30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 166: The Unspoken Pain

Seeing Lily’s gaze, Sophia Bennett nearly jumped out of her seat. She quickly yanked out the laptop’s power cord and forced a laugh. "Let’s go on a shopping spree! Shopping will cheer you up!"

"I’d like to stay with you for a while. Is that okay?" Lily suddenly asked.

"Huh?" Sophia was momentarily stunned but nodded repeatedly, saying, "Of course, of course, you can stay as long as you want."

"I’ll move out once I find a job."

"Find a job?!" Sophia stared at her in shock.

Was she serious? After everything that had just happened—finding out her father wasn’t her biological father and that her fiancé was her brother—she was thinking about finding a job.

What was wrong with Lily?

Was she suppressing her emotions because of overwhelming grief?

"Yeah, I’ve been out of work for a while. It’s time to find something new." Lily nodded, her face showing no emotion, neither happiness nor sadness. "I’m going to take a shower now."

"Oh, okay..." Lily’s "normal" response dumbfounded Sophia.

Anyone else in her position would be curled up, crying their heart out, but Lily seemed perfectly calm.

So calm... it didn’t seem normal.

Lily entered the bathroom and let the warm water cascade over her. She glanced down at the bruises on her legs where she had hit them on stones earlier.

Her mind was a chaotic mess.

Lily sprayed the showerhead directly on her face, blinding herself with the water.

Her stomach suddenly ached faintly, but the pain quickly subsided.

After her shower, Lily dressed and tidied her hair, making herself look more presentable in the mirror.

Sophia’s apartment was messy, so Lily cleaned the entire place from top to bottom after her shower.

Feeling hungry, she made two bowls of noodles and called Sophia over. "Sophia, come eat."

"Oh, okay." Sophia sat down, feeling uneasy.

Given the circumstances, would Lily’s cooking be inedible... or worse, poisoned for a double suicide?

Contrary to her fears, the noodles were just as good as Lily usually made—delicious, fragrant, and perfectly cooked.

Seeing Lily eat with gusto, Sophia couldn’t hold back any longer and put down her chopsticks, asking, "Lily, are you okay? I feel scared because of how calm you are.

Lily swallowed a mouthful of noodles, then looked up at Sophia and softly said, "I know what you’re thinking, but I’m fine. I still have to keep living."

"..." Sophia was at a loss for words.

There was nothing inherently wrong with what Lily was saying.

It sounded pretty positive and resilient.

But wasn’t she being too optimistic?

Lily seemed the same as always, except she wasn’t smiling. She hadn’t cried, not even a single tear, despite everything that had happened.

After eating, Lily opened Sophia’s laptop and started working on her resume, typing fluently.

Sophia scooted closer, not daring to mention the Carter family scandal. Instead, she focused on Lily’s resume and asked, "What kind of job are you looking for? Your uncle’s magazine is still running. If you want to return to your old job, you could."

But I’m going back right now...

Except for their magazine, every paper, magazine, and TV channel was flooded with news about the Carter family scandal.

Returning to that field would only bring more pain, wouldn’t it?

"No, I want to try something different," Lily said softly. "I’m considering applying for an assistant director position to learn something new. But I’m worried I might not have the right qualifications. I’ll try and see."

Sophia looked at Lily with admiration, almost in awe.

Becoming a director had always been Lily’s dream. Even after such a devastating event, she could still focus on her future.

Lily’s mental strength was truly remarkable...

After finishing her resume, Lily submitted it to several job sites. "I’ll go print this out and apply to some film companies in person," she said.

She saved the resume in her email, stood up, and prepared to leave.

Sophia quickly grabbed her hand, looking at her with concern. "Lily, why don’t you rest for today? You can go tomorrow."

Didn’t she need some time to process everything that had happened?

"I’m not tired." Lily shook her head. She genuinely didn’t feel tired.

All she knew was that she needed to keep herself busy, to fill the emptiness inside her...

If she sat still, the buzzing noise from the mall would start playing in her ears again.

That noise... it felt like a demon trying to consume her whole.

She couldn’t bear it...

Not for a single second.

"Then I’ll go with you," ever-loyal Sophia offered immediately.

Lily glanced at the time on the computer and then looked at Sophia. "It’s past lunchtime. You should head to work."

"But... I’m worried about you."

"I’m fine," Lily reassured her for the third time. "Sophia, trust me. I won’t do anything stupid."

If she had wanted to do something reckless, she would have done it already...

She was fine.

"But I feel like... you’re worse off than someone who would do something stupid." Sophia’s brows furrowed in concern.

"I’m perfectly fine." Lily didn’t understand what Sophia was so worried about.

"Most people who go through something traumatic at least cry or do something to release their emotions, but you..."

"I lost everything when I was thirteen. I spent nine years living in someone else’s house and was Ethan Blackwood’s mistress for a month. Sophia, I’m good at handling pressure." Lily spoke calmly as if she were discussing someone else’s life.

"Is that all there is to it?" Sophia asked skeptically, still unsure if she believed her. Lily’s level of resilience seemed almost superhuman.

"It is."

Lily nodded, and after seeing Sophia off to work, she finally let her nausea take over. She dashed to the bathroom and threw up, emptying the noodles she had just eaten.

If she kept going like this, her body wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Lily returned to the kitchen, made some more noodles, and forced herself to eat despite having no appetite.

She had to take care of herself. She had to keep going.

But why was she so determined to keep going? Lily didn’t know. Her mind was blank, but something inside told her she had to keep pushing forward.

After tidying herself up, Lily went to a nearby shop to print several copies of her resume.

Nowadays, people care a lot about qualifications. She was only a vocational school graduate, so if no one were willing to hire her, she’d use her little savings to take some courses and improve her skills.

She had plenty to keep her busy...

She still needed to improve her English.

Carrying a stack of resumes, Lily walked down the street, unaware that a black Rolls-Royce was slowly following her.

Inside the car, the subtle scent of gardenia perfume filled the air.

Ethan Blackwood sat in the backseat, staring intently at Lily as she walked. She wasn’t even shedding a tear when she was alone.

Right now, she indeed had... nothing left.

His secretary, Helen, sat in the front seat, reading from various newspapers. "We’ve informed all the media outlets not to publish photos of you or Miss Anderson. A few articles did go out last night, but we had Miss Anderson’s images blurred within five minutes."

Initially, Mr. Blackwood had wanted to suppress the entire story, but the scandal was too big to contain.

Ethan’s gaze remained fixed on Lily’s slender figure, and he said nothing.

"Although, given how skilled people are at digging up information online, we’re doing our best to protect Miss Anderson’s privacy and prevent anyone from interfering with her personal life," Helen continued, glancing at Ethan. He still didn’t respond. She followed his gaze to Lily, who was walking ahead.

Ever since Lily had left her friend’s apartment, Mr. Blackwood had been quietly following her in the car, not approaching her, lost in thought.

"Today, Carter Group’s stock has started to plummet. In a few days, it’s expected to hit rock bottom," Helen said, pulling out the latest tablet to show Ethan the stock trends. "Many shareholders are selling off, while Miss Anderson’s father is buying everything."

"Isn’t she acting a bit... strange?" Ethan suddenly asked in a cold voice.

"What?" Absorbed in the stock reports, Helen looked up in surprise, confused by Ethan’s question.

"What was she doing in that shop just now?" Ethan asked, his tone icy.

"Miss Anderson went in to print her resume. It looks like she’s looking for a job."

"Would you be looking for a job after something like this?" Ethan retorted.

"..." Helen couldn’t help but glance at Lily, feeling sympathy.

In front of all those people, her father had publicly announced that she wasn’t his biological daughter and that her fiancé was her half-brother.

How could anyone deal with something like that?

No average person would be thinking about job hunting in this situation.

"Do you think she might be so overwhelmed with grief that she can’t properly express her emotions?" Helen suggested. "Maybe she should see a psychologist?"

Upon hearing this, Ethan abruptly pushed the car door open and exited. The driver hastily stopped the car to avoid him falling.

"Lily Anderson!"

Ethan stormed up to her, shouting her name.

The tall shadow looming over her startled Lily. She instinctively took a step back, her foot slipping as she stumbled.

Ethan’s brows furrowed, and he quickly reached out to grab her by both arms.

Why was this woman so easily frightened?!

He held her arms firmly, but Lily immediately recoiled, yanking her hands away with all her strength as if her life depended on it.

Her resumes scattered to the ground...

He tried to hold onto her, but she pulled away as if she were terrified of him, her actions desperate and frantic... 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

His nails scratched her wrist, leaving five distinct red marks.

"Lily Anderson!" Ethan roared in anger. "Why are you backing away like that?!"

He had only tried to stop her from falling, yet she acted as if he were some kind of monster. Did she have a death wish?!

Lily glanced down at her wrist, her face blank as she looked at the long scratches. She said nothing and quietly pulled her sleeve to cover them, then bent down to pick up her scattered resumes.

From start to finish, she didn’t even wince in pain.

His nails had cut her skin deeply, but she didn’t seem to feel it at all.

"Lily Anderson, are you numb to everything?!" Ethan demanded, grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet.

"I can feel it. You’re hurting me," Lily said softly. She looked up at his angry face, freed her arm, and bent down again to pick up her resume. Then, her body suddenly lifted off the ground.

Ethan had roughly scooped her up, cradling her in his arms as he carried her toward the Rolls-Royce. For the first time, Lily reacted, frowning as she asked, "Ethan Blackwood, what are you doing?!"

"Good, at least you still recognize me!"

Ethan scoffed.

He had thought she was so out of it that she didn’t even recognize people anymore, moving around like a zombie, utterly unresponsive to everything around her!

"Put me down! My resumes are all over the ground." Lily struggled in his arms, trying to break free. She had just printed those resumes.