30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 261: Ethan’s Childhood Home

Lily was pushed into the car by Ethan, who got in right after her and started driving. She glanced at his expressionless face and asked, "Where are we going?"

Ethan didn’t answer. He simply stepped on the gas, speeding past car after car.

Lily didn’t press him further. She quietly studied his face, cherishing even a moment of being with him. It felt like a luxury.

Perhaps it was because of his fever—his face was slightly flushed. She could sense the burning heat radiating from his skin even without touching him.

The car drove long before Lily realized they were leaving the city. Where was he taking her?

"Where are we going? You’re still running a fever—let’s go to a hospital first," Lily said, unable to suppress her concern.

"No!" Ethan snapped.

"Then let me drive. You should rest for a bit," she offered. He had been driving for a long time, and someone with a fever shouldn’t be pushing themselves like this.

"Do you want to cause an accident?!" Ethan scoffed coldly.

Lily fell silent. He was right. She was an AuroraVirus carrier, and if she had a sudden episode while driving, it would endanger them both.

"Then let’s take a taxi."

"Enough!" Ethan rejected all her suggestions with icy indifference and continued driving. The journey was so long that Lily began to feel drowsy. Even though her mind was still alert, her eyes begged for rest.

She shook her head, trying to fight the sleepiness, but couldn’t resist for long. She knew she was about to fall asleep...

Lily sat up straight and reached over to untie Ethan’s tie.

Ethan glanced down at her, glaring. "What are you doing, Lily?!" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Couldn’t she see he was driving?!

Her sudden closeness filled his senses with her soft, faint scent. Was she trying to make him crash?!

Lily carefully removed his tie, her expression serious and focused, even as her eyelids struggled to stay open. She bit her lip, forcing herself to stay awake, and tied one end of the tie around his wrist in a complex, tight knot.

Ethan stared at her in disbelief. Was she playing some kind of handcuff game? Trying to restrain him? He could easily tear it apart in seconds without even untying it.

Lily, however, didn’t stop. She tied the other end of the tie around her wrist, securing it with the same intricate knot. Then, she leaned her head to one side and fell asleep.

Ethan felt like something had struck his chest hard. He glanced at the tie binding their wrists together. Was she that afraid he would leave?

He turned his gaze to her sleeping face. She had tilted her head in his direction as she dozed off. Her long lashes cast shadows over her pale, tear-streaked cheeks.

"Lily? Lily?!" Ethan called her name twice, but she didn’t respond. Only then did he realize she was truly asleep.

Ethan kept one hand on the steering wheel while his other held hers. His palm was large enough to completely envelop her delicate hand. The black-tie wrapped around both their wrists, connecting them.

She was asleep beside him.

Her hand was in his.

And he was still driving...

Her hand was incredible, a sharp contrast to the heat of his fevered skin.

Ethan gradually slowed the car, reducing its speed. His grip on her hand remained firm.

Lily didn’t know how long she had been asleep. When she woke up, it was already dark outside, and the car had come to a stop. Her mind slowly cleared as she instinctively turned to look at Ethan.

He was leaning back in the driver’s seat, asleep. His face was turned toward her, and his sleeping features were heartbreakingly perfect, except for a small scar near his eye that added a hint of imperfection.

Lily reached out to touch his face but then realized her hand was tightly held in his.

She froze, her heart racing wildly.

His hand completely enclosed hers, gripping it firmly. She couldn’t pull away, even if she tried. The black-tie bound their wrists together, linking them as one.

Lily quietly watched his sleeping face, careful not to wake him. She reached out with her free hand, fingertips lightly tracing his strong brows. The heat from his skin burned her fingertips.

He was burning up with a fever.

Lily frowned, gently patting his face. "Ethan, wake up. Ethan... Ethan..."

Ethan was profoundly asleep and didn’t respond at all.

Was his fever so high that it had muddled his senses?

Panic began to well up in Lily’s chest. Outside the car, it was pitch dark. She had no idea where Ethan had driven them. She called his name louder, "Ethan! Ethan, wake up... wake up!"

Finally, after several attempts, Ethan stirred. He frowned, slowly opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was her anxious face, her features—everyone—etched in his heart.

Ethan leaned toward her face, moving closer and closer, almost brushing her lips with his.

"You’re burning up. We need to go to a hospital immediately. Where did you drive us to?!" Lily asked urgently, touching his forehead to feel his temperature. It was scalding hot.

Ethan’s consciousness gradually returned. Where had he driven them?

He had been on the road for five hours...

"Get out," Ethan said coldly, pushing the car door open. But the tie binding their wrists together wouldn’t let them separate.

"Wait," Lily said, quickly trying to untie the knot. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t undo it.

"Useless," Ethan sneered. He grabbed the tie with both hands and yanked it apart effortlessly, tearing it in half.

Typical brute.

Lily followed him out of the car and looked around. The car’s headlights illuminated a nearby sign: "Skid Row."

"Skid Row? Isn’t that... the slums?" Lily’s eyes widened in shock.

This was her hometown?!

Ethan had driven them all the way from the city to her hometown. But why had they ended up on Skid Row?

Skid Row wasn’t a slum, but compared to the upscale communities surrounding it, this area consisted of tiny, modest homes.

There had been attempts to buy out the land here. Still, the residents had staunchly refused to sell, becoming what people called "nail houses" that remained even as the city developed around them.

She remembered this road clearly because the car would pass through it whenever she returned home as a child. The driver would always mutter, "Look at this slum. It’s still refusing to move."

So she remembered it well. She had never set foot on Skid Row before.

Ethan’s gaze darkened at her words, and his tone turned icy. "Slum?"

"I used to pass by this road on my way to school," Lily said, not noticing the change in his expression. She glanced around, confirming it was indeed Skid Row from her hometown. Despite the years that had passed, it hadn’t changed.

To her, Skid Row had always equated to a slum.

"Why did you bring me here?" Lily asked, confused. With a forceful kick, Ethan walked past her and broke open a wooden door. His voice was cold as ice.

"This is my home."

Lily’s eyes widened in shock.

His home?!

Wasn’t his home in Bayside, back in the city?

Lily froze for a moment, trying to process. Did he mean his former home? Had he also grown up in this city? Was Ethan from the same place as her?

Nanny mentioned that she and Ethan’s mother were neighbors. Was this his childhood home?

Had he lived here before?

Lily followed Ethan through the small wooden door. Inside was an old building. Ethan reached out and slammed a fist against the wall, activating a dim yellow light illuminating a shabby stairwell. The stairs were worn and dilapidated, with trash scattered everywhere.

The air smelled unpleasant, carrying the stale, decayed odor of age and neglect.

Ethan strode up the stairs without hesitation, and Lily followed closely behind. Why had he brought her to his old home?

As they reached a corner of the stairwell, a young couple stood pressed against the door, passionately kissing. Still dressed in their school uniforms, their faces were flushed, and one had a hand on the doorknob, trying to push it open.

Lily watched as Ethan approached them. His tall, imposing figure loomed over the young couple, making them seem incredibly small. "Get out! This is my home!" he barked.

"Didn’t the family here die a long time ago?" The couple exchanged a glance.

"Your family died! Now get out!" Ethan roared, his voice thunderous with anger. The young couple, terrified, scrambled away in a panic.

The young couple often came here for their secret rendezvous.

For some reason, Lily felt a heaviness in the atmosphere. A sense of oppression settled in her chest, leaving her uneasy.

She had come here to talk to Ethan about their relationship, yet he had brought her to his old home instead...

This was where Ethan and his mother had once lived. And if she remembered correctly, this was also where his mother had ended her life—jumping from the top floor of this very building.

Ethan reached inside and found the light switch on the wall, turning it on. Without a word, he stepped inside.

The floor was made of rough cement, unpolished, and without tiles. A small shoe rack by the entrance held a few pairs of old-fashioned women’s shoes, some canvas sneakers, and sports shoes—the kind schools used to issue to students. They must have belonged to Ethan when he was younger.

On the wall hung a calendar from nine years ago...

The space wasn’t particularly messy. In fact, it looked like someone had been tidying it up. Otherwise, the shoe rack wouldn’t have accumulated only a thin layer of dust.

Ethan must have had someone clean the place regularly.

The apartment was tiny, consisting of just one bedroom, living room, and bathroom. It was modest to the point of being shabby.

But it was tidy, with everything neatly arranged. The floral-patterned sofa and faded chairs were old styles that you’d only found nine years ago.

Everything in the apartment carried the weight of time, mixed with the pungent scent of cheap perfume left behind by the young couple.

"Bang!"

Ethan suddenly collapsed to the ground in front of Lily.

"Ethan!" Lily cried out in alarm. She immediately crouched down to help him up, her hand reaching out to touch his face. His skin was burning hot—he was still running a high fever, yet he had driven all the way here from the city...

"Ethan, wake up! Don’t scare me!" Lily called his name, lightly slapping his face. Her palms felt the scorching heat of his skin.