30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 156: Ethan’s Desperate Plea

Tears streamed down uncontrollably, and Lily’s heart trembled violently. She pressed her trembling hand to her lips, realizing that just because she didn’t want to admit certain truths didn’t mean they weren’t real...

Lily, have you gone mad?

You’ve fallen in love with Ethan.

Maybe it started at the Carter mansion’s celebration when he publicly declared her his girlfriend... From that moment, her heart had already begun to waver. From then on, she had been utterly insane, completely insane...

Suddenly, she was pulled into a tight embrace from behind, the scent of alcohol and a woman’s perfume overwhelming her. His strong hands gripped her waist tightly, refusing to let go.

Lily struggled to break free, but his hands were as hard as a stone.

Ethan held her tightly from behind, lowering his head so his chin rested on her shoulder. His raspy voice, deep and seductive, whispered, "Lily, come back to me."

His hoarse voice carried a note of vulnerability so unlike him.

"Let go."

"Lily, I love you. You’re the first woman I’ve ever cared about."

"Let go!" Lily’s tone grew sharper, but her tears fell even harder.

She couldn’t allow herself to get tangled up with this dangerous man any longer.

Ethan tightened his grip, wrapping her arms and body, his chin resting on her shoulder. "Lily, tell me what’s wrong with me. I’ll change, okay? I’ll change it for you. I won’t hit anyone anymore. I won’t hurt anyone, okay? As long as you come back to me, I’ll change everything for you."

Lily’s whole body trembled.

She never thought she would hear Ethan say such words.

As long as you come back to me, I’ll change everything for you.

As long as you come back to me, I’ll change everything for you.

Lily stood there, staring blankly at the blurred, bustling street before her. It took her a long time to regain her voice, and she spoke softly, "Ethan, you should change, but not for me."

"I’ll change if you come back," Ethan said, holding her tighter.

"Ethan, we’re not right for each other. Let go..." Lily said, summoning her strength to try and break free once more.

This time, Ethan didn’t hold her tightly. As she struggled, he loosened his grip.

Lily blinked, wiped away her tears, and turned around. Ethan stood there, shrouded in darkness, his short hair disheveled, his shirt stained with dark tea marks. He looked nothing like his usual polished self—disheveled and defeated.

"Lily, what do you want me to do?!"

Ethan stared straight into her eyes, his teeth clenched as he growled in a low voice, "What the hell do I have to do for you to come back?!"

Lily shook her head, saying nothing...

Could they go back? Was there even a way back? Was there anything worth returning to in their past?

"Lily, what will it take to make you happy?!" Ethan glared at her, his words sharp and forceful. "Do you want me to kneel and beg? Is that what it will take for you to return, huh?!"

Is that what it will take for you to return if I kneel and beg?

Lily stared at him in shock. Would he kneel to make her stay?

Suddenly, tears streamed down her face again...

Lily couldn’t hold back. Her tears fell uncontrollably.

"Ethan..." Lily choked on her words, "Maybe once, there was a chance for us to start, but now it’s impossible. Do you understand?"

Hearing this, Ethan’s eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean?"

What did she mean by "maybe once"?

"I... once..." Lily bit her lip, struggling to say, "I once had feelings for you."

Maybe her heart still leaned toward Ethan even now.

But... everything was different now.

The desire she once had to stay by his side had been killed by him, wholly snuffed out.

"..." Ethan stared at her in disbelief, unable to say a word.

"But that was only in the past," Lily said, her voice cold and distant. "There’s no possibility for us anymore, Ethan. Do you understand? No matter what you do now, it’s impossible for us."

After saying this, Lily turned to hail a taxi. As soon as she opened the door, Ethan grabbed her arm.

"Lily, explain yourself!" Ethan demanded, his tone authoritative. "When did you ever have feelings for me?!"

She had feelings for him?!

When?

Why hadn’t he felt it at all?!

Lily steadied herself, turning to face him coldly. "Ethan, that’s in the past. I tried loving you, but you killed that with your hands."

"Even if you kneel, even if you wield all your power and tricks, you can’t steal someone’s heart by force," Lily spoke calmly. "Stop wasting your time on me."

She pulled her arm from his grasp, entered the taxi, and closed the door.

Ethan stood on the sidewalk like a statue, staring at her, unmoving.

The taxi started and drove forward, leaving his tall figure behind...

"Miss, your boyfriend is still chasing after the car," the driver said after driving a short distance, slowing down out of sympathy. "You two should just talk it out. Look how pitifully he’s chasing after you..."

Ethan was chasing her?

Lily stared blankly ahead, not turning back. She spoke coldly, "He’s drunk. Don’t mind him. Just drive."

"You young couples..." the driver sighed as he pressed the gas pedal and sped up.

It wasn’t until much later that Lily turned to glance back. The busy street was now devoid of Ethan’s figure—only the blurred city lights remained.

When she returned home, her father was already asleep. Lily collapsed onto her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She lifted her hand, still wearing the engagement ring Alex had given her, a ring symbolizing two hearts intertwined.

But Lily, where has your heart gone?

In this state, getting married is just a way to find a safe harbor to lean on...

Why did you fall in love with Ethan? You’ve admired Alex for over ten years and only known Ethan for such a short time...

Lily, you are crazy.

Lily turned off her phone the next day and went to Sophia Bennett’s small apartment. She sat on her balcony, basking in the sunlight and daydreaming.

Sophia took out the Tears of Airlie gemstone ring and handed it to her. "I’ve been telling you to come pick up this ring for ages. It’s worth so much, and leaving it at my place tempts me to sell it!"

Lily gave a bitter smile and didn’t take the ring.

"Oh my gosh!" Sophia exclaimed, catching sight of the diamond ring on Lily’s finger. "Wow, Lily, you’ve got some serious game! Is that from that guy, Ethan? Or... have you got some other admirer?"

Lily fiddled with the ring on her finger. For the first time, she told Sophia everything that had happened recently, including how she had known Alex since childhood and everything that followed.

As Lily spoke, Sophia’s mouth dropped broader and more comprehensively as if lightning struck her. She was so shocked she didn’t even interrupt.

When Lily finished, Sophia knocked herself on the head and exclaimed, "My God! Lily, this is like something out of an adventure novel!"

Did her story sound like an adventure novel?

Lily didn’t respond, and Sophia suddenly added, "I can’t believe you’d throw yourself away like that and become someone’s mistress! But, to be fair, Ethan is hot. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to resist either. Heck, I’d probably be willing to pay for the privilege!"

Lily looked at her friend, feeling somewhat exasperated.

After everything she had just said, all Sophia could focus on was Ethan’s looks?

Had she chosen the wrong person to confide in?

"One ring is a gemstone, and the other is a diamond," Sophia mused, twirling the gemstone ring in her hand. "It’s tough to choose. If only you could keep both. You’d hit the jackpot with two men—one gentle, one strong. It’d be perfect, like having two husbands..."

Lily looked at Sophia, her head aching. "Sophia, can we be a little more normal?"

"Alright, alright, I’ll try to be normal." Sophia shrugged with a smile, handing Lily a cup of herbal tea. "Here, have some tea."

Lily took the cup, but the strong tea scent made her frown in discomfort.

"How did you brew this tea..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a wave of nausea suddenly surged up her throat.

Lily hurriedly set down the cup and rushed to the bathroom, vomiting her breakfast. Even after everything was out, she still felt like throwing up, as though her stomach had been completely emptied...

She felt awful.

After cleaning up, Lily rinsed her mouth and weakly returned to the balcony.

Sophia was sitting there with a mysterious look, her gaze fixed on Lily’s flat stomach. She asked, half-jokingly, "How long has it been since your last period?"

"What?" Lily asked, puzzled as she sat down.

"Your period."

"Oh, it’s late this month. It’s probably just delayed." Lily’s period was irregular, so she needed to pay more attention.

"Could you be pregnant?" Sophia raised two fingers, ticking off the symptoms. "Late period, nausea... You’ve got two out of the three signs, Lily. And since you’ve been Ethan’s mistress, you must have been busy... Could you be pregnant?!"

Sophia’s words left Lily frozen, her face going blank.

After a long pause, Lily snapped out of it and quickly said, "I just got my test results a few days ago. Everything was fine."

"Well, that’s good... If you were pregnant with Ethan’s baby right now, your wedding with Alex would be off." Sophia breathed a deep sigh of relief, patting her chest dramatically as if she were more nervous than Lily.

"I don’t even know if I should marry Alex anymore," Lily said softly, lowering her gaze. "It wouldn’t be fair to him."

"Oh, come on, don’t be so old-fashioned. Plenty of women marry men they don’t love and still live wonderful lives," Sophia said.

She was fully supportive of Lily marrying Alex.

"But I’d be hurting him."

"If you can lie to him for a lifetime and make him believe you love him, that’s not hurting him—it’s happiness," Sophia said, unusually serious. "Let me ask you, if you marry Alex, will you be committed to the marriage? Will you cut ties with Ethan?"

Lily nodded. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Of course, marriage requires commitment.

"Then that’s settled." Sophia twirled the gemstone ring in her hand. "I’ll hold onto this ring for now. Hopefully, you won’t ever need to ask for it back."

Lily said nothing, staring quietly outside.

Would that mean she wasn’t hurting him?

If she and Alex could live quietly together for the rest of their lives, would that not hurt him?

Maybe if Ethan stopped appearing in her life after some time, she could forget him entirely.

"A man like Ethan only exists in toxic romance novels. Women who choose men like him are in for a world of pain," Sophia suddenly said. It’s like Bella Swan falling in love with the vampire Edward Cullen—could there ever be a happy ending without Dr. Maa and heartache?"