30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 227: Ethan’s Dark Past

Lily pressed her hands against Ethan’s firm chest, but she couldn’t push him away no matter how hard she tried.

Ethan’s kiss was overwhelmingly forceful, a wild and frenzied expression of his anger and jealousy. He poured all his pent-up emotions into that kiss, mercilessly ravaging her lips.

Gradually, Lily stopped resisting. She closed her eyes silently, surrendering to his relentless behavior.

Seeing her give up, not struggling or fighting back, only fueled Ethan’s anger further. His chest felt unbearably tight, and with a sudden outburst, he pulled away and sat up. With a clenched fist, he punched the car window hard.

"Bang—"

Feeling his departure, Lily slowly opened her eyes. She gazed at his dark, brooding silhouette with a detached expression, her fingers brushing over her swollen lips. She remained seated in silence, saying nothing.

"Bang—"

Ethan punched the car window again, his frustration boiling over.

The atmosphere in the car became eerily quiet. Sensing the tension, the driver drove carefully, not daring to make a sound.

When they arrived at the Blackwood estate, Ethan exited the car alone and stormed toward the villa without looking back.

"Miss Anderson." The driver opened the car door for Lily.

Lily glanced down at her bare feet and awkwardly smiled at the driver. "Could you please grab me a pair of shoes?"

"Of course, Miss Anderson... Mr. Blackwood?"

Before the driver could leave, a shadow fell over her. Lily looked up to see Ethan’s furious, stormy gaze. Without a word, he reached into the car and picked her up in his arms.

Wasn’t he already inside the house?

Lily said nothing as Ethan carried her toward the villa. He didn’t speak either.

Ethan placed her gently on the sofa in the living room. His movements were careful, but his eyes burned with anger as he glared at her. His voice was harsh as he growled, "I’m going to shower!"

With that, he turned and stormed upstairs without looking back.

Lily sat alone on the sofa, staring at her bare feet. She reached down and massaged them gently. Today, her hands and legs had been so weak—would she even make it six more months?

And what about the baby growing inside her? If Alex hadn’t caught her earlier, what would’ve happened if she had fallen? The baby might not have survived...

She felt like she no longer had the right to carry this child.

Maybe I should start using a wheelchair now. Otherwise, how can I keep this baby safe?

Lily placed her hand on her slightly rounded belly. The tiny life inside her was growing day by day.

"Miss Anderson, Miss Anderson."

Nanny walked over, holding a cup of milk. Curious, Her eyes sparkled as she asked, "Miss Anderson, did you reconcile with your father?"

Lily looked at her in surprise. "You knew about that?"

Had Ethan arranged everything in advance?

"Of course. When you were still in the city, Mr. Blackwood called and asked me and Cipher Stone to make the arrangements," Nanny chirped. "So, how did it go?"

How did it go?

Terribly. The art exhibit had only caused a fight between her and Ethan.

Lily lowered her gaze, saying nothing.

Seeing her reaction, Nanny’s smile slowly faded. "Mr. Blackwood knew how much you value your father, so he went to arrange this. Did something go wrong?"

Nanny’s tone was cautious.

"I know Ethan meant well," Lily said softly, looking up at Nanny with a bitter smile. "But because he arranged it, it wasn’t sincere on my father’s part..."

Ethan’s good intentions made her feel like she was dying—like he desperately tried to fulfill her last wishes.

She should have been touched.

But she didn’t understand why her emotions had been so intense.

"If your father came, it must have been sincere," Nanny said, sitting beside her and gently patting her back like a comforting elder.

"I love my father deeply, and that’s exactly why I can’t forgive him. And knowing he came only because of Ethan makes it even harder to accept," Lily said, blinking back tears. "Ethan doesn’t understand what family means. Family isn’t something you can fake."

"Mr. Blackwood doesn’t understand family?" Nanny’s tone grew a little firmer. "Miss Anderson, you misunderstand Mr. Blackwood."

"Misunderstand?"

"Mr. Blackwood... doesn’t like his father. In fact, he dislikes him—hates him, even," Nanny sighed.

"That’s obvious," Lily replied dryly. "Who else calls their father ’the old man’?"

"It’s not that Mr. Blackwood hates his father. He hates himself," Nanny said, letting out a long sigh. She looked at Lily and continued, "Have you ever heard him mention his mother?"

Hate himself?

Lily shook her head. "He’s never mentioned her. Is she in Europe, too?"

Hearing Nanny mention Ethan’s mother piqued Lily’s curiosity. She had only heard Ethan talk about his father, and even that was rare. As for his mother, she hadn’t heard a single word.

She imagined Ethan’s mother must have been a beautiful woman—how else could she have given birth to someone as strikingly handsome as Ethan?

Ethan, for all his faults, was undeniably attractive. His temper had improved somewhat, but he was still as stubborn as ever.

"No, she’s not in Europe. Mr. Blackwood’s mother never went there," Nanny said, her voice faltering. Just bringing up the topic brought tears to her eyes.

Lily was startled. She quickly handed Nanny a tissue. "What’s wrong?"

A sense of unease settled in her chest.

She realized that whatever Nanny was about to say wouldn’t be a happy story, and her heart sank.

"Three major events happened when Mr. Blackwood was in high school. First, he underwent a drastic personality change. Second, the Blackwood family sent people to bring him and his mother to Europe. And third... his mother jumped to her death in front of him," Nanny said, tears streaming down her face.

Jumped to her death?

In front of him?!

Lily’s eyes widened in shock. Images from her own past flashed through her mind—when she went with her uncle to identify her mother’s body. The moment the white sheet was lifted, her uncle had covered her eyes.

She remembered hearing her uncle, a grown man, sobbing uncontrollably.

She had struggled against him, desperate to see her mother. Her uncle had tearfully told her, "Be good, Lily, wait until your mother is prepared... wait until she’s prepared..."

But the stubborn child she had been had broken free. She had seen her mother’s cold, lifeless body on that table—an image she could never erase.

The memory was seared into her mind.

And now, she learned that Ethan’s mother had also jumped to her death.

Why? Why would they both choose such a tragic end? What could be more important than staying alive?

Why did they choose to leave so cruelly, leaving behind pain for their loved ones?

The living always suffered more than the dead.

"Why?" Lily asked, pulling her knees to her chest as she sat on the sofa.

Her mother had taken her life because of family betrayal and heartbreak. But what about Ethan’s mother? What had driven her to such despair?

Why would they abandon the children they had worked so hard to raise?

"Mr. Blackwood’s mother didn’t know who his father really was when they met, let alone that he was already married. Later, she raised Mr. Blackwood alone," Nanny began, tears in her eyes. "I lived next door to them. I watched Mr. Blackwood grow up."

Lily had always known that Nanny had been with Ethan for many years. Ethan treated her differently from the other staff—he respected her. Even when she said things that upset him, he only raised his voice, never acting out violently.

"And then?" Lily prompted.

"Later, when Mr. Blackwood was in high school, his father sent people to bring them back. Mr. Blackwood wanted to go, but his mother refused to be a mistress. They argued for a long time..." Nanny’s voice trembled. "Then... his mother climbed to the rooftop..."

"The police hadn’t arrived yet. We all ran up to stop her. Mr. Blackwood was only sixteen or seventeen at the time. He was terrified. He knelt, begging her not to jump, saying he wouldn’t leave..."

Nanny broke down, unable to continue. Tears streamed down her face.

Lily covered her mouth in shock. Just imagining the scene made her heart race with fear.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Nanny said, wiping her tears. "Mr. Blackwood knelt there, pleading with her. She asked him, ’Don’t you want to go back and become the eldest young master of the Blackwood family?’"

"Mr. Blackwood said, ’I don’t want it anymore. Mom, please come down. I promise I won’t leave you. I’ll get a job soon and take care of you. You have me—you can rely on me. Please, don’t leave me...’"

As Nanny recounted the moment, her tears flowed even more freely. Her voice shook with emotion.

Tears streamed down Lily’s face as well. She had never known Ethan had gone through something so harrowing.

She hadn’t been there when her mother had taken her own life. But if she had witnessed it with her own eyes... she couldn’t imagine how she would have survived it.

"His mother told him, ’Hearing you say this is enough for me. I won’t stand in your way. Listen to me one last time—go to your father.’"

Nanny’s entire body trembled as she cried. "And then... his mother jumped in front of all of us. Mr. Blackwood nearly jumped after her. Half of his body was already over the edge when we neighbors pulled him back..."

Just hearing the story was unbearable for Lily. She couldn’t begin to fathom how Ethan had endured it.

"His mother was a proud woman. She didn’t want to ruin her son’s future, nor did she want to humiliate herself by becoming someone’s mistress. She chose death over compromise," Nanny said, patting Lily’s hand. "Mr. Blackwood had been so close to his mother. After she died, he didn’t return to the Blackwood family right away. He wandered the streets for a long time."

Lily listened quietly.

The scene Nanny described was so devastating that Lily couldn’t picture how Ethan had survived it. At least she had her uncle to rely on. What about Ethan? Who had been there for him?

"Miss Anderson, I’ve told you before—Mr. Blackwood struggles to control his strength," Nanny said, wiping her tears. "It’s because of that time in his life. He got into fights constantly, learned how to brawl, and even carried weapons. He believed that if he didn’t fight to the death, others would kill him."

Everything made sense now—cause and effect.

Ethan had such a dark past, yet he had gone out of his way to help her reconcile with her father. And she blamed him for being presumptuous.

What had she done? Had she said anything too harsh today?

Nanny held Lily’s hand and said sincerely, "That’s why Mr. Blackwood eventually left for Asia to build his own life—he wanted to stay far away from the Blackwood family. Miss Anderson, don’t ever think Mr. Blackwood doesn’t understand family. He understands better than anyone what it feels like to lose it."