30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 170: The Struggle for Choice

However, the psychologists all concluded that she was excessively repressing her emotions and could only return to normal by releasing them.

Ethan stared at her intensely, then suddenly stepped forward and snatched the book from her hands, tossing it aside. "Stop reading."

She wasn’t allowed to leave, wasn’t allowed to read...

Then what was she supposed to do at the Blackwood estate?

Oh, right, she could go to the movie room and watch a film...

With that thought, Lily turned to leave, but as soon as she stepped through the door, Ethan’s hand grabbed her arm.

Lily turned to face him, seeing his cold, dark expression. His icy and authoritative voice sounded in her ear: "I’m taking you to an amusement park."

An amusement park?

Did she hear him correctly? Was Ethan taking her to an amusement park?

"Let’s go."

Leaving no room for argument, Ethan took her hand and pulled her along. He chose a comfortable, sporty outfit for her in the dressing room. "Change into this."

Lily glanced calmly at Ethan but said nothing and obediently changed into a white tracksuit. The clothes in the dressing room were tailored specifically for her. Had Ethan never bothered to clear them out, even after she left?

She had already been gone, yet her clothes remained in the dressing room...

When Lily came out after changing, she saw Ethan waiting by the door, dressed in a grey tracksuit.

The tracksuit softened his usual air of violence, arrogance, and dominance. Instead, he looked youthful, even somewhat playful.

Both outfits were from Blackwood’s brand—matching, a couple’s set.

In a couple’s outfit...

Lily’s gaze darkened slightly, but she said nothing.

Her straightforward, clean face and the white, sporty outfit gave her a fresh, vibrant look.

Ethan smiled in satisfaction, stepping forward to gently smooth her long hair. He took her hand and said, "Let’s go."

They got into Ethan’s car, and he drove them away from the estate. Lily glanced at the retreating scenery of Clearwater Bay and asked quietly, "Aren’t you supposed to be at work today?"

"I’m taking you to the amusement park, so no work today," Ethan replied nonchalantly.

If she ended up with a severe case of depression, how could he possibly focus on work?

Was he skipping work just to take her to an amusement park?

Lily felt a strange unease in her chest. She didn’t know how to handle this side of Ethan.

She just wanted to be busy and focus on her own tasks. She didn’t want to bother anyone, not even Ethan Blackwood.

"Why are you taking me to an amusement park?" Lily asked. She couldn’t imagine Ethan at an amusement park, driving bumper cars...

"Because I feel like it," Ethan huffed, his tone arrogant, as if daring her to challenge him.

"Oh." Lily didn’t ask any more questions.

"When we get there, I expect you to enjoy yourself. No more gloomy faces."

How could he force someone to be happy? Lily looked out the window at the road, her voice soft as she said, "I’m not gloomy."

She had seen her reflection in the mirror. She looked calm, indifferent. No sign of sadness...

She was fine.

Why did everyone think she wasn’t normal?

"If you’re not smiling, you’re gloomy!" Ethan said domineeringly.

"If I smile, will you let me go job hunting?"

"Smile first, and we’ll see," Ethan said, glancing at her with a teasing smirk.

"..." Lily tried to force a smile, but it came out awkward and unnatural.

As the traffic light turned red, Ethan’s car came to a stop.

The Carter Group’s large department store chain had several branches throughout the city. Once bustling with business, they now stood almost deserted, with only a handful of people inside.

It was easy to imagine the blows Carter Group had suffered over the past two months. Their reputation had plummeted to rock bottom.

An interview aired on the giant screen outside the mall. It showed Alex Carter looking much more haggard, his eyes slightly red.

"I don’t believe we’re siblings. Lily, let’s do a DNA test. I’ll be waiting for you at Dreamhouse," Alex said, looking directly into the camera. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

I don’t believe we’re siblings...

Lily’s forced smile vanished as she stared blankly at Alex’s face on the giant screen.

Suddenly, everything went dark.

A warm hand covered her eyes. As Lily was about to push it away, Ethan’s lips quickly and seductively brushed against her earlobe, his tongue soft and skillful. The unexpected kiss sent a shiver through her.

Her mind immediately went blank, leaving no room for other thoughts.

"Lily Anderson, you’re not allowed to look at things that don’t matter!" Ethan’s possessive, husky voice rang in her ear.

A moment later, Ethan removed his hand from her eyes. Instinctively, Lily looked up, but the screen was already showing other advertisements.

Lily lowered her gaze, saying nothing. She remained quiet.

Ethan stared at her face, feeling tight in his chest from her silence and quiet compliance.

She was repressing herself again.

Those damn psychologists had written in their reports: Give the patient a choice, don’t make decisions for her. Let her express what she likes and dislikes. Sometimes, facing a difficult situation is more effective for recovery than avoiding it.

Facing it...

Was he supposed to let her face Alex Carter again?

Was he stupid? He wasn’t that generous!

The traffic light had turned green, but the car remained stationary. Ethan showed no sign of moving, but Lily didn’t ask about it either.

After a long pause, Ethan’s voice came out stiffly, "Do you want to go see him?!"

Damn it.

He was compromising again! For Lily, he kept compromising, over and over. He was going crazy!

"What?" Lily clearly didn’t understand what he meant.

"Alex Carter!" Ethan’s tone was stiff and unpleasant, his expression sour. "He wants you to meet him at Dreamhouse! Do you want to go see him?!"

Was the sun rising in the west?

Ethan was asking if she wanted to go see Alex?

Lily remained silent, and Ethan’s mood worsened. His voice grew harsher as he growled, "Well?! Are you going or not?!"

Was he really giving her a choice?

Would Ethan Blackwood ever allow her to make her own decisions?

"Ethan, are you testing me?" Was he planning to punch her as soon as she said yes?

"If you want to go, I’ll take you right now!" Ethan snapped, his tone dripping with irritation. He was giving her the freedom to choose, and she dared to question him?!

Ethan wasn’t testing her.

Was he seriously offering to take her?

To take her to see Alex?!

Lily shook her head. "No."

What would it matter if they were siblings or not? She had already lost her father. If Bill Carter was her biological father, what would that make her and Alex? She didn’t want to think about any of it...

Hearing her answer, Ethan’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk, his dark eyes gleaming with triumph.

He wasn’t deciding for her—she had chosen not to go.

Ethan’s mood instantly improved. He pulled her close and planted a firm kiss on her forehead. "Good girl," he said.

Lily didn’t resist and said calmly, "But I still want to find a job."

"..." Ethan’s brows furrowed. "I can’t take care of you? What’s the point of working?"

Working just meant listening to other people’s orders. Why go somewhere to be bossed around and mistreated?!

Lily said nothing and lowered her head, staring at her hands resting on her lap. She wasn’t happy, but she wasn’t unhappy either.

Why did it feel like she was back when Ethan imprisoned her in those days? It was as if nothing had changed.

It was like... she had never left Ethan’s side, had never seen her father released from prison, had never accepted Alex’s proposal, and had never experienced the chaos of the Carter Group’s centennial celebration.

Looking at her, Ethan felt his chest tighten again.

Fine.

He couldn’t make decisions for her.

He would hold back!

"Do you really want to work that badly?!" Ethan struggled to keep his temper in check, trying to sound "calm."

"Yes." Lily nodded.

"I’ll arrange something for you." At least in a job he arranged, no one would dare mistreat her!

"I want to find one myself."

"Lily Anderson!" Ethan could no longer hold back and shouted, "Can’t you stop rejecting everything I offer?! Do you think you’re in any state to get a job?! Who would want to hire someone who can’t even smile?!"

His words were full of scorn for her current state.

It was just a smile.

How could she not know how to smile?

Hearing this, Lily lifted her face and looked at him. She forced a polite, formal smile, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

Ethan stared at her, dumbfounded. His handsome face looked frozen in shock.

Her sudden smile was bizarre to the extreme.

Was she protesting?

Was she trying to tell him she could smile, just not at him?! Damn it!

"Lily——Anderson!" After a long pause, Ethan roared in frustration, "I really want to strangle you right now and end it all!"

"Why don’t you?"

"Lily Anderson! Do you know how infuriating your face is right now?!"

She knew she was annoying. That’s why she had nothing—why she had lost everything... She had struggled so hard to get where she was; in the end, none belonged to her. Not even her father.

Even the perfect family she once believed in was just a lie. She was nothing more than the product of an affair. What purpose did she have in life?

"If you hate me so much, why kiss me?" After a long silence, Lily asked, her voice calm and emotionless.

"Because I’m an idiot! Is that good enough?!"

Seeing Ethan’s exasperated expression, Lily felt a faint pain in her chest.

She knew Ethan was trying to be kind to her. This was already a lot of respect compared to before when he would have locked her up. He had even asked if she wanted to see Alex.

He didn’t need to do any of this.

"Fine, let’s go to the amusement park," Lily said softly.

Going to the amusement park was similar to going job hunting. As long as she stayed busy, it didn’t matter where she went...

As long as she didn’t have time to think about everything...

"You’ve figured it out?!" Ethan snorted coldly.

"I’ve figured it out." She didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

Ethan started the car and drove forward. They had been stopped so long that the cars behind them had been honking non-stop.

The car pulled up outside the city’s largest amusement park. Despite it not being a holiday, there were still plenty of visitors.

Ethan forcefully pulled Lily close as they walked to the entrance. A staff member dressed in a rabbit costume immediately handed them a pair of bunny ear headbands.

"Bunny girl?" Ethan took the headband with interest and placed it on Lily’s head, making her face look more lively.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, clearly proud of his work. "Not bad. Keep it on."

"..." Lily said nothing nor took the headband off.

Ethan went to buy tickets, casually tossing away the second headband. A man wearing bunny ears was too ridiculous...

Suddenly, Ethan frowned.

Had he asked whether she liked it?

Lily stood quietly by the side, watching him buy the tickets, as silent as a child—neither protesting nor complaining.

Out of nowhere, Ethan turned around and asked loudly, "Do you not like it?!"

"What?"

"The bunny ears." Ethan walked back to her, holding the tickets, his brow furrowed. "If you like them, say so. If you don’t, say you don’t."

"If I said I didn’t like them, would you take them off?" Lily asked matter-of-factly.

She knew Ethan’s dominant personality all too well.

He was used to making all the decisions, used to everyone following his commands and being at his beck and call...