30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 220: Heartfelt Gift

Lily’s eyes widened in surprise as she let go of the straw she had been sipping from. Sitting beside her, Ethan casually took the same cup and drank from the straw she used, his gaze fixed on the dolphin show below.

"I thought you weren’t going to drink," Lily said, blinking at him. Hadn’t he just gone to remove one of the straws? And now he was using hers?

"Didn’t you say it was cheesy?!" Ethan snapped, glancing down at her surprised face. This woman—no matter what he did, she always seemed to find fault with it.

Lily laughed sheepishly and turned her attention back to the performance. So removing one straw makes it not cheesy anymore... How does his logic even work?

After taking another sip, Ethan returned the cup to her, holding it to her lips. He waited for her to drink, his arm steady and unwavering.

Lily hesitated. Is it okay for them to share drinks like this? She was terrified of passing AuroraVirus to him. He couldn’t afford to be infected—she didn’t want to drag anyone down, least of all him.

But Ethan remained there, holding the drink for her like a human tray, showing no sign of impatience. His dark eyes stayed fixed on the dolphins below as if holding the cup for her was the most natural thing in the world.

Her heart ached as she stared at his hand.

How many more times could he do this for her in the future? Even if he was willing to hold drinks and food for her, how long could she allow him to do so?

She didn’t want to become a burden, especially not to Ethan. Watching her health deteriorate day by day would only hurt him. She didn’t know how long she could bear it herself.

And then there was the child... With her current health, it was uncertain whether she could even carry the baby to term while she was still mobile.

"These people are so noisy," Ethan grumbled as another round of applause erupted.

"Should we leave, then?" Lily forced a smile, trying to sound cheerful.

"You wanted to watch," Ethan replied. His gaze shifted to the camera on her lap, and he picked it up. "Photos or video?"

"Video," Lily answered, her smile faltering. He noticed my hands trembling earlier... He held the drink for me and took the camera now. He was never like this before.

The two stayed at the ocean park for a long time, with Ethan holding the camera and recording everything around them.

If this were in the past, Ethan would’ve scoffed at carrying a camera and might have even smashed it on the ground. But now... he held her hand with one and filmed with the other, never complaining once.

Lily glanced up at him, watching his focused expression as he filmed. He barely spoke to her, concentrating on capturing every moment. She felt a wave of emotion—Ethan’s love had never been about words. No matter how harsh his words could be, his actions always showed how much he cared for her.

Her lips curved into a bittersweet smile. It may be good to create as many beautiful memories as possible now. Someday, when she was bedridden for the remaining nine years of her life, these memories would be all she had to hold onto.

Otherwise, how would she endure it?

Thinking this, Lily wrapped her arms around Ethan’s arm and smiled. "Take a picture of me."

"Why?" Ethan snorted.

"Unlike you, I don’t mind having solo photos," Lily teased, her smile sweet. "Please? Take one for me?"

"No," Ethan refused flatly.

Her smile dimmed slightly. If he didn’t take pictures of her now, when she was still healthy, then in the future, all he’d have would be photos of her wearing wigs or hats...

The two spent the whole day exploring the city and buying many things. They returned to Ethan’s villa at noon the next day.

"This is for Nanny, and these are for you all. They’re local specialties—try them out," Lily said, sitting on the sofa in the living room as she distributed gifts.

"Thank you, Mr. Blackwood! Thank you, Miss Anderson!" The maids were overjoyed and excitedly thanked her.

Ethan sneered as he sat nearby. This woman insists on buying souvenirs for everyone, and I’m the one who had to carry all the bags.

"This is for you," Lily said, smiling as she handed Ethan a small, neatly wrapped box.

Ethan’s chest tightened slightly as he stared at her smiling face. He took the box, his movements a little stiff.

She bought me a gift?

Ethan opened the box with his long fingers and found a sleek silver tie clip inside, simple yet elegant.

He stared at it, his handsome face frozen. When did she buy this?

"Do you like it?" Lily asked expectantly. Seeing his lack of reaction, she felt a little disappointed. "Is it not the right style? Maybe I didn’t pick well..."

She had spent so long choosing it.

Ethan snapped out of his daze, his dark eyes locking onto hers. His voice was low and slightly hoarse. "When did you buy it?"

He couldn’t recall her buying a gift at all.

"When you were busy carrying the souvenirs to and from the car," Lily explained, her gaze dropping to the tie clip in his hand. Her heart sank a little further. Was it too plain? Maybe it wasn’t unique enough...

She had been so worried about what to get him, afraid of buying something he wouldn’t even glance at. In the end, after much hesitation, she had chosen this. And yet, it seemed he didn’t like it.

"You just bought it casually?" Ethan snorted, frowning.

"I didn’t!" Lily quickly shook her head. "You don’t like it?"

She had put so much thought into this... How was that casual?

Ethan took the tie clip and handed it back to her. Lily forced a bitter smile as she took it, her heart sinking further. It was too plain... Someone like Ethan, who’s used to the best of everything, wouldn’t like something like this.

"Miss Anderson! What are you standing there for?" Ethan growled.

"What?" Lily looked at him in confusion.

"Put it on for me!" Ethan barked, glaring at her. Why is she just holding onto my tie clip like that? It’s already mine!

"Oh..." Lily was taken aback but quickly realized what he meant. She had misunderstood. Standing up, she walked over to him, leaned down, and carefully clipped the tie clip onto his tie. The silver tie clip matched his dark tie perfectly.

Her face was so close to his, and the faint scent of her perfume teased his senses. Ethan’s eyes darkened as he stared at her. Suddenly, he tilted his head up and kissed her lips.

Lily’s eyes widened in surprise, and she instinctively tried to push him away.

But she quickly gave in, letting him kiss her. She didn’t want to reject him. Ethan deepened the kiss, his tongue entwining with hers as he pulled her closer, one hand wrapped around her waist while the other traced her body through her dress.

"Okay, okay, I wasn’t done talking," Lily protested softly, breaking away from him.

Ethan pulled her onto his lap, burying his face in her neck as he breathed deeply, clearly dissatisfied.

"Do you know what brand this tie clip is?" Lily asked.

"I don’t care," Ethan replied dismissively. It’s not from one of the world’s top brands... She has completely different standards from me.

"Stop guessing. It’s L&E," Lily said, sitting in his lap with a bright gleam in her eyes.

"Never heard of it," Ethan snorted, kissing her cheek.

Of course, it’s some unheard-of brand, just like the tracksuits she bought me before.

But that she had bought him a gift at all... that alone was surprising. In the past, all she had given him was cold indifference.

Lily turned his tie slightly and ran her finger over the engraving on the back of the clip. Carefully, she spelled it out: "L&E. Lily & Ethan."

Now, do you get it, you clueless man?

Ethan stared at her, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes. He quickly removed the tie clip and examined the engraving. Sure enough, it was their initials.

So, this tie clip had a deeper meaning.

"Lily, do you want to stay with me that badly? You even had our names engraved together," Ethan said, a self-satisfied smile spreading across his lips.

Does he have to act so smug about it? Lily rolled her eyes. "If you don’t like it, give it back."

Ethan raised the tie clip out of her reach, glaring at her. "Do you think someone as short as you can take something from me?"

"I’m not short!" she retorted indignantly. She was 170cm—how was that short?

"Not short?!" Ethan snorted. "What, compared to a newborn?"

Of course, she was short compared to him. Did he expect everyone to be as tall as he was?

Lily stretched her arm as far as she could but couldn’t reach the tie clip. Frustrated, she stood up, looked down at him with mock arrogance, and said, "Ethan Blackwood, since you like it so much, I’ll give it to you as a reward. Now kneel and thank me."

Ethan’s eyes darkened as he glared at her. "Lily, are you out of your mind?!"

She had been the one who eagerly gave him the gift—how had it turned into him begging for it?

Although... he had to admit he liked it very much.

This was the first time Lily had formally given him a gift. L&E... She even thought of engraving our initials.

"Stop pretending to act tough and indifferent while smiling," Lily teased, shaking her head and sighing.

Ethan tried to scowl, but the corners of his lips curled into a smile despite himself.

This man is constantly contradicting himself. He liked the gift but had to act like it wasn’t a big deal. She had been so nervous earlier, thinking her choice had disappointed him.

"Lily Anderson, are you asking for a beating?!" Ethan growled, raising his hand as if to strike her.

"Say thank you when you receive a gift," Lily said, stepping back cautiously.

"I don’t need to thank you!" Ethan huffed.

The sound of a phone ringing interrupted them. A maid picked up the call, covering the receiver as she said, "Miss Anderson, it’s for you."

For me? Lily frowned. Who would call the villa to reach me?

She picked up the phone only to hear a playful, energetic voice on the other end.

"Miss Anderson, it’s me—Aiko Nakamura."

Aiko?

Why was she calling her?

"Miss Anderson, why haven’t you been to the set these past two days?" Aiko asked curiously, her voice full of youthful energy. "I miss you! I tried calling your cell, but I couldn’t get through."