30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 230: A New Kind of Intimacy

"Lily..." Ethan pulled her into his arms, letting her lean against his chest. His hands firmly gripped her waist as his deep, intense gaze locked onto hers. "Give yourself to me."

Ethan pressed her down as he spoke against the heat he had held back for so long.

The sudden intrusion made Lily feel uncomfortable. Her brows furrowed slightly as she squirmed, trying to adjust. Ethan tightened his hold on her, his voice low and husky. "Don’t move."

Every part of his body was screaming for release. If she moved even a little more, he wouldn’t-couldn’t hold himself back.

Lily stayed quiet, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. Her injured right hand was still wrapped in thick layers of bandages.

Ethan gritted his teeth, his face tense and glistening with sweat as he tried to restrain himself. Seeing this, Lily leaned in and kissed his thin, seductive lips. "I love you."

Those three words were like a key that unlocked Ethan’s restraint.

Excitement immediately flared in his eyes as he began to move rhythmically against her, careful not to hurt her in the slightest.

Ethan captured her lips in a deep, consuming kiss, and the two of them were lost in the passion they hadn’t shared in a long time.

Perhaps it was the symptoms of AuroraVirus or the intensity of their reunion after such a long time. Still, after Ethan was done, Lily fell asleep in his arms, overcome with exhaustion.

Ethan carried her to the bathroom and gently bathed her again before laying her back in bed, letting her sleep comfortably.

He sat at the head of the bed, his hand lingering on her face as he tenderly stroked her cheek. Suddenly, Lily murmured in her sleep, turning over with a soft whimper. "Ethan... you pervert."

This woman... even in her sleep, she was calling him a pervert.

Ethan pinched her soft cheek lightly, enjoying the feel of her skin. Lily frowned in her sleep, letting out a faint groan. "Ethan... jerk."

From the beginning, this woman had called him all sorts of names—pervert, scoundrel, jerk, bastard... She had just told him she loved him, and now she was cursing at him in her sleep.

Ethan pinched her cheek again, this time harder. Lily swatted his hand away, mumbling, "Stop it, Ethan."

Ethan stared at her silently, suddenly realizing she no longer called out Alex Carter’s name in her sleep. Even in her dreams, it was all about him, Ethan Blackwood.

This discovery sent a wave of joy through Ethan. He couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face, as if he had just received the greatest reward.

He tucked the blanket around her carefully and returned to the scattered model parts, continuing to assemble them.

Lily was awakened by the sound of a phone ringing. Groggily, she opened her eyes. It was already bright outside, and sunlight filtered through the curtains, lighting the master bedroom. Ethan was sitting beside her, leaning against the headboard. He had one hand on the phone and the other absentmindedly tousling her hair.

He hadn’t noticed that she was awake.

Lily looked at him. His expression was cold, his voice icy and sharp as he spoke into the phone. "You’re all useless! If her AuroraVirus symptoms are progressing too slowly, inject her with drugs and make her talk."

With that, Ethan threw the phone onto the bed in frustration.

Lily’s gaze darkened. Aiko Nakamura still refuses to hand over the antidote...

She had already prepared herself for the worst, but she still held onto a fragile hope deep down. Yet, she didn’t know how much longer her body could endure.

After tossing the phone aside, Ethan straightened up and picked up the partially completed model, continuing to assemble it. He pressed his fingers against his temples, forcing himself to stay focused.

"Did you stay up all night?" Lily asked in surprise, sitting up in bed.

"You’re awake?" Ethan glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the model. His face was visibly tired.

Lily stared at him in disbelief. "Did you stay up all night to work on a model?"

How much does this man love building models...

"Just a little more, and it’ll be finished. Hand me the screwdriver," Ethan said, not bothering to hide his exhaustion as he ordered her around once she was awake.

"How about you get some sleep first?" Lily frowned as she picked up the screwdriver from the bed and handed it to him. "Aren’t you tired? You still have to go to the office later."

This man... First, he used to spend entire nights studying and playing shooting games. Now, he was sitting on the bed building models all night.

How had she never noticed this playful side of him before?

"I’m not going to the office," Ethan replied, tightening a screw with practiced precision.

"Why not?" Lily immediately asked. Then, realization dawned on her, and she said, "You don’t need to put your work aside to stay with me. I can come to the office with you if I want."

Yes, she had AuroraVirus, but she wasn’t on death’s doorstep yet. If they couldn’t get the antidote, was he planning to stay away from the office for the next ten years just to be with her?

"Stop nagging," Ethan scoffed, focusing on the model in his hands.

She doesn’t want me to give up everything for her?

Lily glared at him, her eyes falling on the house-shaped model in his hands. Mimicking his tone, she let out a disdainful snort. "It’s so ugly."

Ethan’s hand faltered, and the model nearly collapsed. He turned to glare at her, his expression dark. "What did you just say?"

Lily quickly got out of bed, continuing to tease him. "I said the model you’re building is repulsive!"

He had spent the entire night working on the model, and now she had the nerve to call it ugly? Was this woman asking for trouble?

Ethan’s eyes were immediately filled with anger. Seeing this, Lily quickly entered the bathroom and locked the door behind her.

"Bang! Bang!"

The door shook as Ethan pounded on it furiously. "Lily, if you have the guts, stay in the bathroom forever! If you come out, I’ll make you wear a uniform!"

Even his threats were becoming more suggestive, always dragging her thoughts into inappropriate territory...

"Ethan, you’re such a childish pervert!" Lily shouted at the door before turning to brush her teeth. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she realized she was smiling. She didn’t even notice how much happiness that smile held.

Being with Ethan made her feel increasingly secure and increasingly happy.

Nanny’s words from the night before had left a deep impression on her.

Maybe... it was time for her to let go of the past. The grudges of the previous generation, her mother’s affair, her father’s revenge, her blood ties to Alex Carter...

Maybe she needed to let all of it go.

Ethan had watched his mother jump to her death, leaving him with a pain so unbearable that it shaped his life. That kind of suffering was far worse than anything she had endured.

But could she ever reconcile with her father?

She didn’t even know if she was indeed his biological daughter...

"Bang!"

The door shook again as Ethan pounded on it. "Lily, are you coming out or not?! If you don’t, I’ll break the door down!"

The moment he finished speaking, the door burst open. Lily, still holding her toothbrush, stared at him in shock, her mouth full of foam. "Ethan, you’re too violent..."

All she had done was brush her teeth; he had already broken in. Was he always this impatient?

Last night, he kept urging her to finish her shower as if she had been there for hours.

"Why did you lock the door?!" Ethan growled, his brows furrowing. He became restless and anxious whenever she shut herself in a room.

It was like an obsession—he couldn’t control himself. He needed to see her to feel at ease.

"Of course, I’d lock the door; I’m in the bathroom," Lily said with a hint of exasperation.

It was normal. Who doesn’t lock the bathroom door? What if she had been showering—or worse, using the toilet? His barging in would be mortifying.

"Why do you need to lock the door with me around?"

"Can you respect my privacy, Ethan?" Lily said, utterly exasperated.

Whenever she brought up the importance of privacy, Ethan always had some twisted logic to counter her.

"I’ve seen every part of you," Ethan replied nonchalantly—a line he had repeated countless times.

They even had a child together. What privacy was she talking about?

Especially now that she had AuroraVirus and was at risk of sudden symptoms. What was the point of privacy?

"What if I was on the toilet?" Lily muttered, rinsing her mouth.

"The toilet?" Ethan gave it some serious thought before raising a brow. "So what? What’s the big deal?"

"Pfth—"

Lily spat out the water she had been rinsing with.

That tone of his, so matter-of-fact...

Ethan stepped back, frowning in disdain. "Lily, can you be a little more refined?"

He hated it when people spat food or water—it was crude. Yet, in his mind, barging in on someone in the bathroom was perfectly acceptable.

She would never understand his logic.

"Get out!" Lily coughed lightly, pointing to the door. "I need to use the toilet!"

"I’ll wait," Ethan said, standing by the door.

"You don’t need to wait!" Who asked you to wait?!

"Are you shy?"

"This has nothing to do with being shy. I just care about privacy."

"What’s there to care about? I’m your man!" Ethan showed no intention of leaving.

His logic was beyond comprehension.

Lily wanted to punch him like he often did to vent his frustrations, but she held herself back. "Maybe in fifty or sixty years, I won’t care about this anymore!"

She was furious.

Even in a close relationship, she didn’t want to lose all sense of personal boundaries. Relationships didn’t survive without some privacy.

Ethan’s gaze darkened slightly at her words. He fell silent, staring at her with lips pressed tightly together.

Lily suddenly realized what she had said, and her expression dimmed.

Fifty or sixty years...

She didn’t have fifty or sixty years. If Aiko Nakamura didn’t relent, she had only ten years left to live—and most of that would be spent paralyzed and bedridden.

By then, she wouldn’t even be able to care for herself, let alone talk about privacy.

"Not long now," Ethan said suddenly.

"What?" Lily asked in confusion, staring at him.

"Aiko Nakamura will crack soon," Ethan said with absolute certainty.

He wouldn’t let her endure more pain. He would make Aiko Nakamura pay double for every ounce of suffering she bore.

No matter what, he would force her to hand over the antidote in the shortest time possible.

Looking into Ethan’s resolute, dark eyes, Lily felt a warmth spread through her chest. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Okay," Lily said with a soft smile. She leaned against the doorframe and waved him off. "Then you’ll have to wait fifty or sixty years to see if I stop locking the door."

She refused to show even the slightest hint of vulnerability in front of him.

Ethan stared into her eyes, his playful demeanor gone. He spoke with profound conviction. "I’ll wait."

Ethan stepped out of the bathroom without another word, his expression solemn.

"Okay," Lily said softly as she closed the door, her smile fading.

Aiko Nakamura was likely enduring extreme torture, yet she still refused to give up the antidote. If pain alone could break her, she would have given in long ago—there would be no need for drugs.