30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 316: On the Edge of Fate

"Ethan, listen to me. There’s no negotiating with him. Father gave you the antidote, helped you remove the Carter Group, and pulled you out of the central government’s radar. Now he wants you back in Europe within a week. You don’t have a choice."

Tommy’s voice carried a rare edge of urgency.

"If you refuse, we’re both screwed."

"Get out of my way!"

Ethan shot him a cold glare before striding more, plunging into the living room, his hand resting on the back of the couch.

This couch—

Where he had once sat with Lily curled up beside him, watching movies.

Where she had peeled oranges for him, feeding him piece by piece.

Where she had lain beneath him, exasperated yet helpless against him.

Now, they were separated.

This was how it had to be.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

The second he answered, a panicked voice filled his ear.

"Mr. Blackwood! You told me to keep an eye on Miss Anderson. Something’s wrong—she went up to the rooftop!"

Rooftop?

"Then stop her! Grab her! Are you an idiot?!"

Ethan’s voice turned sharp, his grip tightening around the phone.

The response that came back made his blood freeze.

"It’s too late—she’s already sitting on the edge..."

Edge.

The word thundered in Ethan’s mind.

A flash of memory—

His mother is standing on a ledge.

Despair in her eyes. And then—falling.

His face drained of all color.

His heartbeat stopped. He bolted.

"Put her on the phone! Now! Give her the damn phone!"

Tommy barely had time to react as Ethan raced past him.

"Hey! Where the hell are you going?! We need to get ready for Europe!"

Tommy cursed under his breath.

What the hell was Ethan thinking?

Was he really running after her right now?

Did he want their father to skin them alive?!

On the Hospital Rooftop-

The rooftop was high.

The wind was sharp, cutting against her skin.

The sky stretched endlessly, pale and empty.

Lily sat at the very edge, her legs dangling over the side.

She gazed out at the city, her expression unreadable.

Her mother must have felt this way, too.

That day, when she stood at the edge of a building—

Trapped in despair.

Lost in regret.

Her mother had loved Bill Carter.

Loved him enough to betray her own husband.

Loved him enough to destroy everything for him.

And in the end—She had lost everything.

Her love had given her nothing. Nothing but devastation. And death.

Lily let out a soft breath, staring at the vast cityscape below.

For the first time, she understood.

She understood why.

Why do people chase love even when it is hopeless.

Why did people fight for it even when it destroyed them?

Because love was a sickness.

An illusion.

A harsh deception that only left behind scars.

The wind brushed against her face.

She was still alive.

But for what?

If she had never entered Ethan’s world—

If she had never stepped back into Alex’s life—

None of this would have happened.

None of this pain.

None of this loss.

"Mom... was it all my fault?"

She whispered into the wind.

She could feel it now—

How could love consume a person and twist them into something unrecognizable?

She had her mother’s blood.

Her mother’s fate.

She had believed she could find happiness.

She had believed she deserved love.

But all she had done was destroy everything.

Below her, paper planes still drifted in the air.

Children had released them earlier, sending them soaring toward the sky.

Now, they fluttered down as if waiting to catch her.

She shifted her feet, pressing her weight against the ledge.

Readying herself to stand.

"Miss Anderson, don’t—!"

A frantic voice shattered the silence.

Lily blinked.

Someone was calling for her.

Lily turned her head slightly.

A man she didn’t recognize stood a few feet away, sweat dripping down his face.

He was afraid—afraid to get too close, afraid to startle her.

"Miss Anderson, please... please calm down. Whatever it is, we can talk about it."

She stared at him in silence.

The man hesitated, then suddenly pressed a button on his phone, switching to speaker mode.

A voice exploded from the device—

"Lily Anderson, get down! Get the hell down right now!"

Ethan’s voice was sharp, furious.

Lily’s lips trembled.

Tears fell.

She could still hear his voice.

He was still speaking to her.

Ethan was still... here.

"Lily! I said get down! Do you hear me?!"

His voice was loud, even through the phone.

Lily’s movements stilled.

She wrapped her arms tightly around her knees, burying her face.

She felt so fragile, so utterly broken.

"Lily, answer me! Say something! Let me hear your voice!"

Ethan’s voice was desperate now.

But the only response was the sound of the wind.

Lily sat on the edge, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Lily! Did you hear what I said?! Get down!"

The man holding the phone swallowed nervously.

"M-Mr. Blackwood... she’s still up here. She hasn’t moved."

"Lily, wait for me! Do you hear me? Wait for me!"

Ethan’s voice roared through the speaker.

"If you dare do something stupid today, I—"

He stopped.

Because there was nothing left to threaten her with.

She had already lost everything.

There was nothing left to take from her.

Lily inhaled shakily.

"Ethan..."

Her voice was barely a whisper, hoarse and weak.

The man immediately stepped forward, tilting the phone closer to her.

"Do you hate me?"

Silence.

A long, heavy silence.

Maybe he hadn’t heard her.

Maybe he didn’t want to answer.

Maybe... he feared his response would push her over the edge.

Lily’s eyes dimmed.

She hugged her knees tighter, her body curling in on itself.

A sharp, commanding voice rang through the rooftop.

"I’ll answer that to your damn face!"

Lily’s head snapped up.

She turned—

And there he was.

Ethan Blackwood stood at the rooftop entrance, breathless, his body tense with urgency.

His striking features were taut, his muscles wound tight, his chest rising and falling from the sprint. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

One hand was braced against the wall, and the other was pointed directly at her.

His voice was rough, furious, desperate.

"Lily Anderson, get down from there right now!"

Lily’s lips parted slightly.

She whispered, almost to herself—

"I thought... I thought you would never speak to me again. That you’d never forgive me."

She had truly believed she would leave this world alone.

She had thought she would follow in her mother’s footsteps—

That she would fall.

That she would disappear.

Forgive her?

Ethan gritted his teeth.

His jaw clenched so tightly it ached.

Forgive her?!

This stupid woman—

Did she not realize?

Did she not see that he had never blamed her?!

"I don’t want to hear any more of your nonsense!"

Ethan took a step closer.

His breathing was uneven, his body still tense from panic.

He extended a hand toward her.

"Come here. Now."

Lily’s body trembled.

Ethan’s pupils contracted.

He stopped moving.

His mother’s face flashed before his eyes.

The way she had stood at the edge.

The way she had fallen.

The way he had been too late.

He couldn’t lose her.

He couldn’t.

He wouldn’t survive watching another woman he loved disappear in front of him.

"Do you hate me?"

Lily asked again.

Tears streamed down her face.

A thin trail of blood dripped from the wound on her forehead, falling onto the rooftop.

She looked so small, so utterly defeated.

The face she had longed for—the one she had ached to see—was now right before her.

And it hurt.

It hurt so much.

Ethan had cut her off completely, rejecting her at every turn, doing everything he could to make her give up on him.

She had thought she would never see him again.

Never hear his voice again.

Never feel his presence again.

But now—

Now, they were here.

And this was how they reunited?

She didn’t want this.

She didn’t want to owe him anything more.

Why was he here now if he had already decided to abandon her?

"I don’t hate you, Lily! Just come down!"

Ethan’s voice was steady, but his dark eyes betrayed his fear.

Did he really mean that?

Did he really not hate her?

Did he not resent everything she had done?

But Lily remained silent.

She didn’t move.

Sweat beaded on Ethan’s forehead.

"Do you want to die in front of me just like my mother did?!"

His voice broke.

Lily’s whole body trembled.

His eyes were so vast, so desperate.

For the first time, she saw real fear in them.

Her lips quivered.

"I’m sorry... I’m so sorry..."

"I don’t want to hear that! I want you to live! Do you hear me?!"

Ethan’s voice was raw, nearly pleading.

Lily lifted her tear-streaked face and whispered—

"Ethan... I never understood why my mother chose to end things like that. But now, I finally do."

A pain so deep that there was no way forward.

A sense of guilt is so overwhelming that only death could serve as repentance.

Ethan stood there, staring at her.

She was so pale, so fragile.

Her eyes were dull, lifeless.

Even her voice was empty.

Despair.

Was that all she had left?

Did she genuinely have nothing else?

No matter what happens to the world, she should still be able to live.

She should still be able to go on.

"Lily, you are the strongest person I have ever known. You can survive this. You will survive this."

Ethan forced himself to breathe to keep his fear in check.

He took a step forward.

Lily didn’t stop him.

She let him come closer.

She had always thought she was strong, too.

She believed that she could find happiness if she was brave enough.

She believed that she had the right to pursue her desires as long as she wasn’t hurting anyone.

But in the end—

She had hurt everyone.

"You didn’t hurt anyone! You’ve done nothing wrong!" Ethan’s voice cut through the wind as he took another step forward.

Lily shook her head.

Her lips trembled.

"Ethan... when your mother jumped before you, didn’t you ever hate me for it?"

Ethan froze.

His steps halted.

His eyes—stilled.

Lily saw it.

Saw the flicker of something undeniable in his expression.

He had hated her.

At least for a moment, he had hated her.

Lily closed her eyes.

She had changed so much in his life.

She had made him question things he once believed in.

She had humiliated him that day when she flipped a coin, shattering his pride.

She had ruined everything.

That was why—

The first time they had reunited after nine years—

He had hurt her.

He had been cruel, ruthless.

Because he had hated her.

If time could rewind, she would change everything.

She wouldn’t make those same choices.

She wouldn’t hurt him.

It wouldn’t hurt anyone.

But the past was the past.

Nothing could be undone.

Nothing could be taken back.

And the people who were gone—

It would never come back.

No matter how much she wished, she could take their place. Lily let out a bitter laugh, and more tears slipped down her face. "Alice was correct. Why wasn’t I the one who died?"