30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 272: Our Son is Gone

Lily Anderson wandered through the rows of infant cribs, checking the name tags one by one, with a few nurses assisting her in the search.

After scanning all the name tags, Lily lifted her head and looked toward Nanny, standing at the door. With a puzzled expression, she asked, "Nanny, is my son here?"

"Yes... yes..." Nanny stammered, stepping back slightly, not daring to enter.

"Nanny, you’re acting so strange today," Lily said, her tone suspicious as she turned back to continue her search.

Maybe she had been too excited and missed her son’s name. She’d look again...

Lily bent over, scanning each tag carefully. The name tag should have either Ethan Blackwood’s name or hers. Why couldn’t she find it?

"Stop looking!"

A deep, cold voice rang out from behind her.

Lily turned around and saw Ethan standing in the doorway, his gaze icy and fixed on her. His handsome face was devoid of expression. Behind him, Nanny stood with her head lowered, tears streaming down her face.

"You’re here?" Lily smiled brightly and walked toward him, confused by his words. "What do you mean, stop looking?"

"There’s no need to look anymore," Ethan said, towering over her. His eyes were impossibly dark, so dark that she couldn’t discern what lay within them.

No need to look anymore?

What did that mean? What did he mean by that?

Lily’s heart sank sharply. Then, attempting to brush it off, she laughed and said, "He’s not here, is he? Then where is he? Don’t tell me you already brought him home?"

Hadn’t they agreed that she and the baby would be discharged together?

Before Ethan could respond, Lily turned to Nanny and complained, "Nanny, what’s wrong with you today? Didn’t you say my son was here? Did you make a mistake?"

Nanny kept her head down, not saying a word, but Lily clearly saw tears falling from her eyes. Nanny’s entire body was trembling.

"Why are you crying?"

Lily stared blankly at her, unable to muster another smile.

Why was Nanny crying?

Today was supposed to be a joyous day—her and the baby’s discharge day. It was a happy occasion. Why would anyone cry?

"Miss Anderson..." Nanny sobbed, her voice choked and nearly unintelligible.

Lily didn’t wait for her to finish. She grabbed Nanny’s hand and began pulling her toward the door, speaking rapidly, "Just tell me where the baby is. Let’s go pick him up."

"The baby is dead!"

Ethan’s voice rang out behind her once more, each word spoken with deliberate force, though his tone lacked any discernible emotion.

Beside the glass window, Lily’s movements came to an abrupt halt, her heart seeming to stop.

Ethan stood a few steps behind her, his dark eyes locked onto her motionless figure.

Nanny stood to the side, silently crying.

Time felt as though it had come to a standstill...

A long, long time passed.

Lily finally turned around to face Ethan’s cold and expressionless face as if she hadn’t heard him correctly. "What did you say?"

Had she misheard?

Yes... she must have misheard. It was an auditory illusion... an illusion...

"Lily Anderson, the baby is dead. Our son is dead!" Ethan said, staring at her stunned face. He spoke the words one by one, his deep voice sounding like it was being forced out from the depths of his throat.

Lily Anderson, the baby is dead. Our son is dead.

Lily Anderson, the baby is dead. Our son is dead.

Lily Anderson, the baby is dead. Our son is dead.

Lily stood frozen in place, staring at Ethan’s stoic face. Her trembling lips moved, but it took a long time before she could utter, "Ethan, what nonsense are you saying?"

What did he mean, the baby was dead?

She had clearly heard the baby cry when she was on the operating table. How could he be dead? How could he be dead? That was impossible. The doctor had even asked if she wanted to see the baby...

Her voice suddenly went hoarse, so hoarse it was painful to listen.

"He’s dead. He was a premature baby. He passed away on the third day after birth," Ethan said, his dark eyes unwavering as they stayed fixed on her.

He died on the third day after birth?

How could that be... No, it couldn’t be. Premature babies didn’t just die so quickly. The doctors checked everything and confirmed no issues before proceeding with the surgery.

This had to be a joke. Ethan must be playing a cruel joke on her, right? He was trying to get back at her because she had teased him about her health earlier.

That must be it.

Lily took one cautious step toward Ethan, then another, carefully studying his face for any hints of his true intentions.

She couldn’t decipher the meaning behind his heavy expression...

Reaching out, Lily grabbed the sleeve of his coat. Her pale face forced a strained smile as she spoke tremblingly, "Ethan, if you tell me right now that this is just a joke, I won’t be mad. Really, I won’t..."

So just tell her this was a joke...

The baby was fine. The baby was healthy. He couldn’t be dead...

She hadn’t even seen her son yet. How could he be dead? It wasn’t possible. It wasn’t possible.

She had gone through so much pain, and her son had survived in her womb. How could he die as soon as he was born?

Ethan lowered his gaze and looked her in the eye. His dark eyes were deep and unreadable. "The baby is already dead."

That one sentence shattered all of Lily’s hopes.

Lily stared blankly at him, her pale hand slipping away from his sleeve. Her body swayed unsteadily, and she took two steps back.

Dead.

Was the baby dead? The son she had carefully protected... was dead?

Her vision went black. Lily nearly fainted, her body collapsing.

Ethan’s reflexes were quick. He caught her in his arms just in time, holding her weight and staring anxiously at her pale, lifeless face. "Lily Anderson!"

Lily leaned against his chest. From her vantage point, she could see the rows of innocent, blissfully unaware babies through the glass window...

She had thought... her son was in there.

She had thought... she could hold her child before her condition worsened and she became paralyzed...

"Why... didn’t you tell me earlier?" Lily’s voice was so faint that she could barely hear it as Ethan held her tightly.

"You had just come out of surgery. Your body hadn’t recovered yet. There was no need for you to know," Ethan said in a low voice.

No need?

She was the baby’s mother. How could there be "no need" for her to know?

"Where is he? I want to see him. I want to see him..." Lily clung to Ethan’s arm, her tone urgent, her eyes devoid of tears but filled with desperation.

"He’s at the cemetery," Ethan said, his gaze locked on her. "He’s already been buried."

Buried?

"I haven’t even seen him! Why didn’t you let me see him?! I’m his mother..." Lily cried out, clutching his arm tightly as though holding on to him could restore what she had lost.

She was the baby’s mother. Why had the baby been buried without her knowing?

She should have realized it earlier. It had been a month, and Ethan hadn’t let her see the baby. The bodyguards, who seemed to protect her, were there to keep her from finding him...

How could this happen? That was her son. Why hadn’t she been allowed to see him, not even once?

"He’s already dead! Whether you see him or not, he’s still dead. Do you understand, Lily Anderson?!" Ethan shouted, gripping her face with his large hands. "Lily Anderson, wake up. There’s nothing to see about a dead baby."

Lily stared at him, stunned. How could he speak to her like that?

What did he mean, "nothing to see about a dead baby"? That was their son. Why did he speak like the baby had nothing to do with them?

Didn’t he say he loved their son?

"Which cemetery is he in? I want to see him."

Lily pushed his hands away and turned to walk out.

Ethan didn’t follow. He watched her retreating figure, his eyes closing tightly. The fists at his sides clenched, veins bulging as if he could kill someone with his bare hands.

Nanny stood to the side, sobbing quietly.

Bang!

Lily suddenly collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

"Miss Anderson—"

"Lily!" Ethan roared, rushing to scoop her up off the floor. Without hesitation, he carried her toward the emergency room.

Lily had thought that the next time she opened her eyes, she’d be back at Ethan’s home, not in a hospital room surrounded by the sterile smell of disinfectant.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the familiar hospital room and the IV drip overhead. For a moment, she thought she was still in her postpartum recovery period and hadn’t been discharged yet.

It was a dream, wasn’t it?

The baby wasn’t gone. It was just a nightmare. She hadn’t been discharged yet...

Yes, it was a dream.

A fleeting nightmare. It had to be because she was too anxious about her son, which caused her to dream such a terrible thing.

Lily pushed herself up in bed, her head throbbing slightly.

"You’re awake?" Ethan’s deep voice came from the doorway. He walked in from the kitchen, giving her a long, measured look. "Nanny made some soup for you."

The moment she saw Ethan, Lily said, "I just had the strangest dream. You know, I dreamt that you told me..."

Her voice abruptly trailed off.

She noticed Ethan was wearing the same coat he’d been wearing in her "dream." Even the creases where she had gripped his sleeve were still there...

It wasn’t a dream?

It wasn’t a dream? Then what about their son...

"What did you dream about?" Ethan asked as he approached her bed, his voice low and tinged with indifference.

Lily sat frozen on the bed, realizing that everything was real. It hadn’t been a dream at all.

"Lily Anderson, the baby is dead. Our son is dead."

"He’s dead. He was a premature baby. He passed away on the third day after birth."

"He’s already dead! Whether you see him or not, he’s still dead. Do you understand, Lily Anderson?!"

Her son... No, it couldn’t be... Her son couldn’t be dead...

Lily yanked the IV needle out of her hand and threw off the blanket, making a dash for the door. Before she could reach it, Ethan wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Lily Anderson, what are you doing?! Get back in bed!" Ethan shouted coldly, holding her tightly.

"Where is he, Ethan? Where is our son?" Lily struggled in his arms, her voice filled with desperation.

"He’s dead!" Ethan yelled, gripping her flailing arms. "Lily Anderson, calm down!"

"How can I calm down?!" Lily cried, twisting and turning in his grasp. "You’re lying! Our son isn’t dead. He’s not dead!"

"Lily—Anderson!"

Lily’s struggle grew more frantic, her strength surprising even herself.

Ethan used all his might to lift her and pin her back onto the bed. He pressed his knee against her legs to keep them immobilized and held her arms firmly in his hands. His breathing was uneven as he growled, "The baby is dead. Whether you accept it or not, that’s the truth!"

"I don’t accept it!" Lily screamed, tears streaming down her face. "When I was on the operating table, I heard him cry... I really heard him cry... He can’t be dead, Ethan! Our son can’t be dead!"

Her son couldn’t leave her first...

Her son couldn’t die. He just couldn’t. He couldn’t. He couldn’t.

Her voice was hoarse and pitiful, every word like a sharp blade stabbing into Ethan’s heart, making it feel as though it had stopped beating.

"Lily Anderson, he’s dead!" Ethan repeated, forcing the truth upon her.

Lily, her limbs restrained by his hold, stopped struggling. Tears flowed uncontrollably, blurring her vision.