30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 285: The Cost of Survival

Ethan violently threw the gun to the ground, his long legs striding forward in two steps. Without hesitation, he grabbed Tommy Blackwood by the collar and shoved him against a nearby tree. His eyes brimmed with hatred as if he wanted to kill him, and he gritted his teeth as he growled, "Tommy! What right do you have to throw away her things?!"

Tommy struggled to catch his breath under Ethan’s grip. "If I don’t do this, how will she ever give up on you?"

Ethan glared at him ferociously and roared, "What gives you the right to decide that?!"

"I only returned those things to the rabbit," Tommy retorted, though his voice was strained from Ethan’s grip. "Let’s talk properly. Let me go first..."

"What does that have to do with you?! Who gave you the authority to interfere?!"

"Now that you’re sober, I won’t stop you if you want to find her! Go ahead and find her, then!" Tommy snapped, his temper flaring as he was choked.

He was only trying to help them, but apparently, his effort was unappreciated!

Tommy’s words struck a chord, silencing Ethan entirely.

If Ethan could have gone to Lily while sober, he would have done so long ago...

"Bang—"

Ethan’s fist slammed into the tree near Tommy’s ear, sending a gust of wind through the air. Tommy inhaled sharply at the sound.

"If you interfere in my matters with her again, you’ll see what happens," Ethan warned venomously.

"Mr. Blackwood, there’s a call for you," Nanny stepped forward, holding out the phone.

A call?

Ethan turned around, his face still cold. Nanny sighed softly and said, "Mr. Blackwood, it’s not from Miss. Anderson."

"See? When you’re sober, you know what the right thing to do is," Tommy muttered, shaking his head and turning to leave with a casual swagger.

Ethan shot him a frosty glare before taking the phone from Nanny. Alex Carter’s voice came through the line. "Mr. Blackwood, let’s meet again."

Alex Carter.

"Smash—"

Ethan threw the phone against the wall, his eyes blazing with fury.

In a quiet, upscale private club, security guards stood in multiple layers, ensuring the area was tightly protected.

A blue sports car and a white one arrived at the club one after the other.

Expressionless guards rushed forward to open the car doors.

Ethan adjusted his tie before stepping out of his car. His eyes were cold as he looked toward Alex, who was emerging from the other vehicle.

Alex, dressed impeccably, offered a faint smile though his eyes gleamed with undisguised provocation.

Ethan cast him a chilling glance before striding toward the club entrance.

Alex remained where he was, allowing the guards to thoroughly search him before he was permitted to enter.

Inside a spacious medical room, separated by a large pane of glass, a tiny infant lay in an incubator, his dark, innocent eyes wide open, darting around curiously.

Ethan and Alex stood before the glass, gazing at the child.

"His eyes look a lot like Lily’s," Alex remarked with a light chuckle, his gaze fixed on the baby’s eyes.

Indeed, they did. The same almond-shaped eyes, clear and pure.

Ethan’s gaze shifted from the baby to Alex, his expression dark. "Where’s the antidote?"

Alex pulled a sealed test tube containing a pale blue liquid from his pocket and waved it in front of Ethan. "This is the antidote—the second dose."

Ethan signaled to a professor in a white coat, who stepped forward to take the test tube and headed to the office for analysis.

Ethan and Alex followed. The professor conducted a series of tests before nodding at Ethan. "It’s the antidote."

Alex chuckled softly, then swiftly moved to grab the professor by the neck. With his other hand, he smashed a lab flask and slashed it across the professor’s throat.

The professor collapsed to the ground, dead.

"Alex, do you have a death wish?!" Ethan roared, glaring at him with unbridled rage.

Alex had dared to kill his man?!

The last time, when the child was critically ill, the antidote Alex had provided was used as a last resort. This time, Ethan had been prepared to extract the antidote’s formula... but now the professor was dead.

Alex smirked coldly, wiping the blood off his hands with a tissue. "Mr. Blackwood, I know what you’re thinking. You want to obtain the antidote formula to save both mother and child and then you’d shoot me dead."

"The antidote consists of five doses, each with a different formula. And I won’t let you discover any of them," Alex said, his gaze shifting to the antidote on the table. "Go ahead and inject it into the child."

"You’ve got guts, Alex!" Ethan seethed, his fists clenched tightly.

In the medical room, a professional doctor injected a small amount of the antidote into the baby. The child immediately began crying loudly, his wails audible even through the glass.

The baby’s cries were sharp and piercing.

Alex watched the crying infant outside the glass before gazing at Ethan’s stormy expression. "However, it seems you didn’t keep your promise. I told you—you’re not allowed to approach Lily again."

Ethan’s fists tightened at his sides.

"If you want mother and child to survive, you must stay away from Lily."

"And your father is still in my hands!"

"If you kill my father, I can’t guarantee this child will survive," Alex sneered, stepping closer to the glass. "This child is truly resilient. Born prematurely and battling AuroraVirus, he has survived until now. With the antidote, his life force will become even stronger."

"What’s your relationship with Aiko Nakamura?!" Ethan gritted his teeth and demanded.

No one else possessed the antidote apart from Aiko’s family organization, Aiko herself, and Alex Carter.

Before her death, Aiko had told him: "Your rival in love is scum."

His rival in love... other than Alex, there was no one else.

"Relationship?" Alex let out a cold laugh, his raised eyebrows full of provocation as he looked at Ethan. "The only relationship I have is with Lily."

"Bang—"

Ethan’s eyes darkened. Without hesitation, he threw a punch.

Alex staggered back two steps, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "Ethan, for this punch, I’ll delay giving you the third dose of the antidote by half a month."

"Half a month?! Alex Carter, don’t you dare go back on your word!" Ethan pointed a finger at him, his dark eyes blazing with fury.

The treatment must be completed within one month of starting. If the third dose were delayed by half a month, the child would surely die!

"This child is strong. Didn’t you already wait until he was on the brink of death before agreeing to my terms last time?" Alex retorted coldly, his eyes filled with malice.

Separating Lily from her child forces her to leave Ethan altogether.

He would never allow Lily to belong to Ethan.

Nor would he let them have a happily-ever-after...

"Alex Carter—" Ethan was furious, stepping forward to punch him again.

Anticipating the move, Alex dodged. "If you can make Lily completely give up on you within half a month, I will hand over the remaining antidotes."

"And Lily?"

"You don’t need to worry about the AuroraVirus in her."

Alex glanced at the glass window. Inside, the doctor was carefully preserving the syringe and test tube after the injection. Alex sneered. "Don’t bother trying to figure out the antidote’s formula. Even if you extract it, it’s useless. The dosage for adults is far more complex. You cannot replicate it in ten days or half a month..."

Ethan would never figure it out. At this time, Alex could take Lily far away.

It would also be enough time for Ethan to end up in prison.

Alex’s game was a sure win.

Ethan glared at him one last time before turning to leave.

"By the way, our previous conversation wasn’t finished," Alex called behind him. "I don’t think I ever told you how Lily and I reunited. It was at Beth Samson’s charity gala. We spent a long time chatting in a private room..."

Ethan’s fists clenched tightly, but he didn’t look back as he continued walking forward.

"Lily seems to have caught a cold. I’ll be taking her to the seaside villa later," Alex said, leaning against the glass window as he spoke slowly, his tone deliberate. "It’s the same villa where I proposed to her after she didn’t choose you on the gambling ship..."

"She used to be so thin. Maybe it’s because she gave birth. She’s still carrying some weight now, which makes her feel softer when I hold her." Alex spoke as if to himself, his tone gentle, a faint smile in his eyes.

Ethan abruptly turned around, pointing at him, his eyes blazing with fury. "Alex Carter! You’d better keep using the antidote to play your games! I promise you will die by my hands in the end!"

"So what?" Alex showed no fear, a mocking smile curling his lips. "As long as I have her, I’d die willingly."

His tone carried a madness, a resolve.

What he couldn’t have... he would never let anyone else have, especially not Lily.

"You’ll never have her!" Ethan spat.

"Is that so?" Alex replied with a cold smile. "Let’s see."

The two men stood far apart in the long corridor, staring each other down. Ethan’s hatred for Alex burned fiercely—he wanted nothing more than to kill him on the spot!

The night passed, and Lily hadn’t eaten anything. She couldn’t bring herself to, and her cold seemed to worsen.

She sat at her desk, stubbornly trying to piece together a model. Yet the result was always the same—she couldn’t do it. Her hands were clumsy...

The doorbell suddenly rang. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Lily had no intention of answering it. She existed in her own world now, unwilling to deal with anyone.

"Lily, it’s me. Can you open the door?"

Alex’s gentle voice came from outside. Lily froze, the model piece in her hand pausing. Hadn’t she told him over the phone not to come?

Why was he being so concerned? She couldn’t bear it.

Cough.

Lily covered her mouth to stifle a cough as she stood and walked to the door. She opened it to find Alex between two bodyguards, his eyes filled with concern. "I knew it. You’ve caught a cold."

"Come in," Lily said, her voice thick with congestion as she glanced at the two bodyguards outside.

Alex carried two large shopping bags into the apartment. Noticing her shutting the door behind him, he frowned. "What’s this supposed to mean? Ethan dumped you and still has people keeping you under surveillance?!"

If only Ethan still acknowledged her. Even if it meant being imprisoned, as long as she could see him...

The thought made Lily want to laugh at herself for entertaining such a self-deprecating idea.

"It’s his brother. He’s stopping me from seeing Ethan," Lily said, coughing as she sat back at her desk. "I’m fine. You didn’t need to come all this way."

She might remain in her current state for a long time, but she couldn’t keep troubling him.

"If you were fine, you wouldn’t be this weak. I brought you some medicine and fruit." Alex began unpacking the bags and reading the medicine instructions. "These two are to be taken before meals and this one after. Have you eaten?"

"I’m not hungry," Lily shook her head. She couldn’t feel hunger at all.

"How many meals have you skipped?" Alex asked.

Lily lowered her gaze, remaining silent. Alex frowned. "Have you not eaten at all?"

"I..."

"Your health is already poor. Why aren’t you eating?" Alex said, exasperated, as he went to boil water. "Lily, I won’t force you to come live with me. The seaside villa was built for you. You can stay there, and I’ll arrange for some staff to care for you."

"Alex, there’s no need. I can easily find a place to stay..."

She simply didn’t want to look. Right now, nowhere felt like home.

"Fine. If you refuse to move in, I’ll visit you every day until you’re so annoyed you’ll agree to go," Alex said, plugging in the electric kettle before looking at her intently.

"Alex..."

"Lily, waiting for someone who has given up on you is like waiting for a ship at an airport. It will never come," Alex said softly, his tone heavy with sorrow. A faint, bitter smile appeared on his lips.

Waiting for someone who had given up on you was like waiting for a ship at an airport.

For some reason, Lily felt like he was speaking about himself. Was he still hung up on the past despite being married?

That was all in the past now...

Lily looked at him, unsure of what to say.

She had caused him so much trouble, so much inconvenience...

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

Alex broke the silence with another smile as if nothing had happened. "I didn’t mean anything by that. Don’t overthink it."

His voice was gentle, accepting everything about her.

From the very beginning, from childhood to now, she had always made Alex busy with her affairs. Yet he never uttered a word of complaint...

"I bought some bread. Eat a little to settle your stomach before taking the medicine," Alex said as he pulled out the bread from the shopping bags. After reading the instructions, he carefully arranged the medicine on the table.

His every movement was filled with tenderness without the slightest hint of impatience.

Lily watched him, her eyes suddenly stinging with tears. A thin layer of mist blurred her vision.

"The water will boil soon..." Alex trailed off as he looked up from the medicine instructions and noticed the tears in her eyes. His expression turned bitter. "Are you still thinking about Ethan?"

How many times had she cried for Ethan?

How many principles had she broken for Ethan, throwing caution to the wind-blocking cars, standing in the rain at a park...