30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 260: Aiko Nakamura’s Return

The person wrapped in the blanket let out a pained wail as the blanket was yanked away, revealing Aiko Nakamura in a horrifying state.

Her face had been deliberately cleaned up, but it was still deathly pale, devoid of any trace of blood, and her features were gaunt and haggard.

Ethan Blackwood had seen his fair share of gruesome sights. Still, the moment he laid eyes on Aiko Nakamura, even he was slightly taken aback. She lay trembling on the floor, writhing in pain. Her body convulsed uncontrollably, saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth, and her eyes were hollow, reflecting nothing but emptiness.

She barely resembled a human being.

When Ethan had first encountered her, he could still see traces of Lily Anderson’s purity in her appearance. But now... she was nothing more than a ghostly apparition.

"What’s wrong with her?" Ethan asked in a deep, steady voice.

"The AuroraVirus is flaring up, and we just injected her with drugs," one of the bodyguards replied, unfazed by her condition, clearly accustomed to her episodes.

"The AuroraVirus is flaring up?"

"Yes. Her episodes aren’t frequent, but when they do occur, the pain is unbearable. It’s the one thing she can’t endure," the bodyguard explained.

Ethan sat on the sofa, his silhouette sharp and imposing.

Writhing on the blanket, Aiko Nakamura suddenly turned her gaze toward him. Her face was drenched in sweat, and something flickered in her eyes as she looked at him.

Their eyes locked.

The atmosphere in the room became suffocatingly heavy.

After a full day of filming, Lily Anderson returned to the Blackwood villa. As she walked into the living room, she was on the phone discussing the next day’s filming schedule with her crew.

Ethan was already seated on the sofa. The light cast shadows across his face, making his expression unreadable.

Several maids stood nervously to the side, heads bowed, not daring to make a sound.

"Goodbye," Lily said, ending the call. She noticed something was off and quickly smiled as she walked toward him. But as she drew closer, she saw a box on the coffee table before him.

It was the case used to store her pain relief injections.

Her heart sank. She glanced at the maids, hoping for a signal or explanation.

But Ethan had already opened the case, revealing only a few scattered syringes. His voice was as cold as ice. "When did it get to the point where you’re down to just these?"

If he hadn’t witnessed Aiko Nakamura’s rapid deterioration during her episodes, he wouldn’t have realized that Lily had been hiding this from him all along!

"Ethan..."

"Nanny!" Ethan’s voice was sharp as a blade.

"Yes, Mr. Blackwood," Nanny answered, stepping forward from behind Lily. She looked at Ethan with a mix of fear and unease.

Ethan stood abruptly, his face dark with anger as he glared at Nanny. "You’ve been covering for her?"

"Mr. Blackwood, I..."

"I told her to keep it from you," Lily quickly interjected, stepping before Nanny to shield her. "I couldn’t handle the pain and didn’t want it to delay the filming schedule, so I decided to use the injections."

Ethan roughly grabbed Lily’s hand, pushing up her sleeve. Only two or three faint needle marks were visible, but his expression grew even darker. "And the rest?!"

Far too many syringes were missing from the case for there to be just two or three needle marks.

He had to ask every detail...

It was precisely because she didn’t want him to notice that Lily had avoided injecting her arms.

"... On my legs," Lily admitted in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

Ethan’s eyes flashed with shock, which quickly turned into uncontrollable rage. He kicked the coffee table over, roaring, "Lily Anderson, you’ve really outdone yourself! How dare you hide this from me?!"

She had deliberately kept this from him. The fact that her AuroraVirus episodes were worsening was something she hadn’t told him at all!

He had assumed she was in the late stages, where symptoms appeared slowly. If he hadn’t checked the injection case, would he have only found out when she could no longer stand?!

Lily flinched at the sight of the overturned coffee table, her voice trembling as she said softly, "Didn’t we agree that for these three months, you’d handle your business while I worked on my film? I didn’t want to distract you..."

"You’re not filming anymore!" Ethan declared, his voice cutting through the room like a blade.

He had been too lenient with her.

She even dared to claim he didn’t care about her health...

He should never have indulged her dream of directing a film!

"I want to finish it," Lily said, her voice firm. The film was nearly complete; stopping now would be unbearable.

"When I say stop, it stops. I’ll pull the funding!" Ethan’s tone was icy as he turned and headed for the stairs.

Watching his cold, retreating figure, Lily knew she couldn’t catch up with him. She stood her ground and shouted, "I want to finish it. I promise I won’t let my health deteriorate."

Ethan froze mid-step, then spun around to point at the overturned case on the floor. "And how do you plan to promise that? With a case of dwindling injections?!"

Lily’s nose stung as tears welled up. She looked at Ethan’s furious face and said with a hint of sorrow, "You know this might be my first and last film. I don’t want to give up."

Stopping halfway through was far more painful than never starting at all.

Ethan remained silent, his expression stern and cold.

"When you first encouraged me to take on this project, I honestly didn’t want to because I was afraid my body wouldn’t hold up," Lily admitted, reddening. "But now that we’re more than halfway through... I’ve come to love the process. I don’t want to quit."

This was likely the final, vibrant Chapter of her life. She wanted to complete a full, finished piece for the sake of her dream.

"Enough!" Ethan barked, his voice like a whip. He turned and stomped upstairs but suddenly stopped and glared back at her. "Aren’t you coming upstairs? Let me check your legs!"

"Oh..." Lily murmured softly, her voice tinged with relief. A smile slowly spread across her face. Ethan’s response meant he wouldn’t pull the funding.

Ethan didn’t pull the funding, but the production crew gained a new addition: a team of experts Ethan had flown in from abroad to study the AuroraVirus. Every day, they brought various medical instruments and medications to the set.

Their film crew had become something of a spectacle.

Lily’s health continued to decline day by day. Even with the best tonics and supplements, her body was deteriorating. Fortunately, her film, The Best Future, was nearing its final stages.

She could return home and focus on her pregnancy in just a few more days.

During this time, Ethan brought Lily some news—though it was hard to say whether it was good or bad: Aiko Nakamura had agreed to hand over the antidote, but only if she could play a role in the film.

"Let her act," Ethan said decisively.

"Do you really think Aiko Nakamura will hand over the antidote?" Lily asked skeptically. After enduring so much torment, was she willing to give it up just to play a role?

It seemed unlikely.

"Let her act," Ethan repeated, his tone unwavering.

"... Fine."

Even if there was only a one-in-a-thousand chance, it was worth trying.

When Aiko Nakamura arrived on set, driven by Ethan’s chauffeur, Lily could tell she had undergone some treatment. Her face and body were no longer covered in bruises and scars. She wore a clean dress with a coat and a hat.

She looked almost like Lily herself.

"Didn’t expect me to be out, did you?" Aiko Nakamura smiled faintly as she stood before Lily. Her complexion was still pale, and her eyes were sunken.

Aiko had suffered far more than Lily ever had...

"Here’s the script." Lily handed her the script.

Nanny had arranged for several bodyguards to stand by, ready to intervene if Aiko showed any aggression toward Lily.

"Let me take a look," Aiko said, accepting the script.

Lily noticed how frail Aiko’s hands were. Her fingers were so thin they seemed to be nothing but bone.

"You appear in the second-to-last, third, and sixth scenes," Lily explained, holding a pen to mark the script. "You play a girl undergoing chemotherapy who sacrifices her life to save the female lead from a deranged attacker. You’re the female lead’s angelic older sister."

"Such a kind and significant role?" Aiko laughed weakly, a pale smile on her face. "I thought you’d give me a bit part as an extra. You must really want that antidote, huh?"

Lily paused momentarily before responding calmly, "You’re a talented actress."

Aiko could effortlessly portray both innocence and cunning. Among young actors, she was one of the most skilled and promising.

"Hah..."

Aiko’s laughter grew louder, though it was faint and tinged with bitterness. "You’re actually complimenting me?"

"Are you going to take the role or not?" Lily asked coolly.

"I’ll do it," Aiko replied, her pale smile unwavering.

"Then start reading the script and trying on costumes today," Lily said, standing up and touching her pregnant belly. "Since you’re playing a chemotherapy patient, do you want to wear a hat to cover your head, or should we shave your hair off?"

"Shave it off. There’s not much left anyway..."

As Aiko spoke, she removed her hat, and two strands of long hair came with it.

Lily’s eyes widened in shock. Aiko’s hair was even thinner than hers...

When the stylist began cutting Aiko’s hair, Lily sat nearby, watching as locks of hair fell to the ground. It felt like she was staring at a reflection of herself.

Before long, Aiko was completely bald. Her small face seemed even more fragile and drawn.

"Did you write this script?" Aiko asked, holding the pages in her hand.

"Yes," Lily replied calmly, nodding.

"Self-written and self-directed. For someone without a professional background, you’re quite talented."

Was that a compliment or sarcasm?

"I mean it," Aiko said, sensing Lily’s thoughts. She looked up at her, but suddenly, the script fell from her hands. Her arms dropped to her knees, and she bit her lip hard.

Lily recognized the look of someone enduring intense pain all too well.

Taking a pain relief injection from Nanny, Lily reached out to Aiko’s hand.

"What are you doing?" Aiko asked warily, though she lacked the strength to resist.

"Pain relief," Lily said quietly, rolling up Aiko’s sleeve. Scars crisscrossed her arm, and Lily couldn’t help but marvel at how Aiko had survived such torment.

"You’re lucky," Aiko said with self-deprecation as Lily administered the injection. "Even though you have the AuroraVirus, you have a whole group of people catering to you. Me? All I’ve had is endless suffering."

But wasn’t this suffering self-inflicted?

"Filming is hard work, and since you’ll be playing a heroic role, there will be some demanding action scenes," Lily said as she injected the painkiller into Aiko’s arm, her face emotionless. "How about handing over the antidote first? Then we can all focus on the film."

"Hand it over? If I do that, will I still get to act?"

"I promise you’ll finish filming, and then Ethan Blackwood will release you," Lily said seriously, handing the used syringe to Nanny for disposal.

"Fine, Ms. Anderson. I’ll give you the formula for the antidote. Bring me some paper," Aiko said with a faint smile.

This cooperative?

Lily was surprised but quickly handed her a sheet of paper and placed it on her lap. Once her arms regained their strength, Aiko began writing, filling the page with scientific terms.

"All done," Aiko said.

Lily took the paper and glanced at it. Some of the terms were familiar—she and Ethan had visited the research team working on the antidote, and these terms had come up during their discussions...