30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 317: No Escape from Us

"I was wrong all along."

Lily let out a bitter laugh, her voice barely audible over the wind.

"Alice was right. Why wasn’t I the one who died?"

If she had never existed, none of this would have happened.

Ethan’s hand clenched into a tight fist.

"You did nothing wrong! Lily, listen to me—you did nothing wrong!"

The past was the past.

There was no point in dragging it forward.

He didn’t bring her all this way to watch her fall.

Lily looked at him, fresh tears spilling over.

Nothing wrong?

She had done everything wrong.

"Lily."

Ethan’s voice was steady, yet beneath it, something fractured.

"The day my mother stood before me, I begged her not to jump. I got on my knees—I pleaded. And she still did it anyway."

His eyes locked onto hers.

"I am never begging again. I am never letting you do the same damn thing in front of me."

Then, before she could react—

Ethan turned and ran, his heart pounding as he sprinted straight toward the rooftop’s edge, feeling the rush of adrenaline surge through him.

Lily’s breath caught.

Her eyes widened in shock.

What is he doing?!

By the time she realized—

Ethan was already standing on the opposite ledge.

Lily’s body went rigid.

She couldn’t move.

She couldn’t even breathe.

Ethan looked down once.

Then turned to face her.

His feet balanced precariously on the very edge.

"Lily, I’m heavier than you."

His voice was eerily calm.

"If we both jump, I’ll hit the ground first."

Lily’s heart stopped.

"If we jump, I’ll die first."

Her hands shook violently.

She felt like the world had tilted beneath her.

The wind howled, whipping Ethan’s coat around him.

His arms slowly spread open as he held her gaze.

There was no hesitation in his eyes.

He meant every word.

Lily knew.

She knew him too well.

He wasn’t bluffing.

He would follow without a second thought if she jumped, ready to face whatever awaited them together.

Her legs trembled as she stood.

Her muscles were numb, her body swaying slightly in the wind. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She looked down—

Below her, emergency crews had already gathered.

A safety cushion had been inflated.

But on Ethan’s side—

There was nothing.

If he fell, he would die.

No second chances.

No miracles.

"You’re willing to die with me, but you still left me. Why?"

Lily’s voice cracked as she sobbed.

"Why did you make me carry a child with the AuroraVirus, let him be taken from me before I could even see him? Why did you leave me alone?!"

If he wasn’t afraid of dying, then didn’t that mean—

Didn’t that mean he loved her?

"I want you to live."

Ethan’s voice was sharp, unwavering.

"Lily, do you hear me? I want you to live."

His gaze bore into hers, fierce and unrelenting.

"If you think you need to atone, if you think you need to suffer—then let me do it for you!"

He took another step backward.

Lily’s heart stopped.

She watched in horror as his balance shifted—

As his foot nearly slipped.

"Ethan, stop!"

Her scream ripped through the rooftop.

Her hands flew to her chest, her nails digging into her arms.

This was insane.

This wasn’t real.

This couldn’t be real.

"We’re already over, Ethan!"

Lily cried out, her voice hoarse, broken.

"You don’t have to do this! You don’t have to atone for me!"

Ethan stared at her.

Silent.

Unmoving.

"I don’t deserve you."

Lily’s voice was barely a whisper.

"Someone who caused your mother’s death doesn’t deserve you. Someone who—who was with another man doesn’t deserve you. I don’t deserve for you to suffer for me, Ethan..."

Tears blurred her vision.

"I don’t deserve you."

Ethan didn’t flinch.

He didn’t even blink.

He took another step backward.

The wind roared around them, tearing through the silence.

Lily watched, paralyzed, as his coat billowed like the wind was trying to steal him away.

He was going to fall.

He was going to die.

Lily gave in.

Her feet moved, stepping back onto the rooftop.

The second her toes met solid ground, her knees buckled.

She collapsed, her legs too weak to hold her up.

Tears blurred her vision as she stared up at him, breathing ragged.

She had lost again.

No matter how hard she fought, she never won against Ethan Blackwood.

Because Ethan was capable of anything—even not caring about his own life.

But she cared.

She cared too much.

BANG—!

Ethan moved.

He jumped down from the ledge with a single step, landing effortlessly.

In just a few strides, he was towering over her.

His gaze bore into her, dark and unreadable.

Lily cried silently, the taste of salt and regret thick on her tongue.

Why?

Why couldn’t he hate her?

Why couldn’t he just be cruel to the end?

Why was he here?

Why was he saying these things, making it harder for her to let go?

She didn’t deserve this.

She didn’t deserve his madness.

She didn’t deserve a man willing to die with her.

Ethan crouched.

His eyes never left hers as he loosened his tie, inhaling deeply.

And without warning—

He reached for her.

And pulled her into his arms.

Lily froze.

Her body trembled against him, too drained to resist.

His warmth seeped into her, his grip unyielding.

His hands pressed against her back, holding her tightly as if trying to anchor her to reality.

Her face was buried against his chest, and she could hear it—

The steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat.

Ethan held her, his breath uneven.

She was alive.

She was still here.

And for the first time in a long time—

He let himself breathe.

She had scared him.

She had truly scared him.

Because Lily Anderson had never been the type to give up.

She had survived everything—losing her father, being used, being betrayed.

She had endured it all without breaking.

But just now—She had given up.

That terrified him.

"Why do you always use yourself to make me surrender?"

Her voice was raw, weak, as she leaned against him.

This wasn’t the first time.

The last time, when she had tried to leave him, he had put a gun to his own shoulder and pulled the trigger.

If she had walked away, then—

Would things have turned out differently?

Would they have avoided this?

And now, he had done it again.

Risked everything to make her stay.

She was trapped, unable to resist him.

No matter what she did, no matter how much she tried to push him away—

He always found a way to pull her back.

"I never forced you."

Ethan’s voice was deep, hushed, filled with quiet conviction.

He dropped to one knee, still holding her, his arms unrelenting.

"If you still want to jump, I won’t stop you."

His breath was warm against her ear.

"But I promise you this—I’ll go first."

Lily’s pulse stilled.

Her entire body shook.

She pulled back just enough to look up at him, her lips trembling.

"Ethan..."

This wasn’t a threat.

It was a promise.

A chilling, unbreakable promise.

If she left this world—

He would follow.

Ethan Blackwood was relentless.

Domineering. Uncompromising. Impossible to defy.

Even her life—her right to die—was something he insisted on controlling.

Her emotions, her choices, her very existence—

All of it, dictated by him.

And now, standing here, wrapped in his arms, Lily didn’t know how to move forward anymore.

Ethan shielded her from the rooftop’s raging winds, his strong frame blocking the cold.

Lily leaned against his chest, her eyes empty as she stared at the vast sky above.

Slowly, he lifted her into his arms.

Step by step, he carried her down from the rooftop.

His heartbeat was steady against her ear.

A quiet, grounding rhythm.

Like a sedative, pulling her back from the edge of chaos.

Inside the hospital, the scent of antiseptic filled the air.

Ethan set her down gently on a chair, crouching before her, his dark eyes locked onto hers.

He opened his mouth to speak—

But then hesitated.

Finally, in a low voice, he said, "I’ll get you some water."

He turned away.

Lily’s fingers twitched—

An instinctive reflex to stop him.

Her hand lifted slightly, reaching toward his.

His fingers were long, clean, and ideally kept.

But before touching him, her hand fell back into her lap.

She didn’t deserve him.

She had no right to reach for him again.

She had no right to ask for happiness.

She couldn’t have it.

She couldn’t hold onto him.

Warm tears slipped down her face.

She wiped them away.

Her skin was pale, her heart hollow.

She couldn’t see the future.

She couldn’t even grasp the present.

Ethan was right in front of her—

And yet, she could no longer feel like he was hers.

It felt like she was standing in an endless void.

Surrounded by nothing but blank, empty space.

Across the room, Ethan stood at the water dispenser.

The cup in his hand overflowed before he even realized the water had filled to the brim.

When he finally turned back, his gaze landed on Lily.

She sat motionless on the chair, her head bowed, her eyes unfocused.

Her forehead was still wounded.

Her entire body looked small, fragile, and defeated.

And in that moment, Ethan knew—

He couldn’t leave her.

Not even for a second.

Because if he turned his back, if he walked away—

She might not be there when he returned.

She might disappear, just like his mother had.

And if that happened—He wouldn’t waste time living either.

A shadow fell over her.

Lily blinked, her vision hazy as she stared at the familiar silhouette before her.

Ethan knelt down once more, placing the cup in her hands.

"Thank you."

Her voice was faint as she took a sip.

The warm liquid slid down her throat, settling in her stomach.

It was the first thing she had felt in days.

"Lily."

Ethan’s voice was low, deliberate.

His eyes locked onto hers, dark and unyielding.

"Your life cannot end by your own hands."

Every word cut through the silence, firm and absolute.

It wasn’t just a statement—

It was a command.

Maybe it was because they had both experienced the same kind of pain.

Maybe that was why they both hated suicide so much.

She had never thought she would become like her mother—

She would one day find herself standing on a rooftop, looking down at the world below.

If Ethan hadn’t come today...

If he hadn’t stopped her.

She would be gone.

Lily tightened her grip on the cup, her hands trembling.

Her gaze met his.

Her lips quivered as she whispered, "I thought... you would never come back for me."

The last time she had seen him—

He had left her standing in the middle of the road, walking away without hesitation.

The last time they had spoken—

He had watched her wearing Alex Carter’s clothes and walked away again.

She had truly believed it was over.

That he was done with her.

That he would never come back.

And yet, here he was.