30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 271: Expectations of Parenthood

She still felt like she hadn’t thought far enough. She hadn’t yet considered whether their child would catch colds easily, whether he’d make lots of friends at school, or whether he might inherit the Blackwood men’s notorious penchant for being heartthrobs...

But all of this... it was just something she could think about, nothing more.

She wouldn’t be there to witness it. At most... she could only accompany her child for nine years. Nine years. He would still be a child then, his future unformed, his path unwritten. She wouldn’t get to see it.

"What are you thinking about?" Ethan Blackwood asked when Lily Anderson, who had been rambling on and on, suddenly fell quiet.

"Ethan... you’ll love our child very much, won’t you?" Lily suddenly asked.

"I won’t hit him!" That was Ethan’s way of showing love.

Ethan said the words coldly, his tone awkward and stiff.

So, the extent of his love was... not hitting the child?

For a long time, neither of them spoke. Ethan scooped up the now-lukewarm porridge and held it to her lips. Lily silently took a few bites before finally saying, "I can’t eat anymore."

"Let’s go sit for a bit."

Ethan set up two thick cushions on the balcony and carried her to sit with him. They sat side by side, gazing at the bright, clear sky.

"Ethan, I’ll watch how well you treat our son. And I’ll correct your ways of showing love," Lily said seriously.

That way, even if she left in the future, the father and son could still live happily together.

"Who needs your advice!" Ethan retorted, his tone dismissive.

The gentle sunlight bathed their faces. Lily leaned slightly against Ethan’s shoulder, gazing up at the sky with a faint smile and bitterness in her eyes.

Ethan’s deep, magnetic voice broke the silence. "Lily, do you want to see the day our son grows into a man?"

"I do..." Lily’s voice was tinged with sorrow.

"Do you really, really want to?"

"Really, really, really... There’s so much I want to see..." she said, her voice trembling slightly.

She wanted to see her son take his first steps, say his first words...

See him make his first friends, attend his first day of preschool...

See him finish his first homework assignment, discover his interests, and eventually choose a career...

See whether his personality would take after the Blackwood or Anderson sides... A boy could be a little assertive but shouldn’t turn into a little tyrant.

There was so much she wanted to see, yet she wouldn’t even be able to stay with him until he became an adult.

"Ethan, when our son grows up, don’t say bad things about me in front of him," Lily said softly, resting her head on his broad shoulder. "I want to be there for him as he grows up, but I can’t."

Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her face.

Lily realized she had started crying again.

Ethan remained silent, staring straight ahead at the sky. The sky was as clear and pure as if it had been washed—just like her face...

Lily Anderson. Her love for their child surpassed so many things.

Ethan didn’t lower his gaze to look at her, but he knew she was crying.

After a long while, Ethan felt her trembling beside him. Realizing something was wrong, he immediately wrapped his arms around her. "Lily, what’s wrong?!"

Lily suddenly collapsed onto his lap, her face pale as sweat beaded on her forehead. Her voice quivered as she spoke, "The AuroraVirus is flaring up... It hurts... Ethan, it hurts so much..."

She had thought she could endure it this time. She had believed she could get through this flare-up...

But the pain was bone-deep, uncontrollable, and it dragged the pain from her surgical incision along with it, intensifying her suffering.

"I’ll get the pain relief!" Ethan said urgently. He carefully laid her flat on the cushions before rushing into the room to grab the injection.

When he turned back, he froze in place.

Lily lay on her side on the cushions, trembling all over. Her hands clawed at the air, as if desperately trying to grasp something, and her body shook uncontrollably...

That image—he had seen it before on Aiko Nakamura.

It was the first time Ethan truly understood how much more excruciating the AuroraVirus was than he had imagined.

Ethan rushed back to her side, administering the pain relief injection and pulling her into his arms. He wiped the sweat from her face and asked, "How is it? Does it still hurt?!"

The pain left Lily unable to speak. She lay limp in his arms, her body convulsing, her face devoid of color.

Ethan stared at her, his eyes suddenly welling with tears, and he quickly blinked away.

The pain in his chest felt like needles piercing his heart.

Aside from administering the injection and asking how she was, all he could do was watch helplessly as she writhed in pain, looking as if she might die at any moment.

And yet, even amid her agony, she was trying to endure it in front of him.

Was she insane? How could she possibly bear this kind of pain?!

A tear slid down the corner of Ethan’s eye. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The more pain relief injections she received, the less effective they would become over time. Lily rested her head against his chest, finding solace in his warm embrace. As long as she had this, she felt she could endure anything.

But Ethan couldn’t hold back anymore. His voice rose in anger as he shouted, "Lily! How many times have I told you? Don’t hide it from me when you’re in pain! Over and over again, you keep enduring it in front of me. Can’t you stop doing that?!"

As the pain subsided, Lily managed to part her lips and speak weakly. "I thought... this time wouldn’t hurt as much."

She had thought she could get through it easily.

"Lily, I’m warning you! Don’t push yourself like this! If it hurts, say something! What’s the point of enduring it?! Are you stupid?!" he scolded her furiously. Did she seriously think this pain would just go away if she toughed it out?

Was she a fool?!

Lily lay in his arms, staring at his furious face. She raised her hand to gently touch his face. "Every time I’m in pain, you get more anxious than I do..."

Every time something happened to her, he panicked more than she did. She couldn’t bear to see him like that.

"Ethan, I don’t want to bring you nothing but hardship," Lily said, her voice choking with emotion. "I don’t want you to live on edge because of me. Do you understand?"

Seeing how his hands trembled every time he gave her an injection, her heart ached for him...

"That doesn’t mean you have to endure it!" Ethan shot back.

The sight of her trembling and writhing on the ground, looking like she was on the brink of death, made his chest tighten with fear. It felt like he could lose her at any moment.

"I just want to cherish my time with you and our child. Even if someday I have to leave, I want you both to smile," Lily said, tears streaming down her face. Her fingers brushed against his cheek. "I don’t want you to suffer."

Hearing her words, Ethan abruptly closed his eyes. A single tear escaped, sliding down his sharp, handsome face.

He hugged her tightly, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Seeing this made Lily feel even worse. She reached up to wipe the tear from his face. "Ethan..."

He was crying...

This strong, proud man was crying in front of her.

"I’ve lost," Ethan said quietly as he opened his eyes, a faint sheen of tears still visible. His large hand held her even closer, his head resting against hers as he murmured in a low voice, "Lily, I’ve lost."

Lost?

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, confused. Lost what? Why was he suddenly talking about winning and losing?

"Nothing. I just want to hold you," Ethan replied, pulling her closer as if he wanted to merge her into his very being.

He had lost to her—completely and utterly.

He admitted defeat.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Lily’s hospital stay, and it was finally time for her to be discharged.

At last... she could see her son.

Lily seemed especially lively, having grown tired of the smell of disinfectant. Nanny was busy packing up her belongings.

"Nanny, let me help you," Lily said as she changed out of her hospital gown and began organizing the suitcase alongside her.

Nanny quickly stopped her. "No, no, I can handle it."

"It’s fine. The faster we pack, the sooner I can see my son!" Lily said with a bright smile. She had tried sneaking out of her hospital room multiple times to see the baby, but Ethan’s bodyguards always caught her.

Now that she was discharged, Ethan couldn’t stop her from seeing the baby anymore.

"What? Oh, uh... okay..." Nanny’s eyes darted nervously, and her hands moved even slower as she packed.

"My son should be out of the incubator by now, right? Do preemies really need to stay in there for this long?" Lily asked, frowning slightly as she recalled the articles she had read in magazines.

"..." Nanny didn’t respond.

"Nanny?"

Startled, Nanny stammered, "Oh, yes, he’s out already..."

"What do you mean, ’he’s out already’? Are you talking about my son?" Lily asked, smiling. "Nanny, you’re acting a little strange today."

"No, no, I’m not," Nanny said quickly, shaking her head to assure her nothing was wrong.

"Once I’m discharged, Ethan, the baby, and I are leaving this place," Lily said excitedly.

She had already surpassed the minimum timeframe for the AuroraVirus to cause complete paralysis. While she could still move and hold her child, she wanted to take full advantage.

"Y-yes..." Nanny replied, nodding stiffly as she continued to pack at an agonizingly slow pace.

Too happy to notice, Lily quickly stuffed her belongings into the suitcase. She patted Nanny on the arm, cheerfully said, "Let’s go pick up my son!"

Come to think of it, she and Ethan hadn’t even decided on a name for their baby yet. They needed to pick something cool and handsome.

Nanny dragged the suitcase behind her, moving at a snail’s pace. Lily walked ahead, but she saw Nanny lagging far behind when she turned around.

"Nanny, hurry up! Where’s my son?" Lily returned to help, looping her arm around Nanny’s and excitedly looking around.

"The young master... the young master is..."

"Oh! I see it!" Lily exclaimed, spotting a glass window through which rows of infant cribs could be seen. Inside, babies dressed in colorful outfits lay sleeping or gazing around innocently while nurses moved about.

"Miss Anderson..."

Nanny followed slowly, her expression anxious as she watched Lily’s excitement.

Lily pressed herself against the glass, scanning the name tags on each crib one by one. "Nanny, I can’t read the ones farther back. Which one is my son? Does the name tag have Ethan Blackwood’s name on it?"

"Miss Anderson... maybe we should head home first."

"We’ll take the baby home with us, of course," Lily replied, her eyes glued to the babies behind the glass. One of the nurses noticed her and came out with a friendly smile. "Hello, can I help you with anything?"

"I’m here to pick up my son."

"Alright. Can I have the parent’s name, please?" the nurse asked with a smile. "And I’ll need to see some identification."

"The father’s name is Ethan Blackwood, and the mother’s name is Lily Anderson," Lily said, turning to Nanny. "Nanny, show her the documents. Oh, and can I go in and take a look?"

Her mind was entirely focused on her son.

"Of course," the nurse said, taking the paperwork from Nanny and reviewing it.

Nanny’s face was clouded with worry as Lily entered the nursery, moving from crib to crib to check the name tags.

Not this one...

Not this one, either...

A child without a name was pitiful. She had come up with countless names for Ethan to choose from for a month, but he always said there was no rush.

How could her son’s name not be a priority? It had already been a month, and he didn’t even have a nickname.

Lily wandered through the rows of cribs, checking each name tag as the nurses helped her search.