue one is definitely for a little boy, while the pink one is a bit fancier with more decorations. Girls tend to like that."

Ethan seemed to like them both. "Why don’t we just buy both? We can clear out two rooms and decorate one for a boy and one for a girl."

"Who are you buying these for?" Raina’s tone shifted.

"For our child, of course."

Raina turned to leave, but Ethan quickly grabbed her arm. "I’m just buying things in advance, that’s all."

"Don’t buy them." ’It’s pointless,’ Raina thought.

"The baby could come at any time. It’ll be a mad rush to get everything ready then. Besides, things like cribs... don’t they need to air out at home for a while?"

Raina fixed her gaze on his face. "I’ve told you before, we are not going to have a child."

The employee heard this and quickly stepped aside. Ethan felt as if he’d been doused with a bucket of ice-cold water. ’How long is she planning on hiding this from me? It’s clear she has no intention of telling me about the pregnancy at all.’

"And what if we do?"

Ethan locked his eyes on hers, even taking a step closer. "What if it happens anyway?"

Raina looked away. "It won’t."

Ethan asked again, stubbornly, "If you get pregnant, will you tell me?"

"If you’re not going to buy anything, let’s just go home."

’Ethan should probably be thankful. She just didn’t want him to know; she hadn’t said anything about getting rid of the baby.’

’He believed Raina wouldn’t be that heartless. She might be a bit cold, but it was their child, after all. He wasn’t worried about that possibility in the slightest.’

"But I do want to buy things! I wish I could buy out the entire store and take it all home."

"Then go ahead." Raina didn’t want to waste any more time here. She turned and left on her own, and Ethan had no choice but to follow.

When Raina got home, she felt a little chilled. She skipped dinner and went straight upstairs.

She took a shower and lay down on the bed, but this time, Ethan wouldn’t let her have her way. He insisted on getting her up to eat something.

Raina couldn’t stand his nagging, so she finally crawled out from under the covers. But instead of going out with him, she just made some dumplings for herself and called it a meal.

She woke up in the middle of the night feeling weak and chilled to the bone. ’It’s probably the change in seasons,’ she thought. ’My immune system must be shot.’

As Raina thought about it, she realized her period was a few days late. ’Looks like I’ll have to take another test tomorrow.’