30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 174: Jealous Standoff

"Why not? We were going to get married!" Alex grabbed her soft hand, holding it tightly. Her long, slender fingers were now bare, and his breathing became heavier. "Where’s the ring? Our wedding ring?!"

The ring that had been on her hand just yesterday was now gone?!

"I left it at my mother’s grave."

"Left it at the grave? Why?!" Alex looked at her in disbelief. "That was our wedding ring, Lily. We were going to get married. How could you throw it away?!"

"Can we still get married?" Lily turned her gaze away.

Did Alex still think they could get married?

"You believe that DNA test report? I don’t believe it’s true. Come with me to the hospital, and we’ll get tested!" Alex, usually gentle and composed, was uncharacteristically agitated as he tried to pull her along.

"I don’t want to go, Alex. Let me go." Lily tried to pull her hand free.

"That report is fake! Uncle Henry wanted to get revenge on my father, so he said those things!"

"I don’t want to go." Some dirty truths couldn’t be changed, whether the report was real or fake.

"Why won’t you go?!" Alex shouted. "You’re refusing because you’re afraid you won’t have a legitimate reason to be with Ethan Blackwood, right?!"

"What are you talking about?" Lily was stunned.

How could he say something like that?

"Isn’t it true? I thought you’d be as concerned about the DNA test as I am! But what did you do? Yesterday, you threw away our wedding ring; today, you’re with Ethan Blackwood!" Alex pointed in the direction of the stairs. "Have you been waiting for this day all along?!"

Alex’s aggressive accusations shocked Lily. This was the first time she had heard him speak to her like this...

It was like a husband catching his wife in bed with another man.

Lily felt uncomfortable being accused like this, but she also understood that this situation had hit Alex just as hard as it had hit her. The fault of the previous generation had nothing to do with him...

"Alex, I know this is hard for you too—"

"Even when I won you back on the gambling ship, you still saw Ethan Blackwood frequently! I said nothing because I trusted you’d choose me in the end!"

"You said you became his mistress, and I thought you were forced into it. I thought you were just momentarily swayed by money, but really, you wanted to be with Ethan, didn’t you?" Alex accused her sharply.

Lily’s face turned pale, inch by inch.

She had never seen Alex so angry before, never seen him so harsh and accusing.

He had never even raised his voice at her before...

"You wouldn’t let me touch you when you were with me. You never had feelings for me. All you ever thought about was Ethan Blackwood!"

"Alex..."

Alex wasn’t listening to her. He pinned her against the wall, his emotions out of control. "If you loved me, why won’t you do the DNA test?! What are you afraid of?! You’re afraid of not having a valid reason to leave me, right? Lily, you can’t be this cheap! If you don’t love me, say it!"

Lily stared at his face, her pupils dull. "Do you even realize what you’re saying?"

Alex had called her cheap...

Even in her worst nightmares, she had never imagined that such words would come from Alex.

Her body trembled uncontrollably.

Alex’s expression froze for a moment, and then he hurriedly cupped her face with his pale hands, apologizing in a pained voice, "I’m sorry, Lily. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry, I’m sorry."

He mumbled his apologies, then pulled her into a tight embrace. "Lily, even if we are siblings, it doesn’t matter. We won’t have children. Please don’t leave me, okay?"

Lily pushed him away. Alex’s brown eyes were filled with sorrow, and he looked at her with hope, waiting for her to answer.

His eyes held all his hopes and dreams.

Lily couldn’t meet his gaze. After a long pause, she finally spoke, "Alex, it was never about the DNA."

If it were only about the DNA, things would be much simpler...

"Lily..."

"The fact is, your father did have an affair with my mother. I heard him say it with my ears. I can’t accept that." Lily shook her head, her throat so hoarse it was barely audible.

Alex’s father and her mother had an illicit affair... And then she and Alex... How could they ever be together after that?!

She couldn’t accept it. She still couldn’t take the truth about her mother’s affair; she couldn’t believe it.

She had held onto their family photo for so many years, had longed for a family for so many years... She couldn’t accept that her mother had been involved with Bill Carter.

"That was the previous generation’s problem! It has nothing to do with us!"

"But I can’t accept it."

How could she be with Alex after learning about the affair between the previous generation? How could she face it?

"So all this is just an excuse, isn’t it?" Alex pressed down on her shoulders, looking down at her, his tone growing impatient again. "Did you ever love me, Lily? Since the moment we left that gambling ship, have you just been going through the motions? Was the wedding something your father forced on you... Have you ever loved me?"

"I..."

"I love you, Lily. From childhood until now, the only person I’ve ever loved is you. Even if we are siblings, you’re the only one I love!" Alex said, not waiting for her answer, his voice forceful.

Alex had always been stubborn, and seeing him like this left Lily unsure of what to say.

"You’re using the sins of the previous generation as an excuse because your feelings for me were never as deep as mine for you!"

Lily remained silent. Maybe Alex was right...

Alex cared deeply about his family, too. She had thought that after everything that had happened, he would feel the same way she did.

But he didn’t...

Her feelings for him weren’t as strong as his feelings for her...

She couldn’t compare.

"To say you love your sister—Alex Carter, you are a scoundrel in disguise."

A cold, mocking voice suddenly interrupted from behind them.

Lily turned to see Ethan Blackwood standing at the top of the stairs, leaning against the wall with a wicked expression.

Why was he here again?!

Ethan stood there with his arms crossed, his eyes cold and disdainful as they landed on Alex’s hands gripping Lily’s shoulders. His lips curled as he spoke, "Alex, get your hands off my woman!"

Alex’s face darkened instantly. He released Lily, pushed her to the side, and turned to face Ethan. "She’s my wife."

"Wife?!" Ethan laughed as if he had just heard the most absurd joke. His gaze was filled with disdain as he sneered, "Alex, are you into incest?"

"What did you say?!"

"You want to sleep with your sister?!" Ethan’s words were blunt and dripping with icy sarcasm. "You’re fantasizing about your sister? Doesn’t that make you feel disgusted? Even animals have a sense of morality!"

Alex was thoroughly enraged, his eyes flashing with hatred. He lunged at Ethan, throwing a punch.

Ethan had been expecting it and dodged the blow. He stepped onto the landing and began to fight back, exchanging punches with Alex.

Bang—

Ethan was slammed into the wall, but he quickly retaliated with a hard kick to Alex’s knee, almost making him collapse.

"Alex! I’m going to destroy you today!" Ethan roared. Damn it, how dare he come after his woman!

"I won Lily on that gambling ship! She’s not your woman!" Alex threw another punch.

"Do you get to decide whether she’s mine or not?!"

Ethan’s head snapped to the side from the punch, but he quickly retaliated with an elbow to Alex’s chest, causing him to grunt in pain.

Lily watched helplessly as the two men fought in front of her.

They were like wild animals, oblivious to the pain as they traded blows, each claiming her as their own.

Lily was a living, breathing person. Why did she have to belong to someone? Why did it have to be one or the other? She had her own identity and didn’t want to be labeled as someone’s possession!

"I don’t belong to anyone!" Lily suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.

The two men stopped fighting and turned to look at her.

"I don’t need either of you making decisions for me! Whether I’m with someone or taking that DNA test, it’s my choice, not yours!" Lily shouted at the two men, who were now both battered and bruised.

Ethan and Alex both fell silent. Then, after a moment, Ethan shoved Alex aside and growled, "She’s talking to you. She’s not taking the DNA test, and she’s not staying with you, so get lost!"

"Ethan!" Alex immediately threw another punch at him.

Seeing they were about to start fighting again, Lily’s voice turned icy. "If you two want to fight, go ahead."

With that, Lily turned and walked up the stairs, leaving them behind.

"Lily—"

"If either of you comes after me, I’ll jump off the building!" Lily’s voice was filled with determination.

The little kitten had finally shown its claws.

Ethan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, watching as Lily disappeared up the stairs without following her.

Even kittens had claws when they got angry.

After a moment, Ethan turned back to Alex. "Why are you still here?! I’ll destroy your entire family if you dare bother Lily again!"

"Ethan Blackwood! You better hope you can keep up that arrogance forever!"

Alex glared at Ethan coldly before turning and walking down the stairs. He wasn’t giving up.

After nine years of searching and waiting, there was no way he was giving up now!

With that thought, Alex clenched his fists at his sides, the veins bulging under his skin.

In Sophia Bennett’s small apartment, Lily collapsed onto the couch, feeling utterly drained. All she wanted was to live her own life, but even that had become a distant dream...

It may be better to escape this city altogether.

Then she wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore.

Lily made dinner in the kitchen, and right on time, Sophia returned carrying several large bags. "Lily, come look at everything I bought for you."

"What did you buy?" Lily asked, confused, as she walked out of the kitchen after washing her hands.

"Scarves, for you. Hat, for you. Bras, for you. Dresses, also for you..." Sophia dumped out a pile of items from her bags. "And skincare products, also for you."

Lily was stunned. "Why did you buy me all this?"

Why so much stuff? Was today a special occasion?

"When a woman is heartbroken or feeling down, she must dress up and look beautiful. It’ll help improve her mood!" Sophia smiled as she held up a scarf to Lily’s neck.

She was trying to cheer her up...

"Sophia, I’m fine." Lily gently put the scarf down, feeling a bit guilty. "I feel bad that you spent all this money on me. I should look for my place soon.

Of course, she was touched.

Sophia had always been a good friend who would do anything for her without hesitation. But right now, Lily didn’t want to trouble or inconvenience anyone.