30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 274: Alex’s Revelation

The child was theirs. Ethan Blackwood’s grief couldn’t possibly be less than hers... How could she have been so reckless, running off like this, even driving? He must be worried sick.

She needed to go back.

Yes, back.

Lily Anderson didn’t dare to touch the car again. She pulled out her phone, about to call Ethan when a soft knock appeared on her car window.

Ethan?

Lily quickly turned her head, only to see Alex Carter’s refined and gentle face outside the window. His features were elegant, and his soft smile gave off an air of warmth.

Alex?

Lily rolled down the window, puzzled, asking, "What are you doing here?"

"I was passing by and saw this car parked here. I recognized it as one of Ethan’s," Alex replied in his usual calm, soft-spoken manner.

Ethan’s license plate was as conspicuous as his personality—bold and unrestrained.

Alex bent down slightly, glancing inside the car. "You were driving alone? No wonder there was a mishap. Come on, get out."

"What mishap..."

"There are skid marks from a sudden brake on the road. Don’t play dumb. Get out of the car, and I’ll take you home," Alex said knowingly, tapping lightly on the car door while maintaining his polite smile.

Home? Back to the Blackwood estate?

"No need. I’ll call Ethan to—" Lily began, trying to force a polite smile, but she couldn’t muster it.

"I’m going that way anyway. Let me take you. Come on," Alex insisted.

Unable to find another excuse to refuse, Lily opened the car door and stepped out. She glanced around briefly before Alex approached her, pointing toward a nearby sports car. "My car’s over there. I’ll give you a ride."

"Alright, sorry to trouble you," Lily said softly.

"Don’t mention it. I haven’t visited you since you were discharged; neither has Alice," Alex said, holding the car door open for her like a gentleman.

Not far away, a sleek black sports car sat parked by the roadside. Ethan sat in the driver’s seat, his cold, piercing gaze fixed on the two figures getting into Alex’s car. His face was as icy as a glacier, and a seething hatred burned in his dark eyes as though he wanted nothing more than to leap out and kill someone.

But as Alex’s car drove off, Ethan didn’t move an inch.

Bang!

Ethan slammed his fist into the steering wheel, his entire body radiating fury.

Alex Carter...

One day, he would make sure Alex paid dearly.

Inside Alex’s car, Lily sat quietly in the passenger seat, her mind in turmoil. She stared out the window at the bustling traffic, the endless stream of vehicles moving back and forth.

"Lily."

Alex’s gentle voice pulled her attention away from the window.

Turning to look at him, she saw his calm expression as he drove. "You don’t seem to be in a good mood," he remarked.

"My son... he... he’s gone," Lily said, tilting her head to the side as tears welled in her eyes. Her voice was hoarse, and the words were excruciating to say.

Alex slammed on the brakes, his expression filled with disbelief as he turned to her. "So soon?!"

"So soon?" Lily blinked in confusion, her mind struggling to process his reaction. "What do you mean, so soon?"

Hearing about her son’s death... Alex’s first reaction was to say, "So soon?"

"Babies carrying the AuroraVirus are more likely to pass away. But I thought modern medicine could delay that," Alex said, frowning slightly.

"Carrying the AuroraVirus? What are you talking about?" Lily asked, her voice full of confusion. "What do you mean my son was carrying AuroraVirus?"

Was that what he meant?

A baby carrying AuroraVirus—was he referring to her and Ethan’s son?

"The AuroraVirus is hereditary," Alex explained after a pause. "Well, not exactly hereditary. Medically speaking, it’s transmitted from mother to child."

Transmitted from mother to child?!

Lily’s face turned pale as she stammered, "Are you saying... my son had AuroraVirus too?"

How could that be...

The professor had told her...

"It’s similar to HIV. However, while HIV doesn’t always get transmitted to the child, AuroraVirus is always transmitted," Alex said, his brows furrowing as he looked at her. "Didn’t you know this?"

"They said... they said it wouldn’t be passed to the baby," Lily murmured, collapsing weakly back into the passenger seat.

AuroraVirus always gets transmitted from mother to child?!

How could this be...

Why was this happening...

But if it weren’t true, how else could it be explained? She had read so much about premature birth, and modern medicine had advanced so much. Premature babies didn’t just die shortly after birth...

Unless... it was indeed AuroraVirus.

"They said?" Alex asked skeptically. "You didn’t know? Even if they told you otherwise, you could’ve looked up information about AuroraVirus online."

Lily shook her head blankly. "No, I tried looking it up online, but there was no information about AuroraVirus. I thought... I thought it must be such a rare disease that nothing was available."

"Ethan must’ve restricted your internet access," Alex said matter-of-factly. "Do you believe everything he says?"

Lily lifted her dull, lifeless eyes to him and naturally responded, "Why wouldn’t I believe him?"

Why wouldn’t she trust Ethan?

"That Ethan Blackwood!" Alex growled, punching the steering wheel in anger. His usually gentle face was now clouded with fury. "He made you carry this child without ensuring it wouldn’t harm the baby?"

Lily remained silent, her mind once again a tangled mess.

"He treats you like what? A tool for bearing his child? You’ve endured so much pain, and yet you weren’t even given the right to know the truth? And he lied to you?!" Alex said indignantly, restarting the car. "I’ll take you back to confront him."

"Let me out of the car," Lily said suddenly.

"Lily..."

"I’m overwhelmed right now. I need to be alone," Lily said hoarsely, unbuckling her seatbelt and reaching for the door handle. Alex grabbed her arm.

"How can I let you go like this? I’ll take you back to the Blackwood estate so you can demand answers. Ask him why he lied to you," Alex said, uncharacteristically angry.

"I don’t know..." Lily muttered, pulling her arm free. Her dazed eyes were unfocused. "He wouldn’t lie to me."

Ethan wouldn’t have lied to her...

If he wanted a child, he had plenty of options. Some women would gladly bear his children. Why would he insist on having a child that carried AuroraVirus?

There had to be some mistake. Yes, there must have been a mistake somewhere.

"The facts are right in front of you. He wanted you to have his child, so he hid the truth about AuroraVirus being transmitted from mother to child," Alex said, his usually calm voice heavy with anger. "You were already dealing with AuroraVirus, and your health wasn’t good. Yet he hid the truth, letting you go through so much pain to have this child. He went too far."

Every word Alex said felt like a needle stabbing Lily’s heart, piercing her deeply.

Her mind had been in chaos all day. That morning, she had been happily preparing for her discharge. Then Ethan had told her their son was dead. And now... Alex was telling her that the baby hadn’t died because of premature birth but because of AuroraVirus...

How could so many things happen all at once...

It was always like this. Just when she thought she could breathe, life would strike her with another blow, dragging her down again.

Lily didn’t want to hear Alex continue. She opened the car door and stepped out.

Alex’s eyes flickered with concern as he reached out to stop her, but she slipped away.

Even though doubts were beginning to form in her mind, she still didn’t want to hear him say anything bad about Ethan...

Lily...

You’re so devoted.

Alex composed himself, smoothing out the frustration on his face. He got out of the car and followed her. "Lily, let me take you home."

"I want to walk alone," Lily declined politely. She was truly alone now. Even if she stumbled and fell, it wouldn’t hurt the baby anymore...

There was nothing left to fear...

Lily walked along the side of the road, her steps slow and unsteady. Alex’s car trailed behind her at a matching pace, silently keeping her company.

Her mind was a mess, more chaotic than it had ever been.

She felt colder than ever.

She had always wondered if AuroraVirus could be passed to the baby. The professor and his team had repeatedly assured her it wouldn’t, and she had no reason to doubt them...

Because Ethan was her man. She had always believed he would only do what was best for her. He wouldn’t hurt her...

Maybe—just maybe—he had been overly confident that he’d secure the antidote in time. He had been too sure of himself...

By the time her belly had grown, it would’ve been too risky to terminate the pregnancy. So he had chosen not to tell her...

Or maybe Alex was lying.

Or maybe this was all a terrible nightmare—a nightmare from which she would soon wake up.

Lily glanced sideways and saw Alex’s car still following her.

When he noticed her looking, Alex called out with concern, "Lily, get in the car. I’ll take you wherever you want to go."

Where did she want to go?

To a place with Ethan. To a place with her son... Could he take her there?

To a time before today ever happened... Could he take her there?

No. No one could take her there.

"No, thank you, Alex," Lily said, stopping to address him through the car window. "I’ll go on my own. You should go handle your own matters. Don’t worry about me."

Lily dodged a passing taxi and got in without waiting for his response. "To Shallow Bay," she told the driver.

As the taxi pulled away, passing Alex’s car, he didn’t follow. His brown eyes stayed fixed on the retreating vehicle.

The disdain and wariness she felt toward him were so deep... her love and trust for Ethan were so absolute...

Friends?

She treated him worse than an ordinary friend... No matter how gently he approached her, she always stepped back.

What gave Ethan the right to have her love? What made him worthy?!

When Lily returned to the Blackwood estate, Ethan wasn’t there. Tommy was on the couch, flirting with someone over the phone. When he saw her, he shouted, "Lily, what kind of car were you driving?!"

Lily shot him a glance, then turned and walked away without responding.

Tommy looked out the window and asked again, "Where’s Ethan? Didn’t he go after you?"

Lily paused and turned back. "He went after me?"

"He went to chase you," Tommy replied, frowning as he tossed his phone aside. "Where is he?"

Ethan had gone after her?

Then why hadn’t she run into him?

As Lily approached the front door, Ethan walked in from outside. Their eyes met.

Ethan’s dark eyes were deep and unreadable.

Lily gazed at him quietly. She had so many questions to ask, but now that she was face-to-face with him, she didn’t know where to start.

After a long silence, Ethan stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and pulled her outside. His grip was tight, his fingers pressing her wrist so hard it hurt.

As they exited the estate, Lily couldn’t help but whisper, "You’re hurting me."

"..." Ethan paused at the gate, his hand tightening briefly before he let go.

Freeing her hand, Lily looked at him and said, enunciating each word carefully, "Ethan, I need to ask you something."

Ethan stared intensely at her. "I’m taking you out."

Out?

Before Lily could react, Ethan grabbed her hand again and ushered her into his sports car.

Ethan climbed into the driver’s seat and, without a word, buckled her seatbelt for her. He started the engine, and military escort vehicles immediately followed as they drove off.

The sky was gradually darkening. Ethan drove fast, speeding down the road.

Lily watched his cold, chiseled face, unable to decipher his thoughts. "Ethan..."

"Wait until I give you permission to ask," Ethan interrupted her, his tone domineering and unyielding. He pressed harder on the accelerator, speeding up even more.

It was as if he already knew what she wanted to ask...

Why was he taking her out to "have fun" now? What could they possibly do for fun? A sense of unease began to creep into Lily’s heart...