30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 284: The Antidote’s Price

Lily Anderson returned to the 30-Day Memory Hotel. Two bodyguards were outside her door to prevent her from running off again.

Her luggage was tossed into the room piece by piece, and the model occupied a significant portion of the space. Lily carefully carried the model over to the desk.

After the journey, some of the components had come loose. Lily sat at the desk and began trying to fix it. Without screws or tools—and possessing no talent for assembling models—she struggled to get it right.

The more she failed, the more frustrated she became. Her fingers twisted a screw as she tried to secure a miniature chair into place.

Rainwater dripped steadily from her soaked clothes, but Lily was oblivious. She stubbornly continued assembling the scattered components...

Ethan had built this for her—she couldn’t let it stay broken...

Her fingers pressed too hard, and one of the wooden window frames snapped in half.

Lily’s nose stung as tears threatened to fall. What was Ethan thinking? Why was he playing with her like this? She didn’t want to sit here foolishly, entirely in the dark...

He had promised to take her away but broke up with her instead. He had promised to come and get her, but he broke his promise—again and again...

It felt like something was twisting inside her, making her unbearably uncomfortable.

This model... no matter how hard she tried—couldn’t be fixed. Why couldn’t she?

She didn’t want the model to remain broken... she just didn’t.

Lily bit her lip and pulled out a small toolbox from the desk drawer. She tried to reattach the broken window frame using glue, only to glue her fingers together.

She couldn’t do anything right.

Lily bit her lip harder and rushed to the bathroom to wash her hands, separating her glued fingers under the running water.

In the mirror, she caught sight of herself—her hat soaked through, her pale face, and her lifeless eyes staring back at her. She looked... worn out and no longer resembling a normal person.

With a face like this... how could anyone find her lovable?

She had nothing—not even her health.

It took Lily a while to realize her body was drenched from the rain. She had been sitting by the desk for so long without even noticing.

She filled the bathtub with warm water. The hotel’s tub was a massage model—Ethan occasionally used to massage her shoulders and back here when he was in the mood. Just as she would start to relax, though, Ethan would turn into his wolfish self, teasing her and stirring up trouble all over her body...

That was the kind of man he was—blazing hot when he was affectionate but ice-cold and piercing when distant.

Lily slipped into the tub, and the warmth instantly enveloped her, melting away the tension in her body...

She missed Ethan. She missed him so much... Who could tell her why someone could change so quickly?

Drowsiness crept over her, and Lily closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. In the background, she faintly heard the sound of the doorbell. Always holding onto a sliver of hope, she thought that Ethan might appear before her in the next second and take her away...

It was a long, long dream.

Lily dreamed of her childhood, back when her parents took her to play in the mountains...

She had been their little princess, cherished and carefree...

Suddenly, she found herself at the foot of the mountain, far away from her parents. So far, she could barely make out their figures.

She shouted for them, but it seemed as if they couldn’t hear her. They sat up on the mountain, chatting away.

She shouted louder, her voice hoarse, but they still didn’t hear her.

So, she started running up the mountain. But no matter how hard she ran, she couldn’t reach them. The distance seemed endless... so far, so far...

Suddenly, she stepped into an empty space and jolted awake.

The bathroom was still filled with a milky-white mist, and the bathwater was still warm, now lapping just over her mouth...

Lily sat up abruptly, shocked. She had fallen asleep in the bathtub. If she hadn’t woken up... would she have never awakened again?

Never waking up... wouldn’t that be better?

At least she wouldn’t have to keep guessing Ethan’s thoughts. At least... she would never cry again.

The bitter thought crossed her mind as she leaned against the tub’s edge. Slowly, her body slid downward, and the fragrant water covered her face, cutting off her breath.

But in the next second, Lily surfaced, gasping for air. She couldn’t do this... not yet. She hadn’t even had a proper conversation with Ethan.

After a quick shower, Lily returned to the desk and spent the entire night trying to fix the model. Maybe her hands were too clumsy—she still couldn’t piece it together after a whole night.

Many of the components remained scattered on the desk.

If Ethan were here, he would have fixed it in no time.

Cough—

Lily coughed, her body weak and drained of energy. She collapsed onto the bed, and the words of the elderly woman in the park echoed in her mind. She had been right—getting soaked in the rain led to a cold.

Knock, knock.

Two knocks sounded on the door, followed by the room phone ringing. Lily weakly picked up the receiver, and the voice of one of the bodyguards came through. "Miss Anderson, we’ve brought you breakfast."

Lily didn’t respond. She hung up the phone and rolled over, pulling the blanket over her head and shutting her eyes in exhaustion.

She didn’t want to eat anything. She just wanted to sleep.

She was so tired... utterly exhausted.

The phone rang repeatedly, waking her up every time she was about to fall asleep. Frustrated, she finally picked up the phone and said, "I’m not eating. Stop calling."

Her voice came out hoarse, and she realized her throat was starting to hurt. Her cold symptoms crept in, leaving her weak and drained of energy.

Lily buried herself under the blanket, trying to sleep.

When you’re alone, everything feels isolating. The loneliness suffocated her, making it hard to breathe.

She drifted between sleeping and waking, spending the day trying to fix the model only to give up and fall asleep again. The cycle repeated until the entire day had passed.

Every time she opened her eyes, she was still alone, surrounded by a few pieces of luggage and the model she couldn’t piece together.

Sitting on the bed, Lily coughed from her cold. No matter how miserable she felt, no one could hear her or know.

The rain had stopped, and the weather outside had cleared up.

Lily picked up the phone and dialed Ethan’s number again and again, only to hear the same automated response:

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

Stubbornly, Lily dialed over and over, each time growing more disheartened.

She didn’t even know why she was still holding on. She wanted answers, but Ethan didn’t want to talk to her. What was she even waiting for?

Was she waiting for Ethan to suddenly appear, to see her in her current state and feel sorry for her? He wasn’t coming... She had waited and waited, but he never came.

Suddenly, the room phone rang. Lily quickly picked it up. "Ethan..."

"..." The other end remained silent until a soft voice finally spoke, "Lily, you and he have already broken up."

It was Alex Carter.

Not Ethan. Not him...

"I know," Lily said, her voice heavy with disappointment.

She knew everything... but she didn’t want to believe it...

"What’s wrong with your voice? You sound congested," Alex asked, his tone tinged with concern. "Are you sick?"

Lily quickly covered the receiver, coughing lightly a few times before pinching her nose and replying, "No, it’s nothing. I’m fine."

"Really?"

"Mm, really."

"Then rest up," Alex said, not pressing further before ending the call.

Lily hung up as well. She knew Alex cared about her, but... the only concern she wanted right now was Ethan’s.

At the Blackwood Estate—

Ethan Blackwood stood on the lawn, repeatedly firing his gun at a target. The target was already riddled with holes, looking utterly battered.

Tommy returned from outside, his demeanor as carefree as ever. Nanny immediately approached him. "Second Young Master, please go talk some sense into Mr. Blackwood. His fever has only gone down, and now he refuses to rest."

With Lily gone, the only person Nanny could rely on was Tommy.

But Tommy’s days mainly were spent chasing women, and he rarely spent time at home...

"How long has he been at it?" Tommy asked, glancing at Ethan as he reloaded his gun.

"Five hours."

"Five hours?!"

Tommy exaggerated his reaction, shouting dramatically. "Five hours of just holding a gun? Old Third really has lost his mind over a woman."

Tommy walked over, watching Ethan firing another shot with a loud bang. Clapping his hands, he said, "Nice shot."

Hearing this, Ethan slightly turned his head, and in the next moment, he swiftly aimed the gun at Tommy. His narrowed eyes were filled with a violent, murderous intent.

"Let’s talk this through—calmly!" Tommy quickly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. Although the gun wasn’t fully lethal, getting shot by it could still cost him half his life.

Ethan glared coldly at him, showing no intention of lowering the gun.

Tommy felt sweat dripping down his face. With a nervous laugh, he asked, "So, uh... are you sober now?"

"What do you think?" Ethan’s voice was eerily calm, with a faint nasal tone.

How would he know?! Whether Ethan was drunk or sober, his behavior wasn’t that different—it was just a question of being crazy or even crazier.

"Are you sober?" Tommy tentatively asked again.

Nanny, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly. "After the sedative wore off, Mr. Blackwood has been completely sober."

"Good to know..." Tommy exhaled in relief, forcing a smile as he looked at Ethan. "You wouldn’t actually shoot your own brother while sober, right? Nanny, go get me a cup of coffee..."

Thud!

Ethan suddenly threw the gun to the ground. Taking two long strides forward, he grabbed Tommy by the collar and slammed him against a nearby tree. His eyes burned with hatred, and his teeth clenched as he growled, "Tommy Blackwood! Who gave you the right to throw her things out?!"