Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 152: His Ashes

"Was this the hand you used to hit me?" The man’s knee was pressed firmly into Miles Hawthorne’s back as he grabbed the fingers of Miles’s right hand and bent them upward.

Raina Reddington saw Miles Hawthorne grit his teeth, not making a sound. In her panic, she got up and shoved Ethan Lancaster. "Make them stop! Make them stop!"

Ethan Lancaster looked completely baffled. "I don’t even know them."

"Enough, isn’t it? Doing this time and time again, don’t you get tired? Ethan Lancaster, you’re a human being, and so are other people!"

The man ripped open the buttons on Miles Hawthorne’s collar, while his other hand was still trying to break his fingers. Raina’s eyes landed on the forks in the fruit platter, and she reached for one.

’She’s really willing to risk her life for Miles Hawthorne. If I don’t stop her, she might even dare to kill someone.’

Ethan Lancaster went over and wrapped his arms around her, prying the steel fork from her hand.

The skin of Miles Hawthorne’s neck and shoulders was exposed. As a grown man, going shirtless would normally be nothing, but this situation was different. Fury burned in Raina’s eyes. She cursed herself for not having the strength to rush over and stab these people.

"Stop!" Ethan finally spoke up.

The man in the lead looked back at him and actually let go. He pulled his leg off Miles Hawthorne, and when the others saw this, they didn’t dare to move either.

A cold sneer formed on Raina’s lips. ’So this is what Ethan meant by "I don’t even know them."’

"Who sent you?" Ethan demanded sharply.

Half of the man’s face was stained with blood. "We hang out here a lot. We just heard a new pretty boy showed up. Didn’t expect him to be so disobedient. I don’t want to cause any major trouble, so we’ll leave it at this for today. But I can’t say what will happen in the future."

Raina tried to push Ethan away. Miles was just as she had seen him that other night—powerless and humiliated, half-kneeling on the ground with his back to her.

"Don’t let her come over." Miles Hawthorne flexed his fingers. ’Thank God, they’re not broken.’

Of course, Ethan wouldn’t let Raina go over. He tightened his arms around her as the group of men walked out of the private room. Miles reached a hand to the back of his head. Blood trickled down his neck, looking as if his artery had been slit—a shocking sight.

"I’ll take you to the hospital."

Miles’s vision went black. He braced himself on the sofa, not getting up right away. The cuffs of his white shirt were also stained red with blood.

’The last few times she’d seen him, it had been like this. Ever since Miles Hawthorne decided to expose those people’s crimes, he had been prepared for the worst. But his current situation was clearly even more dire than he had imagined.’

"I’m fine."

"You’re going to die like this."

Miles Hawthorne let out a soft laugh. "I won’t die. Don’t worry. It wouldn’t be any fun if I died."

He pressed a palm to the back of his head and used all his strength to push himself up. He sat down on the sofa, leaned back slightly, and pointed an arm at the door. "Go."

Raina let Ethan lead her out. Once they reached the doorway, she shoved him away and shot him a deep, scathing look.

The owner was still waiting by the door. Seeing Raina come out, he tried to explain, "Uh..."

"Please, take care of his wounds."

"Of course, of course. Don’t you worry."

Raina walked out quickly. Once outside, she felt something uncomfortable on her face. She raised a hand to wipe it and realized it was blood that had already dried.

Ethan strode to his car. Seeing her just standing there, he slammed the car door shut and walked back to her. "You’re convinced I’m the one who sent those men, aren’t you?"

"You look down on him so much, so why can’t you just throw him out like trash?"

Ethan’s hands, hanging at his sides, twitched. There was blood on her eyelid, making it look as if she had just been crying, rendering her small face even paler. "No! If you set foot in here again, I’ll take his life!"

"Take his life? Fine," Raina nodded repeatedly. "What’s the difference between living like this and being dead? The Fourth Master is so cruel and ruthless, why not just finish the job and send him on his way?"

"Raina, don’t provoke me." Ethan saw how much she cared about Miles Hawthorne. Whenever it concerned him, she lost all reason. "I can crush him whenever I want."

"Do whatever you want." ’Just watching was almost unbearable for Raina, let alone for Miles Hawthorne, who had to endure it. How mentally strong must he be to force himself to keep living?’

’His family was gone, and his last relative was gone too. If it were Raina, she would have lost all will to live.’

"You said it." Ethan saw several people crowding the doorway, watching the spectacle. "You won’t believe anything I say anyway. Who else is in your heart besides him?"

"Isn’t the dazzling world out there good enough? Isn’t Gwen Sharp good enough? Aren’t all those women lining up for you good enough? You came all the way here to watch this drama with me. Besides soiling your eyes, what could you possibly gain?"

The wind on Ethan’s face felt surprisingly cold. Raina stepped closer, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered in his ear, "Happy birthday. This is the wish you wanted, right? Well then, I wish you happiness every day."

Ethan was filled with a storm of conflicting emotions. He knew her wish was fake; right now, she hated his guts.

Cameron Fairchild left the hotel and got into his car. His special assistant was in the front passenger seat. "Mr. Fairchild, the men have withdrawn."

"They didn’t cause any major trouble, did they?"

"No. You instructed them not to harm the Fourth Master. They knew their limits."

Cameron Fairchild didn’t reply. He couldn’t stand seeing Ethan and Raina like this. The only thing he could do was push them into a dead end. He was the one who had someone make the call, and he was the one who sent those men.

’Raina would definitely assume Ethan was behind this. As long as she showed the slightest pity for Miles Hawthorne, Ethan would never let him have an easy time.’

’And so, the knot would only tighten until it became impossible to untie.’

「For the next half-month,」 Raina didn’t go looking for Miles Hawthorne. He wouldn’t want to see her there. Ever since she’d found out where he was, her heart had been more at ease. If she hadn’t gotten that phone call last time, she wouldn’t have gone.

Ethan returned to The Verdant Garden every night, but the two of them grew increasingly cold toward each other, to the point where they couldn’t even speak a single sentence.

That day, Raina didn’t eat dinner at the hospital. When she got home, she went into the kitchen. There were only a few simple vegetables in the fridge. She took out a tomato, planning to make some noodles.

Just as she finished cooking the noodles and placed the bowl on the dining table, before she could even take a bite, she heard a noise from the entrance.

Ethan walked in without changing his shoes, a bag in his hand. Raina didn’t even look up as she sat down to eat her noodles.

The man placed the bag on the table. "This is for you."

"I don’t need it." ’She didn’t want anything from him.’

Raina picked up her chopsticks, lifted a mouthful of noodles to her lips, and saw Ethan reach both hands into the bag. He pulled out a wooden box.

Raina was no stranger to such an object. Even if she had never touched one, everyone knew what it was.

She recoiled in fear. "What are you doing?"

Ethan placed the box next to her hand. "These are Miles Hawthorne’s ashes."