30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 172: Let’s go home

"Sex," Ethan said confidently, bringing the conversation back to where it started. "Lily Anderson, I love you, so I want to have sex with you. That’s the natural order of things!"

If all she was good for was sex, he could easily find a more obedient woman. Why would he go through so much trouble for her?!

He had taken her by force the first time they met.

Did he love her back then?

Had he followed that logic, would he have loved every woman he had slept with? Was he capable of loving that many?

Realizing what he had implied, Ethan quickly corrected himself, his voice turning gruff, "I mean now!"

The past... well, screw the past.

What was the point of digging up old issues?! He hadn’t even asked her if she and Alex had done anything beyond what siblings should!

"And if I don’t want to sleep with you?" Lily asked in return.

Ethan’s brow furrowed, and he growled in frustration, "Lily, you admitted you have feelings for me! You love me!"

If they were in love, why couldn’t they sleep together?!

Before, there was Alex Carter. Now that they had been revealed as siblings, why did she reject him?!

His charm had clearly taken a nosedive when it came to her!

"My father loved my mother too, and my mother loved him," Lily said, her gaze distant. "But I’m not their child."

Love.

It was just a beautifully wrapped lie.

"I guarantee our child will definitely be mine!" Ethan declared.

"Sure, and you can guarantee many women’s children will be yours too."

If every time he slept with a woman, it resulted in a child, he’d probably have enough for a football team by now.

Ethan gripped her chin, forcing her to face him, and growled through clenched teeth, "Lily, I promise you, you will be the only mother of my children!"

Lily’s eyes widened in surprise. For the first time, her expression showed something other than indifference.

He promised that she would be the only mother of his children.

And this promise came from Ethan Blackwood, a man who had been through countless women.

Ethan smirked triumphantly, raising an eyebrow. "Lily, do you have anything to say now? Are you moved?"

Lily didn’t respond, and in Ethan’s mind, her silence meant she agreed.

He had said it himself—nothing would if this didn’t soften her heart.

Ethan pulled her into his arms, one hand on her back, his fingers teasing her through the fabric of her clothes. He leaned down and kissed her lips.

Lily didn’t resist, but she didn’t respond either.

Suddenly, the Ferris wheel came to a stop...

The slight jolt made Lily nauseous again. She pushed Ethan away and quickly left the cabin. Unable to make it to the restroom in time, she found a secluded spot and began to retch.

But nothing came out.

It was just dry heaving.

Her stomach problems had never caused such persistent nausea before.

Was something really wrong with her body?

"Lily! This is the second time today! What the hell is going on"?! Ethan stormed over, grabbing her arm and spinning her around to face him. His voice was harsh and demanding. "Are you sick of me, or are you sick for real"?!

Chasing after Lily was harder than chasing after an alien!

Lily wiped the corner of her mouth and said flatly, "I’m not feeling well. The Ferris wheel jolted when it stopped."

For some reason, she didn’t want him to misunderstand.

"That tiny jolt made you puke?! Lily, who do you think you’re fooling?!" Ethan didn’t believe her at all, his tone laced with irritation.

"If you don’t believe me, I can’t help that."

Lily glanced at his furious expression and turned to walk away. Suddenly, she noticed a crowd of onlookers gasping in awe and looking up at the sky.

Lily followed their gaze and saw countless heart-shaped balloons floating into the sky. The colorful balloons lit up the entire sky with vibrant shades.

"Wow, that’s beautiful..."

"Quick, take a picture! So romantic."

"Look at all those balloons."

Lily stared quietly at the scene. Beside her, Ethan let out a cold snort. "I shouldn’t have done so much! Lily, you’ve got guts! I’m done with you!"

With that, Ethan stormed off, disappearing into the crowd.

Lily instinctively wanted to follow him, but her feet remained still.

She didn’t dare take a step forward...

Right now, she didn’t dare chase after Ethan. In life, it was the same... She was too afraid to take any steps forward.

Standing still was the safest option.

He said he wouldn’t care about her anymore... That was good.

She didn’t want anyone to care about her. She tried to stand on her own without relying on anyone...

Around her, couples took pictures and whispered sweet nothings, their faces glowing with happiness.

That was something she lacked.

After a long while, the balloons floated far into the sky, leaving only faint colors in the distance. The couples began to disperse...

Lily stared at the sky for a while longer before turning to leave. A heart-shaped balloon, slightly deflated and broken, lay by the side of the road.

Lily bent down to pick it up. The golden words on the balloon were bold and beautiful: Lily, everything will be better.

Her heart ached sharply.

Were those Ethan’s balloons? Was that why he had said he shouldn’t have done so much?!

"Thank you," Lily whispered softly, clutching the balloon.

Ethan, thank you for doing so much for me when I had nothing... But I’m sorry, I know what you want, but I can’t give you anything in return right now...

"Who wants to hear your thanks?!" A domineering, disdainful voice suddenly sounded behind her.

Lily’s heart skipped a beat. She turned, stunned, to see Ethan standing there, his handsome face filled with pride and arrogance, though his eyes couldn’t hide their happiness.

This woman was thanking a stupid balloon... How ridiculous.

"Weren’t you leaving?" Lily asked, surprised. She had thought he’d left her at the amusement park.

A flicker of embarrassment flashed across Ethan’s face before he loudly declared, "I felt like coming back! Got a problem with that?!"

If he hadn’t come back, he wouldn’t have seen this. Why didn’t she say I love you to the balloon instead? That would have made him even happier...

Lily held the balloon and said nothing, lowering her gaze.

Suddenly, Ethan strode over, pulling her into a tight embrace and rubbing his face against her hair. His voice was a little muffled as he said, "Lily! I can’t always turn back! Can’t you give me a little hope?!"

He had thought that this woman was as good as his with Alex out of the picture.

Her body, her stubborn heart—they would all be his.

But now... not only was there no hope, he couldn’t even see a spark. It was like staring into a still, deep well—no ripples, no movement.

Hope?

She had lost all hope for herself. How could she give him any?

Lily was tightly held in his arms, her gaze flickering slightly. She lifted her arm, wanting to wrap it around his waist, but her fingers froze, unable to move...

She tried, but she couldn’t bring herself to hug him back.

"You stubborn woman, let’s go," Ethan said, grabbing her hand and leading her away.

"Where are we going?"

"To cool down!"

When Ethan handed her two ice creams, Lily realized she had misjudged him.

She had thought his idea of "cooling down" meant something else...

"I don’t need two," Lily said, holding out one of the ice creams to him.

"Who said it was for you? You have a bad stomach and still want to eat cold stuff?!" Ethan shot her a cold look, grabbing her hand and taking a big bite of the ice cream. "You’re holding it so I can eat it!"

Were his hands broken or something?! He needed her to hold his ice cream?

"Hold it up higher, I can’t reach."

"Too high! I didn’t think a shorty like you could reach so high. Not bad, your arms are pretty long."

She was 165 cm tall, not that short. Not everyone was built like a gorilla like him.

"Too low! Are you doing this on purpose?! Hold it higher!"

This man...

Lily abruptly raised her arm just as Ethan bent his head down...

Smack—

A large chunk of ice cream splattered onto Ethan’s handsome face, and instantly, his face turned as black as coal.

"Lily——Anderson!" Ethan growled her name through clenched teeth. "Do you get a kick out of making me mad?!"

He had lowered his head suddenly. How was that her fault?

Lily shoved the ice cream into his hand and pulled a tissue to wipe his face. Her fingers brushed against his skin through the tissue.

Ethan’s face stiffened, his dark eyes locking onto hers. The anger dissipated as he quietly enjoyed her touch.

Lily carefully wiped the ice cream from his face. Ethan suddenly felt his throat tighten. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he unzipped his tracksuit a little to breathe easier.

Just a simple touch from her, and his body was already reacting.

Cough.

Ethan cleared his throat, tossing the ice cream and tissue aside. He grabbed her hand. "Come on, let’s go home."

If they stayed any longer, the fire inside him wouldn’t be cooled by two ice creams; he’d need something else to quench it...

Home?!

"You said I didn’t have to return to your place." She had survived the shooting game earlier. Was he going back on his word again? Was he really this fickle?

"You want to go back to your friend’s place? Is that place so great? Is it bigger than my house?!" Ethan scoffed, pulling her along.

Lily stopped in her tracks. "How do you know I’m staying at a friend’s house?"

Ethan snorted arrogantly. "Is there anything I don’t know?"

"You’ve been following me?" Lily asked. It wasn’t the first time Ethan had done such a thing. He always knew her every move.

"So what if I have?!" Ethan responded without a trace of guilt.

If he didn’t even know where she was, wouldn’t that make him a failure?!

"Doesn’t matter," Lily said expressionlessly, turning her head away from him.

After all, he never thought anything he did was wrong. The only bad people were others.

"Can you stop being so passive-aggressive?" Ethan said, irritated by her attitude. What was there to be upset about?

"Can you stop being so self-righteous?" Lily retorted, her voice tinged with frustration.

Ethan had managed to stir her emotions without even realizing it, though Lily didn’t notice.

Ethan wasn’t angry. Instead, he raised an eyebrow, surprised at how she started talking back.

Was this her way of venting?

After a pause, Ethan continued arrogantly, "You’re my woman. Why wouldn’t I follow you?"

"I’m not your mistress anymore. I almost married Alex."

"And you’re still missing Alex?! He’s your brother! You want to marry him? Wait till your next life!" Ethan’s temper flared the moment she mentioned Alex’s name.

"And besides, Lily, you are my woman. I merely let you go out to play for a bit, but now you need to come back." She had always been his. Alex had nothing to do with it!

Lily stared at him. Everything revolved around him in his world, and his reasoning was always correct.

"Got nothing to say?" Seeing her silence, Ethan took it as her admitting defeat. He raised an eyebrow arrogantly and pulled her hand, saying, "Let’s go. We’re going home."