30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 243: Lily’s Heartache

Her eyes had been red and swollen from crying since the day of the explosion, her throat hoarse and raw. Even now, her eyes remained bloodshot, and her voice showed no signs of recovery.

Alex Carter’s attentiveness was evident.

"Thank you."

"I don’t like hearing you say thank you," Alex said seriously. "So... don’t repeat it."

That wasn’t the phrase he wanted to hear from her.

Lily took a tissue to wipe her tears, picked up the documents, and flipped through them. "These shares are of no use to me. I don’t know how to manage this kind of business."

"Lily, must the feud between the Carter and Anderson families continue for another generation?" Alex asked, his gaze fixed on her. He opened the box of throat lozenges, unwrapped one, and handed it to her.

Lily looked at him, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion. She took the lozenge from his hand and placed it in her mouth. Its incredible, refreshing mint flavor seemed to mirror Alex’s calm demeanor.

"That’s all in the past. If you don’t mind, you can sell the shares to me," Alex suggested. Then he added, "How do they taste?"

"They’re good," Lily replied, the mint lozenge soothing her throat. She held the share documents in her hand. "Alright, I’ll give the shares to you."

To her, holding onto these shares was only a painful reminder of the grudges and feuds of the previous generation.

Her father was gone. What purpose did hatred or resentment serve anymore?

"Alright, I’ll have the lawyers prepare the necessary documents immediately," Alex said with a gentle smile, turning to leave.

"Alex."

A tall silhouette appeared at the door.

Lily looked up to see Alice Johnson standing there, dressed in the latest trendy outfit and elegant high heels. Her beautiful eyes swept across the room, lingering briefly on Lily and Alex. Her smile stiffened slightly.

The scene brought Lily a sudden disconnection, like a moment from a distant past.

"I came to sort through my father’s belongings," Lily explained calmly. Then she turned to Alex and said, "Go ahead with your work. Once the transfer documents are ready, just let me know."

"Alright." Alex nodded and turned to Alice, a faint smile forming. "What brings you to the office?"

"I came to invite you to lunch," Alice said, a hint of awkwardness flashing in her eyes. There were countless unresolved tensions between her and Lily. "Would you like to join us?"

This question was directed at Lily.

From Alice’s perspective, Lily seemed to have shed her old pretenses. Perhaps people who had faced death once truly learned to let go of certain things.

Or perhaps Lily, too, was growing up.

"No, thank you. I still have things to do," Lily replied, politely declining as she looked at Alice. "You two go ahead. I’ll leave after I finish here."

"Alright. I’ll have a driver take you home."

"There’s no need. I’ll have someone pick me up," Lily said, her tone polite but firm, maintaining her usual courteous distance.

Alex’s gentle smile faltered slightly, a hint of strain appearing.

After Alex and Alice left, Lily began sorting through her father’s belongings alone. There wasn’t much to organize—just a pile of work documents. The only personal item was a family photo.

Dad...

If you had known this day would come, would you choose revenge or stay with me?

You would’ve chosen to stay with me, wouldn’t you?

Since her father’s release from prison, the time they had spent together was painfully brief...

Tears flowed down Lily’s cheeks once again. She placed the photo into a box. Just as she was about to lift the box, her strength gave out. Familiar with the onset of this symptom, Lily sat down quickly.

She gritted her teeth against the pain, her face drenched in sweat.

When the AuroraVirus acted up, the pain varied in intensity—sometimes sharp, sometimes dull. During mild episodes, Lily refused to rely on painkillers or injections, fearing they might harm her baby.

The office was empty, and she was alone. With her arms too weak to move, she couldn’t even take a painkiller by herself.

She glanced at the staff outside the door, tempted to call for help. But in the end, she held back.

If I can’t endure this pain, how am I supposed to get through the days ahead?

Her phone suddenly rang.

Lily wanted to answer it, but her hands were utterly powerless. She could only hear the ringtone echoing repeatedly, wondering who could be urgently calling her.

She endured the pain in silence. Just when she felt she couldn’t take anymore, her strength began to return.

Ignoring the lingering soreness in her arms, Lily quickly picked up the phone. On the other end, Nanny was sobbing. "Miss Anderson, please come quickly. Mr. Blackwood’s condition has suddenly worsened."

Bang—

The phone slipped from Lily’s hand and fell to the floor.

She stared blankly at the ground, Nanny’s words echoing in her ears. Suddenly worsened... What does that mean?

When Lily rushed to the military hospital, Ethan was still undergoing emergency treatment.

Nanny grabbed her arm, trembling with emotion. "I was here taking care of Mr. Blackwood. He moved his hand, and then the numbers on the monitor just started dropping..."

Lily’s heart raced wildly at Nanny’s words.

Didn’t the doctors say he was OK? Why did his condition suddenly worsen?

Ethan... you can’t... you absolutely can’t...

Moments later, the doctors emerged from the emergency room, wheeling Ethan out. Lily rushed forward, but Nanny reached the doctor first, asking anxiously, "How is Mr. Blackwood?"

"He’s fine. His willpower is extreme, and he’s trying to wake up," the military doctor said, removing his mask with a neutral expression. "This is a good sign. He’ll regain consciousness soon. Don’t worry."

Is he going to wake up soon?

It wasn’t a worsening condition? That’s such a relief...

Lily felt the tension in her body drain away all at once. Exhaustion hit her like a wave, leaving her feeling weak and unsteady, as though all her strength had been sapped away.

Her vision blurred, and she swayed slightly. Nanny quickly held her up and helped her sit down. "Miss Anderson, are you alright?"

"I’m fine. I just ran here too quickly," Lily said.

Back in her father’s office, she hadn’t even waited for her hands to fully recover before rushing out the door, completely ignoring her own pain.

It felt like she was constantly pushing her body to its limits. If Ethan doesn’t wake up soon, I don’t know how long I can hold on...

I’ve already reached my breaking point.

"It’s my fault for panicking. I thought... I thought something terrible had happened to Mr. Blackwood..." Nanny said regretfully. She took out a clean handkerchief and wiped Lily’s sweat. "Miss Anderson, you should go home and rest. I’ll stay here."

Nanny wanted her to leave and get some sleep.

For days, Lily had stayed in the ICU, barely resting. What kind of pregnant woman spent all day leaning against a hospital bed to sleep? Now that her belly was showing even lying down had become difficult.

Every time Nanny brought food for her, she found Lily sitting upright, head slightly bowed as she dozed off. That was what Lily considered sleep these days.

"Nanny, you go home. I’ll start preparing for my father’s funeral tomorrow. Let me stay with him for one more night," Lily said.

"Miss Anderson..."

"Has Secretary Helen continued pressing the central government to release Ethan?" Lily asked, changing the subject. A few days ago, Helen had told her that the bodyguards’ families had been bribed successfully.

Ethan’s father had claimed he would send people to handle the situation in the country, but Lily hadn’t seen anyone arrive so far. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"They’re still negotiating, but I don’t know the details," Nanny replied.

"Alright, I’ll ask Helen myself," Lily said, standing up. "Nanny, you should go home and rest."

Nanny nodded but suddenly burst into tears as she looked at Lily.

Lily was stunned. "What’s wrong? The doctor said Ethan would wake up soon. Don’t worry."

"I just feel so heartbroken seeing you like this..." Nanny sobbed, wiping her tears before turning to leave.

Lily watched Nanny’s retreating figure in silence. Then, she returned to the ICU. Ethan had been moved back to his bed. She tucked him in and thanked the doctors. "Thank you."

The doctors left to discuss his condition. Lily sat by the bed, gazing at Ethan’s increasingly gaunt face. Over the past few days, he had lost significant weight. His complexion, never particularly pale, now appeared ghostly white.

Lily reached out to massage his arm.

His body radiated a warmth that spread into her palm.

His thick brows were still as handsome as ever. The minor cuts on his face were slowly healing, but he remained unconscious.

"I know you’re trying to wake up. I know you’re fighting," Lily said softly as she massaged his arm. Her voice carried a hint of grievance. "But you’re not trying hard enough. If you were trying, you’d open your eyes and look at me right now... You’re Ethan Blackwood. You can do it."

There was no response.

He continued to sleep, showing no reaction.

Lily missed the way he used to speak with such arrogance, the way he surprised her, his mischievousness, his voice, and even the domineering intensity in his eyes when he opened them.

Every little thing about him... she missed it all.

"I went through my father’s belongings today," Lily murmured, recounting her day. "Starting tomorrow, I’ll be busy preparing his funeral, so I won’t be able to stay with you."

"Your father said he’d send someone to get you out, but they haven’t arrived yet. If they come and try to forcefully take you back to Europe, what should I do?"

"The central government is still meddling in Blackwood Enterprise headquarters. I don’t want them raiding it like they own the place, but I can’t stop them. So please, wake up soon, OK?"

"Helen has been working tirelessly these past few days. She looks like she’s lost weight. When you wake up, don’t forget to reward her... Nanny too. She’s been crying so much her eyes are always swollen."

Lily’s voice was steady as she spoke, but Ethan remained unresponsive, lost in his slumber.

She had no idea how much longer he would sleep... How much longer before he opened his eyes and looked at her...

"I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect what’s yours. I’m afraid that when you wake up, you’ll see this military hospital and a shattered Blackwood Enterprise..."

"Ethan, I can’t hold on much longer," Lily admitted, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

She longed for his shoulder to lean on.

She was so, so tired... She didn’t know how much more she could endure. She wanted to stop caring about everything—the chaos outside and the challenges ahead. She just wanted to stay by his side...

To stay quietly by his side... and sleep for a while.

"Wake up, please. I really can’t hold on anymore," Lily whispered, tears streaming down her face.

Through her blurred vision, she suddenly saw Ethan’s hand move. Startled, she quickly grabbed his hand.

Ethan’s fingers tightened around hers, his grip firm and warm.

Lily’s eyes widened in shock, staring at his hand.

Over the past few days, Ethan’s hand had occasionally twitched, but he had never gripped hers before...

She looked at his face. He was still asleep, his eyes closed, and lips pressed together. He no longer needed the oxygen tank.

"Ethan? Ethan?!" Lily called his name, her voice trembling with joy. Was he finally waking up?

His hand held hers tightly, radiating his familiar warmth.