When the Contract Marriage Ended, He Stayed

###Chapter 107: The Unhinged Raina Lowell

So Aiden Xavier and Hazel Hawthorne’s relationship was already that intimate, and she hadn’t even noticed. She’d always believed Aiden’s excuses, thinking the only reason he hadn’t divorced Hazel yet was because he lacked a good reason, and that was why he maintained their current arrangement.

But that wasn’t it at all. The truth was that Aiden Xavier had never even considered divorcing his wife. The more Raina Lowell thought about it, the angrier she became, a deep sadness welling up inside her. She had given Aiden everything, only to end up with this.

Yvette Hawthorne wasn’t sure if Raina Lowell was even listening. When a long silence passed without a response, she continued, "Actually, I think my brother-in-law is still quite fond of my sister. Why else would he put up with her temper? Very few people can handle her personality, you know."

"Is that so?" Raina Lowell’s voice was cold, betraying no emotion. Her grip on her phone tightened. "I was under the impression their relationship was on the rocks."

Yvette Hawthorne feigned surprise. "Why would you think that?"

Raina Lowell said nothing. She had never personally witnessed how Aiden and Hazel Hawthorne behaved around each other. Of course, whenever she was present, the two of them always acted so distant that she couldn’t tell a thing.

"A woman has to be careful, you know. Don’t let yourself be fooled by a facade." Yvette Hawthorne’s words were pointed. She sighed. "Well, I have to go. I need to take my mom shopping." And with that, she hastily hung up.

Raina Lowell sat in the living room, her eyes fixed on the maid bustling about in the kitchen. Her bottled-up rage had nowhere to go. Glaring viciously at the maid’s back, she suddenly stood, strode over, and snatched the towel from the woman’s hand, flinging it to the floor.

The maid was terrified by her ferocity. Not daring to speak, she looked at Raina Lowell with trepidation. "Ms. Lowell."

Without a second thought, Raina Lowell lunged forward, grabbed the maid by the throat, and backed her into a corner. "Why does the very sight of you piss me off?" she snarled.

The maid had no idea what she had done to set Raina Lowell off this time. She cowered in the corner, trembling uncontrollably. Before she could utter a word of explanation, Raina Lowell grabbed a small knife from the countertop and slashed her arm.

The sight of blood beading on the skin seemed to bring Raina Lowell a twisted sort of pleasure. She grabbed the maid’s arm, holding her fast so she couldn’t struggle, and continued to drag the knife across her skin.

The pain caused the maid to break out in a cold sweat. She knew that crying for help or begging for mercy would only fuel Raina Lowell’s sadistic urges. Not only would she not be spared, but she would end up hurt even worse.

By the time Raina Lowell was finished, the maid was slumped weakly on the floor. Raina Lowell glanced dispassionately at the web of small cuts on the maid’s arm before flinging the knife to the ground with a satisfied clatter. "Go bandage that yourself," she said coldly. "Don’t let Aiden find out."

The maid didn’t dare make a sound.

As if remembering something, Raina Lowell turned back. She fixed her gaze on the maid, who was just struggling to her feet, and warned, "You know what to say and what not to say. If you let Aiden know a single thing that happened here, don’t blame me for what comes next."

The maid wouldn’t have dared report her to Aiden now. All she wanted was to stay alive. And with Raina Lowell’s warning, she didn’t dare try to resign, either.

Feeling a sense of release, Raina Lowell went back to her room, showered, and changed. When she came out, she saw Aiden Xavier standing there. At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She froze for several seconds before rushing forward excitedly and hugging him from behind.

She pressed her cheek tightly against Aiden’s back, inhaling his familiar scent. Only then did Raina Lowell’s mood truly lift. "Aiden, I thought you weren’t coming to see me anymore."

"Raina." Aiden Xavier turned and pushed her away. His cold gaze made her heart clench with fear. "Why were you at Harrison Hawthorne’s birthday party?"

Raina Lowell fell silent. She had, in fact, overheard Harrison Hawthorne’s phone call to Aiden and learned he would be attending the party. "And why couldn’t I go?"

"You know damn well you have no place at an event like that."

"And what kind of event is that?" The image of Aiden standing beside Hazel Hawthorne at the party flashed through Raina Lowell’s mind, and she couldn’t stop herself from asking, "Is it because you didn’t want me to find out that you and Hazel are actually on good terms? Or is it because you feel my status makes me unfit to be there?"

"What do you think?"

Raina Lowell shook her head. "Probably both. You didn’t want me to know that you and Hazel get along so well, and you thought my presence at Harrison Hawthorne’s birthday party would only embarrass you. In your eyes, someone like me should be kept out of the public eye."

Without even pausing to think, Raina Lowell shot back, "But who put me in this position, Aiden? Have you ever thought about that? If you really wanted to be with me, why are you still so unwilling to divorce Hazel? Do you really have no feelings for her at all?"

"If you think I do, then I do." Aiden had no desire to argue this point with her any longer. His cold, predatory gaze swept over Raina Lowell’s grief-stricken face. "You don’t get to set the rules. If you want to play the game, you need to know your place."

’A game?’ Raina Lowell stared at Aiden in disbelief. "So that’s all this is to you? A game?"

Aiden’s patience with Raina Lowell had run out. Ever since Finn Quinn found and delivered the information from all those years ago, she had lost all her value to him. He wasn’t one to waste his time on someone who was no longer useful.

"Raina, I will, of course, keep the promise I made to your brother."

’I understand now,’ Raina Lowell thought. Aiden only remembered the promise he made to her brother, but he had forgotten the promises he’d made to her.

Raina Lowell stood frozen in place, staring at Aiden’s expressionless face. She couldn’t stop herself from asking, "Did you really fall in love with Hazel Hawthorne in the three years I was gone?"

Aiden didn’t answer. He never answered questions he didn’t want to. His relationship with Hazel was his own business, and he didn’t need anyone else meddling in it.

"Answer me," Raina Lowell pressed, refusing to give up. "If you really fell for Hazel, then why have you been so good to me since I came back? You stayed with me all night at the hospital for me. You put aside company business for me. For me, you..."

Raina Lowell’s words trailed off into sobs. Aiden had done so many things for her, things she never thought he would do. But now, thinking back carefully, she realized he had never once considered divorcing Hazel Hawthorne for her sake.

He had never even considered crossing Fiona Forrest for her.

It was as if Raina Lowell suddenly understood everything and nothing at all. She just stared blankly at Aiden’s face, trying to see who truly resided in his heart, but he had always been an inscrutable man.

She alternated between crying and laughing. "Why are you telling me all this?" she asked Aiden. "Is it because I went to the party without your permission?"

Aiden stated calmly, "What I dislike most are people who don’t listen."

*****