30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 301: Unresolved Questions

"What do you mean, ’don’t what’? Hmm?" Ethan chuckled lowly, his hand continuing to explore lower. Lily’s body instinctively curled up, soft moans spilling uncontrollably from her lips.

Ethan lowered his head and kissed her lips deeply, swallowing all her breathy sounds. His hands worked deftly to unbuckle his belt as he sank into her soft, trembling body.

"Mmm..."

It had been so long since they last shared this intimacy that Lily couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed. Her body quivered faintly, struggling to adjust.

Ethan didn’t move. He kissed her deeply, teasing her nerves with careful tenderness, waiting until she was completely ready. Only then did he begin to move slowly, gently...

As the night went on, perhaps it was the lingering effects of the alcohol. Still, Lily responded to him with a boldness and passion unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Her fervent reactions filled him with an unparalleled sense of satisfaction.

The two surrendered entirely to their most primal desires, holding each other tightly as if nothing else mattered.

Ethan couldn’t get enough. He poured all his longing into her as if trying to make up for every moment of separation.

Her kisses drove him wild. They kissed each other with urgency and desperation, as if it were the world’s end. Ethan lost himself in her, releasing every ounce of passion he had bottled up.

He had yearned for her like this for so long that he had nearly lost control of himself.

Lily didn’t know how many times he claimed her that night. She only knew that he was more passionate than ever before. She craved his embrace, his kisses, the scent of him...

Eventually, exhaustion overtook her, and she fell asleep in his arms, completely spent.

The small bed couldn’t accommodate both of them comfortably, so Ethan held her tightly against him as he lay awake. His eyes lingered on her sleeping face, and he couldn’t resist planting soft kisses on her cheeks.

He wasn’t the least bit tired. His gaze fell on the marks he had left on her neck and chest, and he felt an overwhelming urge to punch himself.

He had come here to end things with her, not to possess her body.

What was wrong with him?

He had to be mad. Absolutely mad.

Even as his mind remained clear, Ethan couldn’t stop himself. While she slept, he planted a few more kisses on her face, savoring each one as if it were a stolen treasure.

His longing for her was insatiable. Simply holding her and watching her sleep peacefully in his arms made his heart tremble.

It was an incurable yearning.

Ethan tightened his arms around her. In her sleep, Lily shifted slightly, curling up into a more comfortable position. Even as she slept, her hand unconsciously rested against his chest as if seeking to hold him.

Lily eventually woke up, driven by hunger. She hadn’t eaten in far too long, especially after spending the entire night with Ethan...

Opening her eyes, she was greeted by Ethan’s face so close to hers. A warm smile spread across her lips, and she gently touched his face. His dark eyes stared back at her, deep and unreadable. "You’re awake?"

Her smile was soft, her gaze tender as she looked at him affectionately.

Ethan remained silent, his words caught in his throat. He couldn’t utter a single sound, his expression riddled with complexity.

If only he had been drinking, he could have blamed everything on the wine...

"Are you hungry? I’ll heat up the food," Lily said with a sweet smile, her face glowing with a lover’s bliss. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his forehead. "I love you."

With that, she sat up and began dressing. The intensity of the night’s passion left her body aching, and she rubbed her sore shoulders as she moved.

Ethan sat up as well, leaning against the headboard. He watched her from behind, her figure framed by the light from the window. His head throbbed as if it were about to explode. She clearly thought they had reconciled... Damn it!

Lily walked to the dining table and stared at the now-cold Western meal. How could she possibly heat this up?

"Ethan, let’s go out to eat!" she called out. The tiny kitchen clearly hadn’t been used in ages, and any attempt to cook there might end in disaster.

Ethan didn’t respond.

Lily sighed and went back into the room. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she tugged at Ethan’s arm. "Get up. Let’s go eat."

"I don’t want to eat," Ethan grumbled, pulling the blanket over his head like a child.

Damn it! He hadn’t even had a drop of alcohol, and yet he had still ended up sleeping with Lily...

How could he have been so foolish?!

Damn it all!

"My stomach is so empty. Come with me, please," Lily said, pulling the blanket off him and grabbing his hand. "Come on, Ethan. I’m really hungry..."

"Go eat by yourself!" Ethan snapped, his irritation flaring. He tried to shake her hand off but stopped short, afraid of hurting her. His frustration only grew.

Why was he acting so childish?

"Ethan, get up!"

"No!"

"Then I’ll eat all the cold food out there myself!"

Was she using her own health to threaten him?! Ethan sat up abruptly, his dark eyes glaring at her. Before he could say anything, Lily threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. "There’s my boyfriend. Come on, get dressed."

Ethan couldn’t fathom what had gotten into him, but somehow, he let her drag him out to eat.

The buildings and roads on Skid Row were all old and worn down. Lily walked beside him, her arm linked through his, while Ethan felt like a boulder was pressing against his chest. He tugged at his tie, feeling suffocated.

How the hell was he supposed to tell her?!

"Where did you used to eat? Let’s go to one of your old spots," Lily suggested. She could sense the heavy atmosphere around Ethan, but she didn’t understand why.

He had been so kind to her just moments ago...

"No."

"Why not? I want to see what your life was like back then. Maybe it’ll help me remember when we first met," Lily said earnestly. She had been racking her brain but couldn’t recall any memories of Ethan from her past.

And he refused to tell her.

"My life back then?" Ethan laughed coldly. "You wouldn’t want to see it."

"But I do," Lily insisted, looking up at his face. How could he decide what she wanted to see? She wanted to know everything about him.

"Lily," Ethan said, pulling his hand away and stopping by the side of the road. His dark eyes bore into hers as he spoke in a low voice. "We’ve already broken up."

Broken up?

Weren’t they back together? Hadn’t he been the one to kiss her? How could he say they had already broken up?!

Lily’s face turned pale, her hands trembling slightly. "If we’ve broken up, why did you bring me to your old home? If we’ve broken up, why did you..."

"Just because a man and a woman sleep together doesn’t mean they must be in a relationship! Lily, are you joking?!" Ethan interrupted her with a cold sneer, his voice dripping with disdain. "You know exactly what kind of man I am."

Lily’s face grew even paler.

"I do," she replied earnestly. "You risked your life to save my father. You stayed up all night making a model for me. You invested in my dream so I could make a film..."

So this was the image she had of him now.

Ethan opened his mouth, but no harsh words came out. Lily’s eyes were filled with trust—trust in him.

"Ethan, I don’t care what’s happened, but I want to face it with you. Don’t shut me out," Lily pleaded, stepping closer to hold his hand. "I believe you love me."

Some things didn’t need to be said aloud. She could feel them.

She trusted her instincts.

Lily’s words left Ethan silent, his lips pressed into a cold line. He didn’t know what to say.

Could she really handle it?

Could she bear the pain of a separation that might last a lifetime? Was she sure she could endure it?

"If you don’t want to talk about it, fine. Just don’t push me away," Lily said with a bitter smile. "Come on, let’s go eat."

In front of her, he found himself unable to say a single word.

Ethan drove her to a small noodle shop at the end of Skid Row. He only ordered one bowl of noodles—for her.

"Why aren’t you eating? You need to take your medicine after meals. At least eat a little," Lily said, frowning. He hadn’t eaten anything in so long. How could he not be hungry?

"I said I’m not eating!"

When the owner brought over the bowl of noodles, Lily placed it in the center of the table and handed Ethan a pair of chopsticks. "Eat something, then take your medicine."

"I’m not eating!" Ethan growled, glaring at the plain bowl of noodles as if it offended him. "I don’t eat cheap food like this!"

"Food isn’t about being cheap or expensive," Lily said, taking a bite of the noodles. "They’re pretty good. Did you eat these when you were in school?"

"Pretty good?!" Ethan scoffed coldly. "You think this is good? This is the kind of place poor people eat at. Poor people eat these noodles. And you think they’re good?!"

She wasn’t like this before.

Ethan’s words were sharp, like the thorns of a porcupine, ready to wound anyone who got too close.

"Ethan, just because you went through hard times doesn’t mean you have to look down on ordinary people’s lives," Lily said, disagreeing with his worldview. "I think the noodles taste fine."

Ethan had a distinct air of arrogance. This kind of arrogance came from someone who had experienced poverty and now rejected everything associated with it.

Perhaps it was this same attitude that had contributed to his mother’s tragedy.

"Look down on it?!" Ethan’s chest tightened as he stared at Lily’s clueless expression. Who was responsible for making him this way?!

She had forgotten everything, and yet she seemed so carefree.

Ethan’s phone vibrated. He answered the call, and Tommy’s voice came through. "Where are you? Father wants to see you. You know what to say and what to do, right?"

The old man...

Ethan abruptly ended the call, his expression darkening. He grabbed Lily’s chopsticks and threw them to the side. "Get up!"

"..." Lily stared at him, speechless. She was eating noodles—was it really necessary to be this rude?!

Ethan grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the shop. His grip was firm, almost painful, as he dragged her along. "Where are we going?"

"You want to know how we met, don’t you? I’ll show you right now!"