30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 217: Burdened Tears

Lily sat on the bathroom floor, clutching her knees as tears streamed down her face. The locked bathroom door was suddenly pounded twice, followed by Ethan’s angry voice.

"Lily Anderson! Come out!"

Startled, Lily scrambled to her feet and hastily wiped away her tears. Outside, Ethan’s voice grew more impatient. "Lily, if you don’t come out, I’m coming in!"

Damn it!

Why is she taking so long in the bathroom? Did something happen?!

Bang, bang, bang—Ethan began relentlessly pounding on the door, each hit louder than the last.

Lily cleared her throat and hastily said, "I’m coming out now!"

She splashed her face with cold water once more, grabbed some tissues to dry herself off, and slapped her cheeks a few times to make herself look more composed. Don’t cry in front of Ethan, she reminded herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

When she opened the door, Ethan was in mid-motion, about to kick it in. Seeing her emerge, his tall figure froze, and his eyes were filled with worry and anxiety.

That expression... she rarely saw it on his face.

What she usually saw was his anger, his frustration, his fury.

Unable to help herself, Lily smiled. "What are you doing?"

Ethan awkwardly lowered his leg, straightened his coat, and cleared his throat. "If you hadn’t come out, I was about to break the door down!"

"Why?" Lily asked, her almond-shaped eyes soft and shimmering with a gentle light.

"Because I’m bored! Is that not reason enough?!" Ethan huffed, his voice cold.

Lily looked at him quietly. His deep eyes stared back at her for a moment before. Finally, a strained voice escaped his throat. "I was worried something happened to you."

"I’m fine. You’ll find the antidote, won’t you?" Lily said with a bright smile as if she wasn’t worried. She seemed to put her complete trust and hope in him.

"Of course."

Ethan realized he wasn’t as optimistic as she was. Maybe he had underestimated her resilience. This woman was more substantial than he thought.

"Hug me," Lily said, stretching her arms toward him with a smile. Ethan looked at her as if she were a strange creature. "Lily Anderson! Are you acting cute right now?!"

He grabbed her hand, pulled her into his arms, and held her tightly despite his words.

His embrace was so warm that it melted the lingering cold inside her.

As they left the biological research institute, Ethan held Lily’s hand as they walked to the car. Her mind, however, was still replaying Professor Harris’s words.

"If there’s no antidote, how long before I completely lose the ability to care for myself?" she had asked.

"That depends on the individual’s resistance. Those with weaker constitutions won’t even be able to stand within six months. Stronger individuals may last ten to thirteen months," the professor had explained.

"And... what about my baby?" she had asked, her voice trembling.

"The baby will be fine, don’t worry. You can opt for an early delivery if you’re concerned about your body’s ability to handle the strain. But you don’t need to worry about the baby," the professor reassured her.

Lily had so many dreams for her child’s future. Now, it seemed like she might not even have the strength to hold her baby. She would gradually become a burden—a useless shell of herself.

Ten years...

If she were bedridden for nine or more of those years, how long could Ethan take care of her? How long could she bear to let him?

She didn’t want to become a burden.

Lily glanced at Ethan’s profile, her heart aching with overwhelming pain.

"Ethan, would having this baby and staying with you make you happier?" she asked suddenly, her tone serious.

Ethan’s hand tightened around hers, and he turned to glare at her, his voice booming with anger. "What are you saying? You just told me you believed I wouldn’t let anything happen to you!"

This woman... Why did she always have to say things that sounded like her final wishes?! 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"I do believe you," Lily said with a soft smile, her eyes curving gently. "I’m just saying, if—if there’s no antidote, and I can’t care for the baby, would you still... want them?"

"There is no ’if’!" Ethan snapped, his eyes locking onto hers with an intense gaze. He spoke each word slowly yet firmly. "Lily, listen to me. I want you, and I want the baby!"

His eyes burned with a determination she had never seen before.

Lily’s heart trembled, and she pressed her lips tightly together, afraid that if she spoke, she would burst into tears. She could only nod silently.

"We’re not going back to the city today. Let’s stay here and have some fun," Ethan said.

Lily nodded again.

A long time ago, Lily had read a book that said that if one day you find out you have a terminal illness after the sadness passes, you should focus on making sure the people around you don’t suffer even more.

If you smile, stay happy, and fulfill your remaining dreams, those who care for you will find solace in your happiness and will not have regrets.

Because when you’re gone, you won’t feel anything anymore. But the ones left behind will continue to live; every time they think of you, they’ll cry.

Those who have people who care for them are never the ones who suffer the most.

The real pain belongs to those who lose the ones they care about...

But Lily didn’t know how to categorize her current situation. She wasn’t facing a few short months of life. Instead, she was staring down ten years of torment—ten years of watching Ethan suffer for her.

How long could she endure such a life? And how long could Ethan endure it?

Could their love survive such a strain?

This was perhaps even scarier than a terminal illness—so terrifying that she couldn’t even imagine it.

Ethan postponed their return to the city and booked the most luxurious presidential suite available.

Lily sat in the bathtub, her mind swirling with thoughts of the future she was too afraid to face. She felt lost, unable to imagine what her life would become.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped them away, but more came. She couldn’t let Ethan see her like this—she couldn’t let him know.

Sitting in the tub, Lily tilted her head back as the warm water rose to her neck. The steam filled the bathroom, mingling with the faint scent of aromatherapy.

After a long while, Lily finally got out of the tub. Despite the heat of the water, she felt incredibly cold.

Wrapping herself in a towel, she picked up the hairdryer and dried her hair. Her reflection in the mirror showed red-rimmed eyes and a pale face. She couldn’t let Ethan notice.

As she dried her hair, she practiced smiling at her reflection to make it look more natural.

Suddenly, a strand came loose as she ran her fingers through her hair.

Her breath caught.

The hairdryer slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.

Lily froze.

"AuroraVirus has a short incubation period. The main symptoms include... excessive sleepiness, hair loss, weakness, and an inability to live a normal life."

Staring at the strand of hair in her hand, she felt like the world was spinning. Was she already losing her hair? Did this mean she was one of the weaker cases? Would she be unable to stand in less than six months?

Less than six months...

No... no, this can’t be happening...

She refused to believe it. Running her fingers through her hair again, strands came away effortlessly, following her fingers as if they were barely attached.

Lily nearly screamed but bit her lip to stop herself.

Her hands trembled as she stared at the strands of hair. Her lips quivered uncontrollably.

Why is this happening? Why now?

She didn’t want to go bald so quickly. She didn’t want her hair to fall out. She didn’t want to look ugly in front of Ethan. She didn’t want to become someone so unrecognizable to him.

Suddenly, the bathroom door burst open with a loud bang. Lily flinched, quickly hiding the hair behind her back.

Ethan stood in the doorway, his hand gripping the doorknob. His dark eyes bore into her as if trying to figure out what was wrong.

Lily stared at him, startled, her hand clutching the hair tightly behind her. She forced herself to look annoyed and said, "I’m taking a bath. Why are you coming in?"

"There’s no part of you I haven’t seen," Ethan retorted coldly. His eyes swept over her as if checking for injuries.

He acted like he’d seen a ghost, constantly worried something might happen to her. He still wasn’t sure if she could handle this.

"Get out," Lily said with a frown. "I’m not done yet."

Ethan’s gaze dropped to the hairdryer on the floor. "Why did the hairdryer fall?"

Lily’s eyes flickered. "You startled me when you suddenly pushed the door open. That’s why it fell."

Ethan looked at her suspiciously. "That’s all?"

"You scared me," Lily insisted, nodding firmly.

Ethan stood there momentarily, his deep gaze fixed on her as if contemplating what to say. Finally, he barked, "Are you done yet? How long are you planning to stay in there?!"

Was she planning to spend the entire night in the bathroom, making him worry for no reason?

"I’ll be out soon. Just finishing drying my hair," Lily said quickly. "Now go!"

This woman... Why was she so eager to get rid of him?

"Fine! Hurry up! I need to shower, too!"

Ethan glared at her again before slamming the door shut behind him.

As soon as the door closed, Lily’s smile vanished.

She slowly brought her hand forward, staring at the strands of hair clenched in her fist. Tossing the hair into the trash, she grabbed some tissues, tore them into pieces, and covered the hair to hide it.

She couldn’t let Ethan see. He would definitely start asking questions.

After tidying up the bathroom, Lily suddenly remembered Ethan’s earlier words about showering. Could he get infected?

Was it really only transmitted through blood and ingestion?

Biting her lip, Lily turned the water to the hottest temperature and rinsed the tub thoroughly. She gathered her used towel and toothbrush cup, removing every trace of herself.

She needed to isolate herself. That was the only way to keep him safe. If Ethan ended up infected because of her, what would she do?

By the time she finished, Lily was exhausted.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she pushed open the bedroom door, only to hear a blood-curdling scream from inside.

"Ah—ahhh! No! I didn’t poison her... stop, please stop!"

The voice was filled with terror, the screams chillingly desperate.

Walking into the room, Lily found the screams had abruptly stopped. Ethan was sitting alone at the computer, his back to her, his hand quickly moving the mouse.

Lily approached, only to find the computer screen blank.

"Were you watching a movie?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah," Ethan replied casually. He turned to look at her, his eyes darkening at the sight of her wrapped in a white towel. The towel hugged her curves perfectly, revealing her slender figure and bare shoulders, with water droplets glistening on her skin.