30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 186: The Sweetness of Goodbye

Lily had already decided to leave. She didn’t want to carry any lingering feelings toward this city or anyone in it, whether love or hate.

Once she left, she would erase everything from the past, and her new life would begin.

But before that, she wanted to spend a little more time with him, to indulge in his presence just a bit longer.

"This is awful!"

What kind of taste did she have to say it wasn’t that bad? He had never tasted something so sickeningly sweet. It was like they had just dumped sugar cubes into the fruit juice!

"Then forget it; don’t drink it," Lily said, not wanting to force him, as she reached out to take the cup from him.

Ethan glared at her, his thin lips pressed against the straw, and despite his obvious displeasure, he took large gulps of the sweet juice, his frown deepening with each sip. In no time, he finished the entire cup.

"If you didn’t like it, why did you drink so much?" Lily asked, watching his tightly furrowed brows.

And he downed it...

She couldn’t think of any reason for them to stay in the park longer.

There was no reason for them to continue standing here in Central Park.

"Stop nagging! If I want to drink it, I’ll drink it!" Ethan grumbled as he crumpled the disposable cup in his hand and tossed it into the trash can with a perfect arc.

Would he have drunk it if she hadn’t handed it to him?

It really was awful. The sweetness lingered on his tongue, making him feel even more irritated.

Now that the sweet juice was finished, what excuse did she have left? If she wanted to say she wanted to come back to him, she’d better hurry up. He wasn’t known for his patience.

Ethan stood before her, glaring down at her, his expression filled with frustration as if waiting for her to say something.

Lily didn’t speak, didn’t leave, nor did she ask him to go. She just quietly sipped her sweet juice, slowly and deliberately.

Ethan’s patience quickly wore thin.

"Hey! Don’t you have anything else to say?!" He growled, his teeth grinding in irritation. "If you don’t, I’m leaving! I’m a very busy man!"

He had waited this long, and she still wasn’t willing to say they should make up?!

All she had to do was say they were okay, and everything would be fine!

Was he really about to leave?

Even the most beautiful play must come to an end. And so, it was time for this one to end as well...

"Hold this for me," Lily said, handing him her cup.

Ethan’s frown deepened. "I told you I don’t want it anymore!"

What was wrong with her? The juice was terrible, and now she wanted him to drink her cup, too?! Was she messing with him, torturing his taste buds or his stomach? What was she playing at now?!

Lily didn’t say a word; she simply held out the cup, her hand lingering in the air. Her almond-shaped eyes quietly watched his dark, stormy face.

Damn woman.

She really had him wrapped around her finger!

Fine, he’d drink it!

Ethan glared at her with gritted teeth, snatched the cup from her hand, and was about to down the whole thing when Lily stepped closer, the soft scent of her perfume enveloping him.

Ethan froze instantly, his body tensing as his throat bobbed involuntarily. "What are you doing?"

"Don’t move."

Lily raised her hands to loosen his tie, her fingers working carefully to retie it properly, smoothing the dark fabric against his shirt.

He had a habit of yanking his tie loose when irritated as if the tie were suffocating him. Every time, he ended up with it crooked and disheveled.

This would be the last time she would fix his tie.

From now on, it would be some other woman tying it for him. Soon enough, he would forget she had ever existed.

A gentle breeze blew past as Lily finished adjusting his tie, her gaze lingering on it for a long moment before she took the cup of sweet juice from his hand, a faint smile on her lips. "I won’t keep you any longer."

Damn it. Why was she suddenly saying something so formal? What did she mean by "I won’t keep you"? Was she dismissing him?

He hadn’t rushed over here to hear that!

"Goodbye," Lily said softly, looking up at him with a calm smile.

Goodbye?

Great. She was really playing hard to get now. He had given her an easy way out—was she still waiting for him to beg her to come back, for him to apologize and make things right?

"That’s all you have to say?" Ethan’s voice was cold as he narrowed his eyes at her.

Lily still needs to respond. The wind blew her smooth hair into her face, covering her slightly dimmed eyes.

"Fine! Lily, you’re ruthless!" Ethan snapped, his anger barely contained. "Don’t expect me to come running the next time you call!"

She could throw her tantrums all she wanted—let’s see if he would answer her calls in the future.

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t been able to tame someone like Lily. He had compromised, giving her everything she could want, yet she still wasn’t satisfied!

Ethan didn’t walk away immediately. His face darkened as he stood there, glaring at her. Lily stood quietly, not saying a word to stop him.

Her silence completely infuriated him. With a final glare, Ethan turned and stormed off, not looking back, his retreating figure radiating fury.

Lily stood there, watching his silhouette grow smaller and smaller...

Goodbye.

Maybe this really was goodbye forever.

By the pool at the Carter estate, Alex sat quietly on a lounge chair, hunched forward slightly, his hands clasped under his chin as he stared at the rippling water.

That night, when Lily was pushed into the pool, he dived in after her without hesitation, but ultimately, she chose Ethan Blackwood.

Perhaps everything had been decided from that moment.

"Sir."

Two housemaids approached him, bowing respectfully.

"What is it?" Alex looked up at them. "How is she?"

"Miss Anderson sent us away, signed her discharge papers, and left. She left this letter for you," one of the maids said, handing him a neatly folded envelope.

Alex took the letters and waved them off. "You can go."

"Yes, sir."

The maids left together.

Alex opened the envelope, pulling out the neatly folded letter. It was as clean and simple as she was, reflecting her pure and straightforward nature.

Hi Alex,

I’m leaving...

A small smile slowly spread across Alex’s face, his eyes shimmering triumphantly.

Just as he had suspected, he knew her too well. Once she learned the truth, there was no way she could stay with Ethan. She was soft on the outside but firm on the inside—a woman who couldn’t tolerate even the smallest amount of deceit.

Lily, you won’t be anyone’s if you’re not mine.

Ethan could never be your home, and he was never the right man for you...

Alex would never let her belong to anyone else.

Tears began to well in his eyes as he continued reading, one dropping onto the letter and smudging the ink.

Was he the sunshine in her life?

If he was the sunshine, why wouldn’t she walk toward him? Why did she insist on chasing after the storm?

Didn’t she understand that no one would ever love her as much as he did?

Why didn’t she love him? Hadn’t he done enough for her?

Wiping away his tears, Alex stood up and tossed the letter and envelope into the pool. The clear water quickly blurred the graceful handwriting.

Lily, I will never let you belong to anyone else, especially not Ethan Blackwood.

A cold, dark determination flickered in Alex’s tear-filled eyes.

Ethan Blackwood...

I will make you pay for stealing her from me.

"Sir, sir, something’s wrong!" One of the maids came rushing toward Alex, panting as she reached him. "We just got a call from the company—your father has been rushed to the hospital with a heart attack. You need to go see him!"

A heart attack?

This time, it probably wasn’t one of his father’s theatrics.

His father wouldn’t collapse in front of Henry Anderson. His heart had always been weak, unable to withstand too much stress. It seemed Henry had pushed him too far again.

He had nearly died during the centennial celebration.

"Do you know what happened?" Alex asked coldly.

"I heard he had a dispute with Mr. Anderson during the board meeting."

As expected, Henry wasn’t done with the Carter family. He wouldn’t stop until he had dragged them both into the depths of hell.

"Prepare the car."

"The car is already waiting to take you to the hospital," the maid said quickly.

"I’m going to the company." There was nothing he could do at the hospital to save his father’s life now.

The only thing he could do was become strong enough to take everything he wanted.

"You’re not going to the hospital?" The maid looked at him in surprise. "But what about your father? I heard the board meeting is in chaos."

"If my father is down, someone has to take charge."

Alex’s voice was cold as he grabbed his suit jacket from the lounge chair, slipping it on swiftly and confidently. He then strode forward with steady, determined steps.

"Sir..."

The maid stared after Alex, feeling something had changed in him. The gentleman she had known seemed different now.

Outside the Bayswater community.

Sophia Bennett, dressed in a flamboyant outfit, 8-centimeter heels, and heavy makeup, was arguing fiercely with the security guard. "Do I look like a criminal to you?! I just want to deliver a letter! Do you have to be so unreasonable"?!

Rich people’s communities were such a hassle. Even the security guards acted like they were above everyone else. She just wanted to drop off a letter—was that a crime? Was she going to blow up the whole place?

If it weren’t for Lily, she wouldn’t have rushed over here.

"Miss, criminals don’t have a label on their forehead!" The security guard was professional and expressionless as he blocked her way.

This community was home to the wealthiest of the wealthy. Who knew if she was here to seduce someone?!

"Who are you calling a criminal?!" Sophia fumed, ready to explode.

The guard was about to respond when he caught sight of a silver convertible speeding toward them. He quickly opened the gate and stood to the side, bowing respectfully. "Welcome back, Mr. Blackwood."

Seeing this, Sophia tried to slip through the gate, but the guard stopped her again. "Don’t even think about sneaking in!"

The silver sports car zoomed past, and Sophia saw the handsome man behind the wheel.

Ethan Blackwood! 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

That was a face you’d never forget after seeing it once.

Sophia immediately started shouting, "Ethan Blackwood! Ethan Blackwood! I have a letter from Lily Anderson! Lily Anderson!"

But the sports car sped away, disappearing from sight.

Sophia’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. Had he not heard her, or did he just not care?

She had shouted so loudly—there was no way he hadn’t heard her. That meant he just didn’t care about Lily.

These rich men, with their mistresses and women, had no morals at all...

How could Lily have fallen in love with someone like that? Falling in love with a pile of straw would’ve been better than falling for a rich guy like him...

Forget it. She would do as Lily had asked and send the letter a month later. There was nothing more she could do.

Suddenly, the sound of screeching tires echoed from the community.

Sophia turned around to see the silver sports car speeding back toward her, approaching a sharp stop right before her.

Ethan sat behind the wheel, glaring at her as though he wanted to tear her apart.

Sophia instinctively took a step back, startled.

That look in his eyes... it was terrifying.

She felt like she’d been shot through with bullets, the intensity of his gaze making her heart race with fear.

Ethan’s dark eyes bore into her, and then, with sudden aggression, he jumped out of the car and marched over to her, his attitude as arrogant as ever. "Who the hell are you?!"