30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 269: Into the Operating Room

"Lily Anderson! I’m your man. In front of me, laugh when you’re happy, cry when you’re sad. Don’t pretend—do you hear me?!" Ethan Blackwood said in a deep, commanding voice. He hated her forced smiles, no matter how much she tried to hide it.

Lily paused mid-game, holding a chess piece in her hand. Her expression froze for a moment before she managed an awkward smile. "What am I pretending about?"

"You tell me."

Under Ethan’s intense gaze, Lily put down the piece, turning her eyes away as her voice grew soft, almost carried away by the breeze.

"If I act a little happier, maybe you won’t frown so much, and the baby will feel happier too."

She didn’t want her illness to bring Ethan nothing but hardship and sorrow.

"I don’t need you to cheer me up," Ethan said, his voice low and unwavering, his dark eyes fixed squarely on her.

"I..." Lily was at a loss for words.

They sat quietly on the hospital balcony for a long time. The chessboard on the table remained untouched, and Nanny glanced at them from the room, sighing softly.

Some paths... just looked too complicated. Not everyone dared to walk them.

After a long silence, Lily finally said, "Alright, let’s face the truth together."

She wouldn’t force herself to smile anymore, wouldn’t try to fake happiness just to make him feel better.

Satisfied with her answer, Ethan’s magnetic voice softened. "Good girl." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Lily smiled faintly and flipped over one of her chess pieces. "Bomb."

"Sapper." Ethan’s long fingers pressed down on a piece, flipping it over to reveal the word "Sapper" in clear, bold letters.

"..." Lily stared in disbelief. She had used a bomb... to take out a lowly sapper?!

He had used a bomb to destroy her commander, and now her bomb had taken out his sapper...

Suddenly, Ethan got up, pulling out his phone. "I need to take this call."

"Mm-hmm," Lily replied nonchalantly, still brooding over the sapper and bomb on the board.

She glanced curiously at Ethan. Since when did he start turning his back on her to take phone calls?

Watching him walk to the door, she noticed him pause and glance at the trash can before his face darkened slightly. Then he turned and left the room.

In the trash can were strands of her fallen hair.

Why hadn’t Nanny disposed of it in time...

Did he feel the way someone might feel watching a flower slowly wilt and wither?

Before the eighth month of her pregnancy, the doctors decided on a cesarean section after conducting a thorough examination.

As Lily lay on the hospital bed, her hand tightly clasped in Ethan’s, she noticed he seemed even more nervous than she was. "I’ll go in with you!" he said firmly.

"It’s not a natural birth," Lily said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. "I don’t want you to see me being cut open."

Her words were meant as a joke to make him laugh, but it seemed Ethan had forgotten how to smile. It had been so long since she’d seen him laugh.

"If I go in with you, you won’t feel so nervous!" he insisted, citing what he’d read in pregnancy magazines.

"Silly, that’s for natural births. This is different. I’ll be under anesthesia and won’t feel a thing. I won’t be nervous," Lily replied, looking at Ethan’s handsome yet tense face. "You need to stop being so anxious, alright?"

They had decided early on to keep the baby’s gender a surprise, holding onto that slight anticipation.

"Lily, are you not nervous?!" Ethan asked, his voice tinged with worry. He had asked the same question repeatedly throughout the night.

She wanted to mimic his once-arrogant tone and retort, Ethan, you’re so annoying!

"Ethan, the way you’re acting, I don’t even feel nervous anymore," Lily said, unable to suppress a laugh. She reached out to touch his face, which had remained tight and cold, his deep black eyes dark as ink.

"Then I won’t go in?"

"Mm-hmm. And you’re not allowed to come in halfway, either. It’s too bloody. What if seeing it makes you stop loving me? That would be so pitiful," she teased with a smile.

Ethan’s eyes darkened at her words, his expression unreadable.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock at the door.

Lily turned toward the sound as Ethan went to open it. Standing in the doorway was Alex Carter, smiling politely at Ethan. "I heard Lily’s going into surgery today. I thought I’d come by to check on her."

Ethan glared at him, his face cold as ice. "Get lost! No one invited you!"

Ethan always seemed like he’d swallowed gunpowder whenever he saw Alex.

"Thanks, come in and have a seat," Lily interjected to ease the tension. Alex offered a sheepish smile.

"Alright." Alex nodded warmly, walking past Ethan to set down several boxes of supplements by Lily’s bedside. "You look like you’re in good spirits."

Bang!

Ethan slammed the door shut, barely containing his anger. His cold eyes bore into Alex.

Lily glanced at Ethan’s sour expression and pursed her lips, unsure what to say... This man is always so easily irritated.

"Nervous?" Alex asked gently.

Did she look nervous? Why was everyone asking her that?

"Not at all. Once the anesthesia kicks in, it’ll just feel like a nap," Lily said with a smile, glancing sideways at Ethan.

"Good. Stay relaxed."

"Hey! Are you done? If you’re done, then leave!" Ethan snapped, glaring at Alex with barely concealed hostility.

"Ethan..." Lily said with exasperation, looking at him helplessly. Alex was just here to check on her. Did he have to treat him like this?

Ethan and Alex locked eyes, one blazing with irritation, the other calm and composed. Their silent standoff continued until Lily was wheeled into the operating room.

As Lily was wheeled down the hallway, her hand remained tightly clasped in Ethan’s, her grip firm.

"Lily, it’ll be over soon. Just relax," Ethan said, his brows furrowed as his large hand enveloped hers.

"Mm-hmm," Lily replied with a smile. "You need to relax too."

He seemed even more tense than she was, as if he were the one about to undergo surgery...

Just before they reached the operating room, Ethan barked at the doctor, "Make sure she’s fully anesthetized before you start the surgery. Do you hear me?!"

"Yes, Mr. Blackwood," the lead surgeon quickly assured him.

Lily was both amused and exasperated. Hadn’t he hired top-notch specialists? Did he really need to remind them about anesthesia?

"Doctor, Doctor, come here," Nanny said hurriedly, pulling out several thick boxes of chocolates. She opened each one and tucked them into the pockets of the doctors’ scrubs.

No doubt these were bribes.

Lily couldn’t help but laugh. Of everyone here, she was probably the least nervous...

One shouted at the doctors, and the other gave them chocolates...

Was this what they called a mix of reward and intimidation?

As Lily was wheeled into the operating room, she looked at Ethan one last time, reluctantly letting go of his hand. "Wait for me outside."

"I’ll be right here!" Ethan shouted, his eyes fixed on her until the operating room doors closed, and her smiling face disappeared.

Alex, leaning against the wall, watched the closed doors intently. From the hospital room to the operating room, Lily hadn’t glanced at him even once.

Her eyes were only on Ethan, her hand gripping his as if she couldn’t bear to be apart for even a moment.

Lily lay on the operating table as machines were wheeled around her. The harsh, glaring lights made her instinctively close her eyes.

Her case was a bit more complicated, requiring additional procedures for the cesarean. Lily wanted to fight off the drowsiness brought on by the anesthesia, hoping to feel the moment her baby was brought into the world—to experience that fleeting instant of motherhood.

But in the end, she still drifted off into sleep on the operating table.

Half-conscious, she vaguely heard the baby’s cries and someone asking softly by her ear, "The surgery’s done. Do you want to see your baby?"

Of course, she wanted to see...

Lily tried desperately to open her eyes, but they felt glued shut and refused to open. The next thing she knew, she was falling back into a deep sleep...

If she had known that missing this moment would mean never seeing her baby again, she would have fought with all her might to open her eyes.

Lily woke much later, feeling well-rested. The anesthesia had worn off, leaving behind a dull ache at the incision site. She noticed an IV drip in her arm.

Ethan sat beside her bed, his head bowed, and eyes closed, one hand tightly holding hers. His posture was slightly awkward, almost comical.

"Miss Anderson is awake?" Nanny emerged from the kitchen and, seeing Lily’s open eyes spoke in a quiet but cheerful tone.

"Mm," Lily replied just as softly, glancing toward Ethan. "How long has he been asleep?"

"Not even an hour," Nanny whispered, moving to the other side of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I’m fine, just a little sore from the incision," Lily said, her eyes bright with curiosity. "Where’s the baby? Is it a boy or a girl? I think I heard crying but didn’t see what they looked like."

"The baby’s in the incubator," Nanny replied gently. "It’s a boy—a little young master."

A boy...

A boy was good, too. She wondered who he would take after.

"I dreamed it was a girl," Lily said with a small laugh. "Can you adjust the bed for me? I want to sit up for a bit. Lying down is tiring."

"Of course."

Nanny nodded and adjusted the bed.

Lily carefully tried to withdraw her hand from Ethan’s grasp, but his hand tightened around hers before she could pull away.

Ethan’s eyes snapped open, his dark gaze locking onto hers. His low voice rumbled, "You’re awake?"

"Mm-hmm," Lily nodded, her voice back to normal. "Did I wake you?"

Ethan pressed his fingers to his temples, looking slightly fatigued. "Are you feeling uncomfortable? Should I call the doctor to check on you?"

"No need, I’m fine. I’m just a bit sore at the incision, but that’s to be expected. Nothing to worry about."

Lily smiled as Nanny finished adjusting the bed. Sitting partially upright, she couldn’t hide her excitement as she asked, "Have you seen the baby yet?"

"No."

"You haven’t seen the baby?" Lily’s smile froze. "Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?!"

Ethan frowned at her question and turned toward Nanny.

Nanny awkwardly repeated, "Mr. Blackwood, it’s a boy—a little young master."

"A boy," Ethan said, turning back to Lily. Her face didn’t look pleased. In his slightly hoarse voice, he asked, "What’s wrong?"

Was she already throwing a tantrum after the surgery?

"You didn’t even know if the baby was a boy or a girl?" Lily said, clearly unhappy.

The anesthesia had worn off, which meant quite some time had passed. Yet, as a father, he didn’t even know the gender of his child. What had he been doing?

"Miss Anderson, don’t blame Mr. Blackwood," Nanny quickly interjected, trying to mediate. "Mr. Blackwood focused solely on getting you back to the room after the surgery. He didn’t have time to hear what the doctors said... I was the one who stayed with the doctors and saw the young master placed in the incubator."

Lily looked at Ethan.

"Mr. Blackwood stayed with you in the room the entire time. I even went home for a bit, and when I came back, he was asleep. I didn’t want to wake him. That’s why he doesn’t know..."

Ethan had been far more worried about her than about the baby.

Lily looked at him, her fingers tracing gentle circles against his palm. A soft, apologetic smile appeared on her face. "You were that worried about me?"-