Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 173: Never Meet Again

This had to be a joke.

It was freezing cold. If he really stayed out here like this, he’d freeze to death.

Seth Sinclair glanced at the tightly shut door. He reached out and pressed the doorbell. "Young Madam, let’s talk this out calmly. Could you please open the door? The Fourth Master drank a lot today."

Raina Reddington didn’t answer. She walked up a few steps and sat down.

She stared at the front door, thankful she had already changed the locks. ’Otherwise, how would I deal with this drunken madman? I just don’t have the energy.’

"Seth Sinclair, smash the door down."

Seth Sinclair shook his head. "Fourth Master, I can’t do that."

"Call someone to do it, then."

"This is The Verdant Garden. If you break down the door here, you’ll be in the headlines tomorrow."

Ethan Lancaster stumbled back several steps into the courtyard. He tilted his head up toward the master bedroom, where it was dark. He pointed at the balcony and yelled, "See? She’s not in her room! She’s down here somewhere!"

Seth Sinclair reached out to steady him, but Ethan shrugged him off and stumbled back to the door.

He lifted his leg and kicked the door hard twice. ’She called me over last time, she even made me a special dinner... Why won’t she even let me in today?’

Ethan Lancaster leaned his forehead against the door, his hand wrenching the handle back and forth. "Raina Reddington, I’m here to settle our accounts! Get out here!"

’This was one debt that would likely never be settled.’

Raina Reddington set her water glass aside. ’He’s been cruel to me, but I’ve given as good as I’ve gotten. How many times have we driven the knife into each other?’

"I didn’t come here to surrender! You’re the one who wronged me! You knew how happy I was when you got pregnant..."

Raina’s eyes turned red, but she lifted her chin, refusing to let the tears fall.

’Was there any point in dredging all this up now?’

’When it came down to it, how had he ever done right by me?’

’His affair with Gwen Sharp was public knowledge. The more I hurt, the happier he seemed to be. All I did was make him feel a fraction of that pain.’

Ethan Lancaster got no response. At this point, even having Raina rush out to argue and fight with him would be better than this one-man show. Seth Sinclair grabbed his arm, feeling him start to slide down. "Fourth Master."

With his back against the door, the man’s gaze was filled with desolation. The flowers and plants in the courtyard looked as if they were all about to die.

Ethan raised a hand, pointing around the yard. "When spring comes, find two good gardeners. I want them to bring every single one of these plants back to life!"

"Okay, okay. Whatever you say."

"Why did you let them all die? I remember they were perfectly fine before. Raina must have killed them all."

Seth Sinclair didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "I suppose so. The Young Madam probably doesn’t know how to care for plants."

"Her? She’s ruthless with flowers. No... She was ruthless enough to harm her own child, let alone a few plants..."

Raina raised her fingers, dabbing lightly at the corner of her eye. Outside, Seth Sinclair tried to pull him up, but Ethan refused to move. Eventually, the driver came over to help.

The clamor outside made Raina’s head throb. She grabbed the nearby banister and pulled herself to her feet.

Ethan was hauled to his feet. Just as the two men were about to lead him away, he spun around and kicked the door hard one more time.

"Raina! You’re not going to open the door, are you? Fine! You don’t want to see me? Well, I don’t want to see you either! Did you think I actually wanted to see you?"

"Then let’s just never see each other again! Not even when we’re dead!"

The tears Raina had been holding back all this time finally streamed down her face. She couldn’t stand hearing the word ’dead’ right now. It filled her with terror, but it was a reality she had no choice but to face.

Ethan, of course, knew nothing of this. He just wanted to vent his anger, so he hurled the cruelest words he could think of.

"Just stay here all alone, then! In a house that doesn’t feel like a home, with no one to love you! You can’t even go back to the Reddington Family now..."

Raina bent down, picked up the glass by her feet, and immediately smashed it onto the floor.

Shards of glass flew everywhere. Some hit the door, others skittered across the reflective tiles. The noise outside abruptly ceased. But after only a few seconds of quiet, Ethan was back at the door, seemingly driven mad.

"Raina, get out here!"

Raina’s hands and feet were ice-cold with rage. She turned and stormed upstairs.

Ethan’s voice faded as he was dragged away. "Fine! Don’t ever call me again! And I’d better not hear a single word about you—"

"Raina, I never want to see you again for the rest of my life!"

’Fine.’

Raina whispered in response. ’After all, this life is almost over. We really won’t see each other again.’

She didn’t know when Ethan finally left. Once upstairs, Raina shut all the windows and drew the curtains, blocking out every last sound from outside.

Seth Sinclair helped Ethan into the car, where the heater was running. Dressed in thin clothes, his fingers were frozen and stiff.

"Fourth Master, we can come back tomorrow."

"We’re not," Ethan said, shaking his head. "We’re never coming back. Does she think I can’t live without her?"

Seth Sinclair gently closed the car door. ’If you really didn’t need her,’ he thought, ’then why do you always find an excuse to come back after every single time you say something so cruel?’

’Thankfully, the New Year is almost here. The family elders will surely step in and help them reconcile. This whole mess should be resolved soon enough.’

The car sped away from The Verdant Garden. Ethan stared out the window into a world of darkness, the oppressive blackness weighing down on him.

Raina kept putting off going home, but by the day before New Year’s Eve, she knew she couldn’t delay any longer.

She sat at her vanity, applying layer after layer of foundation until her face was unnaturally pale and bright. The blush and lipstick were new, purchased from the mall the other day. When she finished, she stared at her reflection. ’I look like a clown,’ she thought, feeling deeply uncomfortable.

But there was no denying it made her look a bit more spirited. It should be enough to fool Grandma.

Raina went into her closet to pick out an outfit. She pulled out a long overcoat. Not daring to wear anything too form-fitting, she chose a pair of straight-leg wool trousers to go underneath.

After changing, she sat on the edge of her bed. ’If Grandma asks about Ethan, I’ll just have to say he had a family matter to attend to.’

Her phone buzzed and rang. Raina stood, picked it up, and saw it was an unknown number, but she answered anyway.

"Hello."

"Hello, Doctor Reddington."

Raina didn’t recognize the voice. "Who is this?"

"It’s Gwen Sharp."

Raina said nothing, about to hang up, but Gwen Sharp spoke quickly. "Dr. Reddington, I’d like to meet with you alone. It’s urgent."

"What, wasn’t sending those photos enough for you? I told you long ago, if you want to stay quietly by Ethan’s side, you shouldn’t pull these kinds of petty stunts."

Gwen Sharp was no match for her; Raina had exposed her true motives in just a few words. ’But since I’ve decided to do this,’ Gwen thought, ’I have to see it through, no matter what.’

"Dr. Reddington, I know your grandmother is in Stoneworth now. If you don’t want those photos delivered to the Reddington Family home, you’d better agree to meet with me."

Raina’s hand tightened around her phone. "What could you and I possibly have to meet about?"

"It’s truly urgent. And I guarantee it’s something you’ll want to know."