Hearing this, Gwen Sharp instinctively glanced at Ethan Lancaster’s face.
Ethan Lancaster, holding his bowl, looked unfazed. "When did this happen?"
"Just today."
Ethan Lancaster knew she would never do sothing like that. ’Raina Reddington is extrely ticulous about her work, almost rigid.’ "You had soone do it?"
"She needed the money."
"Do you really want to investigate it?"
Caron Fairchild leaned in, as if trying to get a better look at the flicker of emotion in Ethan’s eyes. "What does her business have to do with you anymore? Yes, I did it. It was incredibly easy to take care of. Don’t tell you’re heartbroken, Fourth Master?"
Ethan Lancaster pushed him back. "She’s still a part of the Lancaster family, for better or worse. If this gets out, how is that supposed to make look?"
"Don’t worry about that. It was just an internal disciplinary action at the hospital. It won’t beco a big scandal."
Gwen Sharp placed so food into Ethan Lancaster’s bowl, listening intently but not daring to say a word. ’What if Ethan gets angry and does sothing? What if he starts a fight with Caron Fairchild?’
But the man showed no extre reaction. "It’s good she lost her job."
’It saves her from having to run to the hospital every day. She’s nothing but skin and bones. It’s better for her to stay ho and recuperate.’
After the al, Caron Fairchild followed Ethan Lancaster to the study, and Ethan shut the door.
"It’s like Miles Hawthorne has completely vanished. I’ve sent out so many people, and no one can find him."
Ethan Lancaster turned and sat on his desk, his gaze sharp as he stared at a fixed point. "Not a single lead?"
"Yeah, it’s bizarre," Caron Fairchild said, the usual playfulness in his eyes gone. "I still don’t know how he got away that night, but I’m pretty sure he was behind that fire. Soone must have been helping him. There’s no way he could have slipped away from under our noses on his own."
"That man is a nace. Leaving him alive is asking for trouble."
A cold smirk spread across Caron Fairchild’s face. "He can’t make much of a splash."
"Even a cornered dog will bite."
Caron Fairchild nodded. No one had ever escaped his grasp like that before. It was indeed a loose end.
"As for Raina, you need to back off. She worked so hard to beco a doctor. You’ve done this to her. Isn’t that enough?"
Caron Fairchild knew when to quit while he was ahead. "Of course it’s enough. This was the final step. From now on, I’ll let her fend for herself."
Raina Reddington went to the hospital for chemotherapy all alone. The agony and discomfort were beyond what words could describe.
She tossed and turned on the hospital bed, writhing in pain. A nurse ca over to check on her. "What’s wrong?"
"Abdominal pain."
"Why are you all alone? Is there no family with you?"
Raina bit the corner of her lip and said nothing. She didn’t dare bite down too hard, afraid she would draw blood.
She endured it alone until she finally walked out of the hospital. But after the chemo, her appetite got even worse. Before, she could at least manage so soups and liquids, but now she couldn’t stomach a single bite.
In the courtyard of The Verdant Garden, the precious flowers went untended. They were delicate things that needed pampering, but now they were withering and dying in droves. As far as the eye could see, half the garden was decaying, just like Raina, who was rapidly approaching the end of her life.
She was afraid to go back to that house. It was just too big, too empty. But if she didn’t go back, where else could she go?
Her grandmother called every few days. In her eyes, Raina was her precious treasure. How could she bear to let her granddaughter suffer such pain?
Raina went upstairs and lay down, skipping dinner.
The next day, Zion Lancaster sent her a video call request. Raina hurriedly sat up and smoothed down her hair. She didn’t accept the video, opting for a voice call instead.
"Hello, Zion."
"Raina, co ho for dinner tonight."
Raina quickly refused. "Zion, I... I probably can’t make it."
"Mom said if you don’t co over, we’ll co to you. Don’t worry, it’s just dinner. I know you’re having a hard ti. The way Ethan’s been... he’s let you down, and we’ve let you down, too. We can’t control him..."
Raina hadn’t expected Zion to say sothing like that. "Zion, this is between him and ..."
"Please co, okay?"
In the end, Raina’s heart softened. She couldn’t bring herself to cut them off completely.
Jessica Jacobs had a driver go pick her up. When Ethan Lancaster arrived ho, he heard chatter and laughter coming from the living room. He took a few steps inside and saw Bowie with her hands propped on the coffee table, toddling unsteadily. She lost her footing and tumbled into the lap of Raina, who was sitting nearby.
Raina smiled and tried to pick her up, but she was too heavy. Bowie wasn’t shy at all, nuzzling her little head against Raina’s chest.
A pang of anguish shot through Ethan Lancaster as he watched. ’If our child were still alive, I could be playing with her like this next year.’ Seeing Bowie now made his heart ache; it always reminded him of the baby he’d never even had a chance to et.
"Ethan’s back." Zion Lancaster beckoned to him. "Co over here."
The two of them sat facing each other without saying a word, not even making eye contact.
Jessica Jacobs refrained from scolding Ethan in front of Raina, pretending everything was fine between them. Otherwise, Raina might never feel comfortable setting foot in this house again.
The dining table was laden with a full spread of dishes. Zion Lancaster pulled Raina over to sit down. "Mom made most of these herself. You have to eat a lot."
Just the sll of the food made Raina feel sick. Her stomach was churning violently, and she couldn’t take a single bite.
Zion glanced at Ethan, who was sitting beside her. "What are you waiting for? Get so food for Raina."
"Zion, it’s okay. I can get it myself."
"Exactly. She has her own hands."
Seeing this, Jessica Jacobs placed several helpings of food into Raina’s bowl.
Raina held her chopsticks, not knowing where to start. Jessica Jacobs ladled a bowl of chicken soup and placed it beside her. "Quick, have a few sips. It’s been simring for hours."
Even though the fat had been skimd from the chicken soup, so oil still floated on the surface. Raina couldn’t hold it back any longer; she turned to the side and began to dry-heave.
"What’s wrong?" Jessica Jacobs was startled to see her like this. Then, after a mont’s thought, a look of delight spread across her face. "Could it be..."
The sight was jarring to Ethan. His gaze fell upon Raina. "Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were pregnant. Is the food here really that awful?"
Jessica Jacobs looked a little disappointed. "What do you know about a woman’s body? Maybe she is."
Raina couldn’t bring anything up, just an acidic taste that kept rising in her throat. She shook her head, unable to speak.
Ethan’s grip on his chopsticks tightened. ’How could I not know?’ All his joy and hope had been crushed by her. It was just a pain he had to hide away and bear alone, without telling a soul.
"She’s not," Ethan said with conviction. The smile on his lips grew even colder. "Unless she’s been unfaithful and is carrying another man’s child. In that case, there’s nothing I can do about it."
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