30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 287: The Pain of Separation

"I don’t understand how staying by Ethan’s side would harm him. Yes, I’m a carrier of AuroraVirus and might burden him, but it won’t be long... I want to stay by his side a little longer. Is that so wrong?" Lily’s voice grew weaker and weaker.

Why did they have to be separated?

"You should focus on living your own life..." Tommy said.

"I can’t," Lily replied bluntly. Apart from staying by Ethan’s side, she couldn’t live any other life—it would be nothing more than existence, hollow and meaningless.

"...Rabbit." Tommy sighed, utterly exasperated. His head felt like it was about to explode.

"I don’t know what methods you used to force Ethan to leave me, but I need answers."

"Does it even matter?"

"I need answers," Lily repeated stubbornly. Whether it mattered, this was the only thing she could cling to.

Besides this, she had no idea what else she could do.

"The answer is that you and Ethan have already broken up. You’re both independent individuals now. Why can’t you live your separate lives and stop bothering him?!"

Bothering him?!

Had she become a bother to Ethan? Then what was the meaning behind his sweet fruit soup for her? The longing he expressed on the phone? Those weren’t fake.

"No," Lily said firmly, her pale face full of stubborn determination. Her throat itched, causing her to cough a few times.

Tommy was at a loss for words, unable to persuade this obstinate rabbit.

"Don’t stop me again," Lily said as she pushed his hand aside and walked forward. Suddenly, she caught sight of a black sports car parked across the street. The sunlight glinted off the windshield, and she could make out a strikingly handsome face behind the wheel, exuding an air of danger.

Ethan?!

Lily’s eyes widened in shock, and without a second thought, she bolted toward the car. Tommy reached out to stop her but failed to catch her in time.

The sports car began to move, seemingly preparing to leave. Without hesitation, Lily dashed into the street, running straight toward it.

Several cars screeched to a halt, narrowly avoiding her. Tommy watched the scene unfold, his heart in his throat.

The blaring of horns filled the air.

With cars blocking the road, the sports car couldn’t drive away.

Lily seemed utterly fearless as she ran to the black sports car, pounding her fist against the window. "Ethan, I know it’s you! Get out of the car!"

She couldn’t see through the tinted windows from the outside, but she was sure—she hadn’t imagined it.

If he couldn’t let her go, if he had been following her all this time, why wouldn’t he face her? Why wouldn’t he explain?

"Ethan... no matter what’s happening, can you tell me? I don’t want to break up like this without any clarity. I can face it with you," Lily pleaded desperately as she pounded on the window.

She didn’t want it to end this way. She didn’t want to live the rest of her days in confusion and regret...

"Ethan, get out of the car!" Lily said urgently. "You promised me—you’d only drive one car. Ethan, you made so many promises to me. You can’t go back on them!"

There was no response.

Lily kept knocking on the window as if she couldn’t feel the pain in her fists, again and again.

Suddenly, the window rolled down slowly, revealing Ethan’s cold, chiseled profile.

It was him.

Lily sighed in relief, but Ethan turned to her before she could say anything, his gaze icy and devoid of emotion. "Lily, everything I promised you is null and void."

"..." Lily froze, her face going blank. She suddenly started coughing violently, yet still managed to ask, "What happened? Tell me!"

Unable to stop her coughing, Lily clung to the car door, her back bending as she coughed uncontrollably.

Stupid woman.

Why did she have to go out in the rain?!

Ethan’s brow furrowed tightly, his chest heavy with frustration. He tugged at his tie and said coldly, "Lily, we’re over."

"Then why are you here?" Lily asked, covering her mouth with one hand as she coughed.

"Do you own this street? Why can’t I be here?!" Ethan scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain.

What kind of childish nonsense was this?

Lily coughed as she spoke. "That day in the park—it was you. And that night, when you told me you were coming to get me, it was true. Why are you doing this? What’s the reason? Why can’t you tell me?!"

Did he think she couldn’t handle it?

Did he think she couldn’t face it with him?!

"No," Ethan said, his gaze darkening as her coughing intensified. "I didn’t do any of that. Lily, do you know how annoying you’re being right now?!"

Annoying?

"You find me annoying?" Lily asked, her eyes reflecting the hurt she felt.

She had thrown away her pride, repeatedly trying to find him, face everything together, and salvage what they had. Did he find her annoying?

"You weren’t like this before. You used to be so proud, you wouldn’t even spare me a glance," Ethan said coldly, his voice laced with mockery. "Now look at you, groveling like this."

If it weren’t for his recent transaction with Alex, Ethan thought he might never have known how deeply Lily loved him.

All along, he gave, sacrificed, pushed the relationship forward...

He had never imagined that after he chose to let go, Lily would chase after him like this, time and time again.

The once-proud woman...

"Do you have some delusion? When a man dumps a woman, why would there need to be a reason?!" Ethan sneered, his face full of contempt.

When a man dumps a woman, why would there need to be a reason?!

"You don’t love me?" Lily asked, her gaze fixed on his, her voice trembling slightly from the coughs.

"What do you think?"

"I love you," Lily declared firmly.

"..." The mocking smile on Ethan’s face stiffened. The unwavering light in her eyes was so intense and piercing that it struck him deeply.

His gaze darkened as he stared at Lily’s face, almost wanting to reach out and touch her...

It felt like... it had been so long since he had touched her.

"Ethan, give me an answer," she said.

Her voice snapped Ethan out of his daze. He turned to face forward, his expression icy. "Do you want an answer that’ll make you give up completely, or do you want to be my woman again?"

"It’s the same. If you can make me give up completely, I won’t debase myself like this anymore," Lily said bitterly.

If he could extinguish all hope within her, if he could leave no spark behind, she wouldn’t keep humiliating herself like this, chasing after him again and again.

Either give her hope or destroy it entirely. Please don’t leave her hanging in the middle.

She couldn’t endure this limbo anymore. She was so tired...

Ethan’s chest tightened painfully.

"If you can make Lily give up on you completely within half a month, I’ll hand over the rest of the antidote," Alex’s voice echoed in his mind.

Alex and Lily wanted him to give a reason to make her give up entirely.

Alex wanted this to satisfy his twisted desire, while Lily needed it to let go finally.

But how could he give her that?

He had already used every reason he could think of. Would she believe him? She wouldn’t...

The only reason left was the truth: that he loved her.

"Rabbit!" Tommy’s voice broke through, cutting into their tense moment. "Traffic’s all cleared up now. Third Brother, give me a ride."

Ethan said nothing, his face cold.

Lily immediately glared at Tommy. Why did he have to butt in again? First, he blocked her from meeting Ethan, and now he was interrupting their conversation...

"Don’t you have your car?!" she demanded. Why did he need to ride with Ethan?

"He bought a new car!" Tommy shrugged, opening the car door and climbing in.

Ethan didn’t spare her another glance. Without a word, he started the car.

"Ethan, get out of the car!" Lily cried out desperately, coughing even harder. "If you don’t want me to keep bothering you, at least give me a real answer. Stop being so inconsistent."

"Let go."

"Ethan! I know you still love me. What must I do for you to be honest with me?" Lily clung tightly to the open car window.

Ethan pressed the button to roll the window up. Lily refused to move her hand, even as the window pressed against it.

"Lily, are you insane?!" Ethan glared at her, then lowered the window just enough to free her hand. His long fingers pushed her reddened hand away with force.

Ethan’s strength was so great that Lily lost her balance and fell to the ground. A passing car sped by, narrowly missing her.

For a brief moment, Ethan’s face turned pale.

Lily curled slightly on the ground, looking up at him in disbelief. Ethan turned his face away.

Did he not care whether she lived or died?

"Lily, get out of my sight!" Ethan said coldly. He rolled up the window and drove away.

In the rearview mirror, Lily’s figure grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared. He could no longer see her expression.

Was she sad? Desperate? Or had she completely lost hope in him?

She wanted a reason to give up entirely.

But if she truly gave up on him, what would he do? The rest of his life was still so long...

"What are you thinking about?" Tommy asked from the passenger seat. He had noticed that Ethan had almost jumped out of the car just moments ago.

When it came to Lily, Ethan’s self-control was utterly lacking.

Ethan kept his face cold and his eyes on the road, saying nothing.

"You know, you don’t have to make a deal with Alex. Father’s another option," Tommy said.

A deal?

Would the outcome be any different?

Either way, the result was the same: Lily would leave him. No matter who he made a deal with, the ending was the same.

"Wow, that Carter guy... He’s moving fast," Tommy said, suddenly turning to look back.

Hearing this, Ethan slammed on the brakes. In the rearview mirror, a man had stepped out of a car and was helping Lily up.

Alex Carter.

Ethan’s fists clenched tightly.

"If you make a deal with Father, you can still deal with that Carter bastard later," Tommy said.

"Father wants me to be his pawn for life..." With Father around, Ethan knew he could never be with Lily.

Comparatively, it was easier to take the antidote from Alex. At least once Alex had had his moment of triumph and lost his value, Ethan could deal with him.

"If I tell you something explosive, you might just agree to Father’s terms," Tommy said, raising an eyebrow meaningfully.

She sat on the roadside, and Alex reached out to her in the end.

Sitting in Alex’s car, the sound of Chopin’s piano filled the space.

"How long are you going to keep degrading yourself like this?" Alex asked as he drove, his tone laced with both heartache and reproach.

Degrading herself?

Lily knew she was debasing herself, chasing after a man who had dumped her...

But she couldn’t control herself. Without Ethan, she felt she had lost the entire world—nothing left. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Lily turned her gaze to the window, the sound of Chopin’s piano making her want to cry...

"Lily, you need to pull yourself together."

Pull herself together?

Whether she did or not didn’t matter anymore. Her life was what it was now—waiting for AuroraVirus to take over and then... waiting to die alone.

"Lily..."

"If all I have left is nine years of paralysis, what meaning is there in my future?" Lily suddenly said, staring out the window.

No Ethan, no child, only AuroraVirus. For her, the days ahead were filled with nothing but pain. Wouldn’t euthanasia be a better option?

"You never used to think this way," Alex said, startled, as he pulled over to the side of the road. Looking at her, he said, "Medicine has advanced. I’ve organized a medical team to research the antidote. Maybe soon, they’ll find a cure for your AuroraVirus."

"..." Lily turned to look at him, stunned. "You organized a medical team?"

Why didn’t she know about this?

"Yes," Alex nodded. "AuroraVirus isn’t incurable. There will be a way."

"Alex, you’ve done so much for me..." she said, her voice tinged with guilt. She didn’t deserve all he had done for her.

"I only organized a medical team. There’s no result yet, but at least it’s hope. Don’t let yourself think such extreme thoughts," Alex said gently, his voice filled with concern. "You can talk to me about anything. Please don’t keep it bottled up. We’re friends, aren’t we?"

Friends...

She couldn’t imagine finding a more caring friend than Alex. He was always there, consistently worried about her.

"I feel like AuroraVirus is just like Ethan—it keeps giving me fleeting hope, making me think everything can be salvaged... only to end in disappointment repeatedly..." Lily said, coughing lightly.