30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 104: A Painful Confrontation

Lily had managed to get Ethan transferred to the intensive care unit, but even here, the setup was rather basic.

The air was filled with the unpleasant smell of disinfectant.

Outside, the sound of heavy rain echoed loudly. Ethan lay half reclined in bed, his eyes closed tightly. His handsome face, usually so fierce, seemed unusually peaceful.

Lily approached quietly and gently adjusted his blanket.

Suddenly, Ethan’s eyes snapped open, locking onto her.

Lily gasped, instinctively stepping back several paces.

Ethan’s brow immediately furrowed, and he glared at her fiercely. "Lily! Get over here!"

Lily clenched her hands nervously. She feared that he might lash out at her if she got too close.

"Lily!" Ethan’s eyes blazed with fury. "Don’t make me come over there and grab you!"

With trembling hesitation, Lily slowly walked closer, her voice quivering with fear. "If you try to hit me, you’ll aggravate your injury. I’m not responsible if you end up bedridden."

How dare this woman say that to me!

Ethan’s jaw clenched so hard it made an audible grinding sound. "Lily, are you threatening me?!"

She had learned from him. After all, wasn’t that how he always spoke to people? With threats?

"I’m just stating the truth," Lily said cautiously as she approached his bed, her eyes full of wariness.

If he really did leap out of bed to hit her, she needed to be ready to run...

Ethan pressed a hand to the bed, trying to sit up. Lily immediately took another cautious step back.

Ethan’s gaze grew even colder, his face hardening. "Lily, take back what you just said. I won’t hit you."

That was the most significant concession he could offer.

It was all because of the reckless way she had driven through the streets earlier...

Lily gripped the hem of her sleeve, staring at his stern face. "I was telling the truth. The doctor said your injuries will worsen if you move around too much."

"Don’t play dumb with me!" Ethan barked, his glare intensifying. "I’m not talking about that."

"What?" Lily looked confused, then suddenly remembered their earlier conversation in the rain.

"Ethan, let’s end this relationship."

"Lily, say that again if you dare!"

Lily met Ethan’s gaze, still firm in her resolve. "I meant what I said, Ethan. Let’s end this."

"Lily!" Ethan yanked out the IV needle, threw off the blanket, and stepped out of bed. His expression was so dark it seemed like he would devour her whole...

Lily, like a startled bird, backed away quickly. "Ethan, can we please be reasonable? Do you always have to resort to violence?"

"You don’t behave unless I hit you!" Ethan coldly sneered, advancing toward her step by step.

Lily backed up until she hit the wall—nowhere left to run.

Ethan loomed over her, seeing her cornered. His tall figure cast a shadow. His right hand clenched into a fist, slowly raising it. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Lily bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut.

She had already said it. There was no way to take it back. Their twisted relationship had to end eventually...

She just hadn’t expected to be the one to say it first before he grew tired of her.

"Bang—"

The punch she had braced for didn’t land. Lily opened her eyes in surprise to see Ethan’s fist in the wall beside her head.

"Ethan..." she started, but before she could say more, Ethan placed both hands on the wall beside her, trapping her in, and without warning, he claimed her lips in a kiss.

The kiss lasted only three seconds before he pulled back, his voice cold and detached. "Lily, I’m not hitting you because I have a better way to deal with you."

It wasn’t that he couldn’t bear to hit her.

Lily stared up at him in shock.

"If you don’t behave, your uncle and his entire family, along with your little magazine, will be nothing more than toys for me to destroy," Ethan said, his face inches from hers, his words dripping with menace. "I, Ethan Blackwood, am capable of anything."

Her heart sank instantly.

Of course, she knew. He was capable of anything.

She had always been afraid to discuss ending things because she feared it would draw her uncle and his family into the mess...

For a brief moment, she had thought their relationship had improved. But in reality, nothing had changed.

Seeing her silence, Ethan thought she had once again given in. He smirked, his smile cold and cruel. "Nothing to say, Lily?"

Lily remained quiet for a few seconds before speaking softly, "Ethan, are you forcing me to stay with you because you’ve fallen in love with me?"

Ethan’s smug expression instantly froze. He looked down at her, his eyes burning with intensity. "It’s you who’s fallen in love with me, Lily. You wouldn’t have been so upset earlier if you didn’t love me."

This was a game of conquest.

He would never be the one to say the word love.

But he would have her heart, completely and utterly.

"I don’t love you, Ethan," Lily said, shutting her eyes briefly before continuing with difficulty. "I am grateful for everything you’ve done for me."

I don’t love you.

She had said it multiple times, and every time, it made Ethan want to hit something.

"Grateful?" Ethan sneered down at her.

"The cookies, the noodles, the home-cooked meals... You hate all of it, don’t you?" Lily asked, her gaze steady as she looked at him.

How did she know?!

That nosy Nanny!

Ethan’s face stiffened, his voice awkward as he responded, "Who asked for your gratitude?"

"I know you’re not entirely bad to me. So, could you please just do one more good thing for me?" Lily’s voice softened, her eyes pleading. "Ethan, let me go. You don’t need me in your life—you have plenty of women."

Do one more good thing for her?

Damn it! Is she giving me a sound person card?!

What does she take me for?!

"Do something good for you? Lily, you’re nothing but an ungrateful little wretch!" Ethan snapped, grabbing her roughly and crushing his lips against hers. His tongue invaded her mouth, punishing her.

"Mmph..."

His teeth nipped at her lips, tormenting her with just enough pain to make her want to resist, but she didn’t dare push him away.

"Mr. Blackwood, Mr. Blackwood, are you hurt again?"

The door to the hospital room suddenly burst open, and Nanny and Butler Angus rushed in, only to freeze in shock at the sight of Ethan pinning Lily against the wall in a heated kiss.

"Uh, we’ll just... leave," Nanny coughed awkwardly, pulling Angus out of the room.

Ethan pulled away from Lily’s lips, turning coldly toward the door. "Nanny, take her back to the villa for a bath! And bring her back when she’s done!"

A bath?

We’re not done talking.

Lily hesitated, tugging at Ethan’s sleeve to say something, but his sharp glare cut her off. "Lily, stop arguing if you don’t want me to take you here and now."

Does she really think Ethan will let her go?

How naive!

Nanny and Angus exchanged awkward glances.

Lily’s face turned pale. Ethan always made his threats sound so disturbingly casual as if they were the most natural thing in the world.

He’s really not going to let me go, is he?

Even begging won’t change anything...

His kindness was nothing more than a form of control, a way to possess her without considering what she truly wanted.

"Ethan, what do you gain from forcing me to stay by your side?" Lily asked quietly, her head lowered, her voice heavy with resignation.

She still dares to speak?!

I’ve been as lenient as possible, and she still doesn’t know when to stop!

Furious, Ethan raised his fist again, but before he could bring it down, Lily had already walked away, her wet hair clinging to her pale face. Even her expression seemed filled with despair.

For a moment, Ethan’s chest tightened painfully.

Does staying with me really make her feel this hopeless?!

Lily, is your heart made of stone?!

"BANG—"

Ethan, suppressing his rage, slammed his fist into the wall, his knuckles splitting open as blood began to flow.

"Mr. Blackwood..." Nanny cried out in alarm.

"Get out!" Ethan roared, his voice raw with frustration.

Lily didn’t react to his shouting. She simply let her tears fall as she walked out of the room, her back turned to him.

Nanny hurried after her, her voice full of concern. "What happened? Why is Mr. Blackwood back in the hospital? And why are you crying?"

She pulled out some tissues, handing them to Lily. "Here, wipe your tears. Did Mr. Blackwood scare you? He’s always had such a fiery temper. Just go along with him, and everything will be fine."

Go along with him?

I can’t anymore.

As they sat in the car, Nanny continued to sit beside Lily in the backseat, constantly offering tissues and comforting words. Her chatter was somehow both irritating and heartwarming.

After a long silence, Lily finally spoke. "Nanny, I want to leave Ethan."

The tissues fell from Nanny’s hand as she stared at Lily in shock. "What did you say, Miss Anderson?"

What caused Mr. Blackwood to throw such a fit in the hospital? And he didn’t even hit her? He actually let her walk out unharmed?

Lily choked back a sob, her tears flowing uncontrollably.

It had taken great courage for her to say the words out loud... but it had all been for nothing. She had been too optimistic, thinking Ethan would change, thinking he would listen to her...

But he wasn’t the kind of man who would let someone calmly finish their sentence.

For Ethan, what he desired was his to keep.

Lily didn’t say another word while Nanny continued trying to console her. "Miss Anderson, why make things difficult for yourself? Mr. Blackwood is treating you so well. What grievance could be so bad that you need to leave?"

The conversation continued all the way back to the Blackwood villa at Shallow Bay, with Nanny’s voice never ceasing.

"Nanny, my father is being released from prison soon." The thought of her father brought fresh tears to Lily’s eyes. Her voice was hoarse and choked with emotion. "I don’t know if you can understand what it’s like for a daughter to not want her father to know she’s become someone’s mistress."

Nanny froze.

Lily said nothing more and headed upstairs.

The bathroom filled with steam, and Lily sat naked in the bathtub, staring blankly ahead. The taste of her tears, mingling with the water, left a bitter, salty aftertaste.

She was her father’s beloved daughter, once a proud heiress. She couldn’t let him discover she had become someone’s mistress, living in the shadows.

What had she become? A toy for a man to satisfy his desires?

If her father ever found out that she had sold her body and dignity, how heartbroken would he be?

Her mother was already gone. When her father was finally about to regain his freedom, she couldn’t give him such a devastating blow.

She couldn’t be so unfilial...

It was her fault. She never should have sold herself in the first place.

She had always thought she had plenty of time, plenty of time to figure a way out...

But she had forgotten that she had willingly jumped into this prison, and the key wasn’t in her hands. She didn’t have the power to escape so easily...

Lily slid further into the water, holding her breath as she submerged herself, letting the warmth of the water cover her body, her head, her thoughts...

The bathroom door suddenly burst open.

"Miss Anderson... Ahhh! What are you doing?! Get up, get up!" Nanny shrieked in panic, rushing to the bathtub and pulling Lily out of the water.

Cough, cough.

Lily coughed twice, wiping the water from her face. Her eyes, red and swollen, blinked slowly. "I’m fine. I just wanted to clear my head. Why did you come in?"