30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 246: The Aftermath of the Funeral

During the days he was unconscious, Ethan Blackwood could faintly hear her voice. She talked endlessly, reading novels to him repeatedly without tiring.

Though hoarse, her voice carried a gentle warmth, like a small hand brushing against his heart, urging him to wake up.

Ethan glanced at the urn resting on his lap. Henry Anderson was truly gone...

He still found Henry Anderson’s presence at the villa suspicious. On the day of the hostage transfer, amidst all the chaos, when exactly had Henry entered the villa?

The funeral procession was so grand that it left onlookers in awe. The motorcade stretched endlessly from the city to Lily’s hometown. Once they arrived, the group ascended the mountain on foot.

Ethan crouched down and carefully set the urn in place, fulfilling the duties of a child on Lily’s behalf.

The tombstone had been arranged the previous day and was already positioned beside her mother’s grave.

Burying her parents in the mountains like this wasn’t entirely conventional. But this spot overlooked her mother’s favorite flower fields... Lily couldn’t bear to leave her mother in a cold, sterile cemetery.

Standing before the grave, Lily looked at the photos of her parents. She had chosen smiling pictures for their memorials, and they both looked so young in the photographs.

She couldn’t help but wonder if her parents’ happiness during her childhood had been an act. Had their moments of joy been real? Were they genuinely willing to rest together here?

For Lily, this arrangement felt like a way to return to those childhood days, to relive the moments when her family had watched the vast flower fields below the mountain together.

Sophia Bennett stood beside her, gently rubbing her arm to comfort her. "Lily, you need to find peace."

Lily nodded. "I will."

People lined up one by one to lay flowers at her parents’ graves. Soon, the two graves were covered in a sea of flowers, making the smiles in the photographs appear even brighter.

Helen squeezed through the crowd and approached Ethan. "Mr. Blackwood, I looked into it. This small mountain is privately owned."

"Buy it," Ethan said without hesitation.

"Yes, I’ll handle it immediately," Helen replied, nodding before leaving.

Sophia, overhearing this, nudged Lily with shock and excitement. "He’s buying the mountain for you... He’s buying the mountain for you..."

Lily looked silently at Ethan. He glanced back at her, and she gave him a faint smile of gratitude.

With this, her parents could remain here forever, watching over the vast flower fields below... forever preserved in their happiest times.

The flowers piled before the two graves had formed small mounds. Sophia gently nudged Lily. "It’s time to go."

Ethan placed his arm around Lily’s shoulder and led her away. As she turned to look back one last time, the smiling faces in the photographs seemed to bid her farewell.

Back in the city, Helen followed tradition and booked an entire floor of a luxury hotel for a post-funeral banquet.

But neither Lily nor Ethan joined the gathering. Instead, they headed back to the Blackwood family villa. Nanny greeted them warmly, smiling for the first time in days. "Mr. Blackwood, Miss Anderson, welcome home."

It was the first time Lily had seen Nanny smile since everything began.

"Mr. Blackwood, Miss Anderson," the maids greeted in unison, standing in two neat rows and bowing at a perfect 90-degree angle.

Nanny stepped forward to remove the white flower pinned to Lily’s chest. Noticing the few military officers following them, she muttered, "Just a handful of men, and they think they can keep an eye on Mr. Blackwood?"

"Nanny, call the doctor," Ethan instructed in a low voice.

"Yes, sir." Although surprised, Nanny didn’t ask questions and immediately went to make the call.

Lily looked at Ethan in confusion. "What’s wrong? Why are you calling a doctor?"

"It’s nothing," Ethan replied dismissively. He walked to the sofa and sat down, rolling up his pant leg to reveal a blood-soaked bandage around his knee.

"How did this happen?!" Lily’s eyes widened in shock.

"It’s just a strain," Ethan said casually.

"You just woke up and got out of bed, even though your leg hasn’t healed. Why didn’t you use crutches or a wheelchair instead of walking?! And then you climbed a mountain with an injured leg! Ethan Blackwood, can you stop being so reckless?" Lily’s frustration spilled out in a rapid stream of words, her pale pink lips moving non-stop.

Ethan leaned back on the sofa and looked up at her exasperated face. A low chuckle escaped him. "Lily Anderson, you’re so naggy."

It was just a minor injury. Did she really need to make such a fuss?

"Can’t you take some responsibility for yourself?! You barely rested after breaking your ribs, ignored physical therapy for your arm, and now, after being in a coma for days, you’re already out of bed! Do you have a death wish?" Lily’s voice rose, her red-rimmed eyes glaring at him angrily.

Who behaved like this? Did he think he was invincible?

"Lily..." Was she really this upset?

"I’m begging you—your body isn’t made of steel. Can’t you take better care of yourself?" Lily turned away, unable to look at the blood-soaked bandage any longer.

"I already called the doctor!" Ethan said defensively, his tone awkward.

If it hadn’t been her father’s funeral today, he wouldn’t have rushed out of the hospital the moment he woke up.

"Mr. Blackwood." One of the military officers stepped forward, pulling out a pair of handcuffs.

Ethan glared at him coldly, his voice a low growl. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Mr. Blackwood, please don’t make this difficult. It’s standard procedure."

"This is my home! Try cuffing me if you dare!" Ethan’s gaze was sharp enough to kill, his voice dripping with menace.

Though a seasoned veteran, the officer hesitated under Ethan’s intimidating glare and silently removed the handcuffs.

The doctor arrived shortly after and helped Ethan upstairs. Ethan glanced back at Lily, who was still fuming, and said, "Lily Anderson! Get over here!"

Couldn’t she be a little gentler with him? He had just woken up, after all! 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"..." Lily remained silent.

"If you don’t come over, I’m staying here!" Ethan threatened, his tone full of defiance.

"..." Lily glared at him, exasperated. He had no idea how to take care of himself.

In the master bedroom, Ethan leaned back against the headboard while the doctor changed his bandages. His deep gaze never left Lily, who stood nearby, still glaring at him.

"Lily Anderson! I’m warning you—stop glaring at me!" Ethan snapped, clearly annoyed. If she kept this up, her eyes might pop out of her head.

The doctor hung an IV drip for Ethan.

"How is he?" Lily asked the doctor, her tone softer now. The stark contrast in her demeanor made Ethan feel like someone had lit a fire in his chest.

She was treating the doctor better than she was treating him!

"He has a sprain. With rest, it will heal. But he must avoid any strenuous activity," the doctor explained.

Lily sighed in relief. "Thank you, doctor."

After escorting the doctor out, Lily closed the door and turned to Ethan, looking at her with a provocative smirk. "What exactly counts as strenuous activity?"

Lily shot him a glare. "I swear, I want to hit you with a hammer!"

Even now, all he could think about was inappropriate jokes.

"Would you really?" Ethan teased, his gaze playful. "Didn’t you read me novels just to wake me up?"

Now that he was awake, she was treating him with such hostility.

"Lie down and stay quiet!" Lily snapped, turning to leave. No matter how much he called after her, she didn’t look back.

Storming downstairs, Lily was met by Nanny, who immediately noticed her sour expression. "Did Mr. Blackwood make you angry again?"

"I don’t care enough to be angry at him! It’s his leg; if he wants to ruin it, that’s his problem!" Lily fumed.

When he was unconscious, she prayed for him to wake up. Now that he was awake, she almost wished he were still asleep—at least then he’d stay in bed quietly.

How could he treat his health so recklessly? It infuriated her.

As she walked away, Lily asked, "Nanny, do we have anything for healing bone and muscle injuries?"

Nanny froze for a moment before breaking into a smile. She had known it—after everything they had been through, there was no way Lily could indeed stay mad at Ethan.

"I’ve already prepared a soup. It should be ready now. Miss Anderson, you can take it up to him."

"Thank you, Nanny."

Ethan sat against the headboard, flipping through the TV channels. Gossip news dominated the airwaves, replaying footage of Lily’s press conference.

Her performance was flawless—decisive, sharp, and unyielding, she shifted the narrative to focus on human rights.

For someone so petite, she had stood before a sea of reporters, her oversized sunglasses covering half her face, speaking calmly.

Her words had hit every key point, preventing the situation from spiraling out of control during his absence.

His woman was no fragile flower.

However, the captions beneath the newsreels read, "Blackwood Enterprise Asia-Pacific President’s Mistress Takes Charge of Business Affairs."

The term mistress was sensationalized.

It was an old story, but the media had recycled it endlessly, portraying him as a man relying on his mistress to handle his affairs.

The term was everywhere.

Ethan’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the bed as he stared coldly at the screen, listening to the anchors discuss the topic.

For her, Lily had stepped into the eye of the storm. If today’s funeral had resulted in new scandals about being a mistress or an affair with Alex, she wouldn’t be able to stay in the country anymore.

This wasn’t something that could be brushed off.

The sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts. Ethan quickly turned off the TV and saw Lily carrying a tray as she walked in.

She glanced at him, placed the soup on the bedside table, and said indifferently, "Drink some soup. You’ve just woken up, so your stomach isn’t ready for heavy food."

"Did you poison it?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.

Moments ago, she’d ignored him, and now she was bringing him soup.

"..." Lily glared at him, her still-red eyes flashing with frustration.

"Feed me," Ethan demanded, opening his mouth like a king issuing a decree.