30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 266: Balcony Reflections

Tommy Blackwood stretched lazily and stepped onto the balcony next to Lily Anderson. Looking down at Ethan Blackwood, he exaggeratedly sighed, "He’s really lost it this time."

Lily quietly watched Ethan’s tall figure as he fired shot after shot at the target, every bullet hitting its mark.

Ethan was still venting.

"What are you thinking about?" Tommy suddenly asked. His slightly disheveled, light brown hair made him look even more roguish than usual.

What was she thinking about?

What could she think about seeing Ethan like this? She only wished he didn’t have to endure so much pain—was that too much to hope for?

"I found something in his safe," Tommy said, reaching into his pocket.

Lily glanced down and saw what he was holding—two marriage certificates. The bright red covers stung her like a dagger piercing her chest, making her instinctively want to curl up and protect herself.

"You went through his safe?" Lily asked, trying to sound indifferent, though she didn’t dare take his marriage certificates.

"Of course. You know how busy he’s been lately, consolidating companies and moving money... I was curious to see how much he’s really amassed over the years," Tommy said shamelessly, pushing the certificates into Lily’s hands.

At that moment, Lily felt the world’s weight pressing down on her.

She reluctantly opened the certificates. The photo of Ethan and Aiko Nakamura was prominent. Aiko looked pale but happy, while Ethan’s face was taut, devoid of any joy typically associated with marriage.

"Do you blame him?" Tommy asked, his gaze fixed on Ethan, who was still firing relentlessly at the target below. "Women always value exclusivity in relationships, much like they do with their virginity. It’s all about being the only one."

Tommy’s words were crude, as always. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Blame Ethan for marrying Aiko? Could she?

"The person’s already dead..." Lily said softly, but her eyes stung as she stared at the photo on the marriage certificate. Her voice faltered slightly. "Maybe... if I had agreed to let them marry sooner, things would’ve been different."

Maybe Aiko wouldn’t have died, and Ethan wouldn’t be in such turmoil now.

"There are no guarantees in life. Even if they’d married earlier, Aiko would’ve wanted more. She wouldn’t have given you the antidote and might’ve gone after you and your child until she destroyed you both," Tommy said as he leaned casually against the white balcony railing, arms crossed, watching Lily. "She did it once; she could’ve done it again. There’s no room for wishful thinking in matters like these."

"So, Rabbit, don’t beat yourself up over this. In our world, no one’s hands are clean. The fact that Aiko infected you with the AuroraVirus proves she wasn’t some harmless angel," Tommy continued.

Lily could tell that Tommy was trying to comfort her.

From the moment he’d pointed a gun at her in Denmark to now...

Tommy wasn’t just a shallow playboy. He understood far more than he let on but chose to live a hedonistic life.

Lily clutched the marriage certificates tightly and looked at Tommy. "Haven’t you always told us to break up?"

"I have, and I still think so," Tommy said, standing up straight and slipping his hands into his pockets, exuding his usual devil-may-care attitude. "Breaking up would be best. Don’t wait until the day you regret it."

"Do you think I’m dragging him down?" Lily asked.

"You’ve always been dragging him down. That’s just the truth," Tommy replied bluntly.

Dragging him down...

Lily had once held onto a sliver of hope that the AuroraVirus could be cured. But now...

For Ethan to leave everything behind and run away with her—a paralyzed woman—this wasn’t love anymore. It was a burden.

Should she let go?

But what about their child? Lily placed her hand on her belly. Their baby would be born soon...

How could she let go now?

Lost in thought, Lily didn’t notice Tommy walking away until he suddenly said, "Rabbit, remember what I said. Not being together can also be love. Forcing it... doesn’t necessarily make it love."

Lily watched Tommy’s retreating figure, still holding the two marriage certificates.

Ethan continued firing his gun. A maid pushed a breakfast cart and followed Lily as she made her way toward him.

Bang!

Another gunshot rang out, making Lily’s ears ring.

She stood on her tiptoes and removed Ethan’s earmuffs. "Come eat breakfast."

Ethan lowered his gun and turned to look at her. His deep, tired eyes showed just how much he’d aged overnight. Red veins streaked across his gaze, and he looked utterly drained.

"Let’s eat," Lily said with a smile, gently wrapping her arm around his. His arm was hot to the touch, likely from the exertion of firing the gun.

Ethan’s eyes briefly flicked to the corner of the breakfast table, where the two marriage certificates sat. His steps halted, and his gaze darkened.

Lily quickly explained, "Your brother went through your safe, so..."

Ethan stepped forward abruptly, grabbed the marriage certificates, tore them into several pieces, and threw them to the ground.

The maids jumped back in fright at his sudden outburst.

Lily looked at the shredded certificates on the ground. Ethan had ripped them apart so forcefully that the photos of him and Aiko had been torn cleanly in half...

Aiko had lived her entire life for that marriage certificate. She’d achieved it in the end, but now that she was gone, it had been reduced to scraps of paper...

Ethan’s indifference was painfully apparent. Aiko had ended up with nothing. Nothing at all.

"The doctor said she was dying, so I agreed to all her demands," Ethan said, his voice low and steady as he spoke for the first time.

He was afraid Lily would misunderstand. Terrified she’d be upset...

Maybe, if Aiko had still been alive.

But now, what reason did Lily have to feel upset or jealous?

"I understand," Lily said with a nod. "Come on, let’s eat."

They had breakfast in the garden. The warm milk tea was paired with an array of Western dishes. Lily sat beside Ethan, smiling as she said, "Three months are almost up... Didn’t you say you’d take me away? If we don’t leave soon, I might have to stay here to give birth. Then, we’ll delay things even more with the confinement period."

Ethan looked down at Lily. Her smile was radiant, her almond-shaped eyes filled with hope.

She was always more optimistic than he’d imagined.

Ethan picked up a piece of soft bread and held it to her lips. His gaze was deep and focused. "Then let’s leave now. How about that?"

Forget exposing Alex Carter’s hypocrisy, forget transferring funds, forget consolidating companies...

None of it mattered anymore.

Lily opened her mouth to take a bite, her eyes lighting up. "Alright. Then I’ll be in your care! It’s going to be tough for you!"

She clasped her hands together in mock seriousness, her tone playful. But there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

After all, he wouldn’t just be caring for a normal person—he’d be caring for someone infected with the AuroraVirus...

"Silly girl," Ethan murmured, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Lily smiled, carefree and untroubled.

Ethan stared at her, then suddenly turned his head away. His jaw clenched tightly, and a faint glimmer of moisture appeared in his dark eyes.

"After breakfast, I’ll have Nanny pack up our things. Should we bring her along?" Lily asked.

"No. I’ll arrange for new people to come with us," Ethan replied, calm but firm. "I’ll make sure everyone we know changes their names and identities. They’ll move with their families to new places."

"Why?" Lily asked, startled.

"The old man will use them to force us to come back," Ethan said coldly, sipping coffee.

Lily was initially shocked but quickly forced herself to nod. "Oh, you’ve thought of everything."

Use them...

Did that mean treating them the way Ethan dealt with his enemies? Hurting them, torturing them?

Ethan picked up the morning paper beside him. After just one glance, his face darkened with fury. He tore the paper apart and threw it to the ground.

Lily glanced at the shredded newspaper. The bold headline on the front page read: "Blackwood Enterprises CEO Spends Extravagantly on Mistress’s Film; Death on Set."

The news had spread so quickly.

The headline was accompanied by a photo of her and Ethan. Despite Ethan’s previous efforts to clarify things, the media only cared about sensationalism. The word "mistress" was all they needed to stir up a frenzy.

"The Best Future" had never been heavily publicized. There hadn’t even been a press release. But now, with Aiko Nakamura’s death, the film had inexplicably become a hot topic...

"Within a week, I don’t want to see this newspaper still in circulation," Ethan said coldly.

Nanny bent down to pick up the torn paper. "Yes, Mr. Blackwood. I’ll contact Secretary Helen."

"Forget it..." Lily placed her hand over Ethan’s, glancing at the newspaper. "Entertainment tabloids are like this. Taking them seriously will only upset you. Besides, this might actually help the film—it’s free publicity. At least the box office will probably do well."

Even though, by then, she and Ethan would have left, and she wouldn’t be around to see the film’s release.

Ethan looked at Lily. "You’ve become more optimistic, haven’t you?"

His tone didn’t sound like praise—it was more of a question laced with doubt.

"Isn’t it good to be optimistic?" Lily countered.

"I don’t like it when you force yourself to smile," Ethan said in a low, deep voice.

"Being optimistic doesn’t mean forcing a smile," Lily replied with a grin, trying to prove that her positivity was genuine and that she wasn’t as fragile as he thought.

But Lily found it hard to maintain her act under Ethan’s intense gaze. She took a sip of milk to avoid meeting his eyes.

A dull ache spread through her legs. Though the pain was faint, she was acutely aware of it.

It was a feeling she knew all too well.

"Nanny, come with me to the kitchen to grab something," Lily said hastily.

The Nanny, experienced in handling these situations, quickly came to her side to support her. She signaled to a nearby maid, who immediately followed.

"What do you need to get?" Ethan asked, frowning.

"I’ll be right back."

Lily’s steps were hurried, but her strength gave out before she could enter. Her body collapsed, and both Nanny and the maid caught her just in time to prevent her from falling.

The AuroraVirus was flaring up again.

"Ah..." Lily let out a soft cry of pain. "Help me inside, quickly."

She didn’t want to collapse in front of Ethan...

"Ah!"

The maid misstepped on the staircase, stumbling backward and letting go of Lily.

With no strength in her legs, Lily leaned heavily against Nanny, dragging her down as they both fell to the ground. Nanny cried out in pain.

"Nanny, are you okay?" Lily asked anxiously, ignoring her own pain.

"Miss Anderson, are you alright?" Nanny asked, more concerned about Lily.

Lily didn’t want to crush Nanny. She braced herself against the ground, trying to move away, but the pain coursing through her body was unbearable. She felt trapped in her own agony, unable to escape.

"Lily Anderson!"

Ethan’s hand trembled, and his coffee dropped to the lawn. He was at her side instantly, crouching to scoop her up without a second thought.