Private Marriage, Secret Love-Chapter 174: Crushed

Raina Reddington took a taxi to the address Gwen Sharp had sent her. It was a secluded bed and breakfast with a row of small buildings set up as tea rooms. Gwen Sharp had reserved a private room in one of them.

When Raina Reddington entered, she saw Gwen Sharp was the only one inside.

She walked over and sat down across from Gwen Sharp. "Just get to the point."

Gwen Sharp pushed the freshly brewed tea in front of Raina Reddington. "Doctor Reddington, I’ve always owed you my thanks, and an apology."

"Those words of yours are worthless. Don’t bother saying them to me."

Gwen Sharp looked slightly embarrassed. "I’ve never asked for anything from the Fourth Master. I certainly don’t need any kind of official status."

"Then you should also know that even if you asked for it, no one would give it to you."

Gwen Sharp’s face turned completely pale. She had no idea what to say next.

"I have things to do this afternoon. Get straight to the point."

"Doctor Reddington, I know you have a serious illness. A very serious one..."

Raina Reddington’s hands, resting on her lap, involuntarily clenched into fists, but she didn’t show her hand just yet. "What do you mean?"

"Your illness can only be cured with a bone marrow transplant. But if you keep dragging this out, even a transplant won’t be able to save your life."

Raina Reddington slowly closed her eyes. "How do you know that?"

"Doctor Reddington, finding a suitable donor is like finding a needle in a haystack."

"I don’t need your ’kindness.’"

Having come this far, Gwen Sharp was still conflicted. She looked down at the file folder on her lap, hesitating.

She knew what revealing this would mean for Raina Reddington.

Then she, Gwen Sharp, would be the villain, through and through.

But if she kept it to herself, Ethan Lancaster and Raina Reddington would never make a clean break.

"Doctor Reddington, why don’t you ask the Fourth Master for help?"

Raina Reddington found this laughable. "If I told him everything, where would that leave you?"

"No, he wouldn’t do that. The Fourth Master would probably help you, but that’s it. After all, you were once husband and wife, and that still means something."

’A coppery, sweet taste seemed to rise in my throat. She’s so confident,’ Raina thought, ’but isn’t all that confidence a gift from Ethan Lancaster?’

’He doted on her, treating her as if she might melt in his hands. Compared to his actual wife, Gwen Sharp has it far too easy.’

The room was silent. Raina Reddington lifted her teacup and took a sip. Gwen Sharp’s fingers were clenched so tightly around the file folder. "Doctor Reddington, you were originally supposed to have a bone marrow transplant, weren’t you?"

’I can’t believe Gwen Sharp even knows about this. The hospital would never have leaked it.’ "You managed to dig this up, too?"

"The bone marrow meant for you... it was given to Mrs. Knight. The surgery was this morning. It should be over by now."

Raina Reddington’s hand trembled uncontrollably. She slowly, deliberately, curled her fingers into a fist. "Is that so?"

"Someone found the donor. You should understand... otherwise, you would have been the one on that operating table today."

Raina Reddington closed her eyes again, not wanting to speak. Looking at her, Gwen Sharp felt a pang of pity. She knew that if she were in Raina’s shoes, she would never be able to accept such an outcome.

Gwen Sharp’s fingertips dug into the file folder, tearing a hole in it. "It was the Fourth Master. The Fourth Master found the donor, gave him a huge sum of money, and had him specify that the marrow be donated to Mrs. Knight."

The moment Raina Reddington opened her eyes, they were hollow. Filled with disbelief and an unconcealable despair, it was the kind of despair one feels after being shoved into an abyss. There was terror and shock—a look that would make anyone’s heart ache. It was as if Gwen Sharp had snatched away the very life preserver Raina had been clinging to, leaving her to flail and struggle for her life.

"Impossible!"

’It can’t be. No matter what, it can’t be like this.’

’Something like this could never happen.’

Gwen Sharp swallowed hard, then held out the file folder to Raina Reddington. "The Fourth Master is now Mrs. Knight’s savior. Mr. Knight treats him as a guest of honor, practically willing to hand over the entire Knight Family to him. And it’s all thanks to that bone marrow."

Raina Reddington stared at the folder, not daring to reach out and take it.

Gwen Sharp placed it in front of her. "I know you can’t wait for another donor. Doctor Reddington, everything I’ve told you is the truth. If you really can’t bring yourself to believe it, you can go ask the Fourth Master."

A bitter sting rushed to the bridge of Raina Reddington’s nose. The pain was so suffocating she couldn’t get a single word out.

’How could this be happening?’

’He’s killing me! He’s literally taking my life!’

’After I got the notice from the hospital, I was so happy I had dinner with him to celebrate. But then he turned around and snatched away the bone marrow that was meant for me.’

For the first time, Raina Reddington let her vulnerability show in front of someone else. She sat there like a puppet, completely crushed by Gwen Sharp’s words.

"Doctor Reddington, I’m just telling you what happened. The marrow is gone, and you can’t get it back. You..."

Cameron Fairchild had promised her that if Raina Reddington went looking for Ethan Lancaster, he would do everything in his power to stop her. He would never let Ethan Lancaster find out what Gwen Sharp had done behind the scenes.

After all, Cameron Fairchild would be implicated too, and that would make things difficult.

Raina Reddington’s hand lightly came to rest on the file folder. "You can go."

Gwen Sharp stood up eagerly and grabbed her bag from the table. "You... take care of yourself."

The sound of the private room’s door closing reached Raina Reddington’s ears. Now she was all alone. Only then did she open the file folder. Inside were Mrs. Knight’s medical records, the donor’s information, and photos of Ethan Lancaster meeting with Mr. Knight. Raina didn’t dare miss a single detail, looking through every single page and document. The last glimmer of hope in her heart shattered with a deafening crash. Any shred of wishful thinking was now just a delusion.

Raina Reddington suddenly understood. Death itself wasn’t scary at all. What was terrifying was that Ethan Lancaster was the one pushing her toward it.

Tears streamed down her face. ’Could it be possible? Did he know I was sick, know I was waiting for a transplant, and still take it from me?’

’He... he wouldn’t, would he?’

’But if Gwen Sharp knew, how could he not?’ 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

A hot breath seared Raina Reddington’s nostrils, and her breathing felt like it was on fire. She stuffed all the documents back into the folder.

Her chest ached unbearably, her breathing was constricted, and she felt the urge to vomit.

Raina Reddington picked up the teacup on the table, wanting to take a drink, but instead coughed up a mouthful of blood into the cup.

The blood mixed with the tea and splashed out, splattering the back of her hand.

Raina Reddington frantically pulled out a tissue from the dispenser nearby. She stood up and threw the cup into the trash can.

The taste of blood filled her mouth, and the smell made her even more nauseous. As Raina Reddington left, she took the file with her. When she went to the counter to pay, the waitress smiled at her. "The lady who was here earlier already took care of the bill."

Raina Reddington pulled out her wallet and took out several large bills. "I broke a cup."

"You don’t need this much for that."

Raina Reddington turned a deaf ear, emptying her entire wallet onto the counter. ’I won’t be needing it anymore,’ she thought. ’What’s the point of keeping it?’