30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 296: Lily’s Desperate Plea

Lily looked directly at him, her body motionless, her gaze unwavering. She didn’t even blink as his fist swung toward her, bracing herself for the pain she was sure would come.

She didn’t need his unclear, wavering attitude. She didn’t need him to give her fleeting glimpses of hope again and again only to leave her spiraling into uncontrollable thoughts.

Lily sat there, still and upright.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed, and his fist stopped short of her face. She didn’t feel any pain—only the searing heat of his hand as it passed by.

His hand was burning hot. Although his body temperature was always higher than hers, this heat was unusually high.

"Why is your hand so hot?" Lily asked, her brows furrowing. What was wrong with him? Why was his body temperature so high?

"None of your business! Get out of the car!" Ethan snapped, withdrawing his hand awkwardly. He couldn’t bring himself to lay a finger on her. He couldn’t do it.

If she didn’t leave... he didn’t know what he might do.

"Lily, get out—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Lily suddenly leaned toward him. Her forehead pressed against his, though her hands carefully avoided touching him.

She was so close to him. Her soft scent filled the air around him, her gentle breath brushing against his face. Ethan inhaled sharply, his chest pounding, his entire body tense, as though something inside him was about to break free.

Her lips were right there, so soft and close. She didn’t need to do anything more to stir him.

Ethan’s throat tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his breathing grew heavier. His slightly parted lips inched closer to hers, almost touching that mouth that made his heart ache with just the thought of it...

Lily.

His woman. The only woman he had ever loved.

"Are you running a fever?" Lily’s voice cut through his thoughts.

Ethan snapped back to reality. What was he doing? He couldn’t touch her. He absolutely couldn’t.

"Mind your own damn business!" Ethan shouted, pulling at his tie in frustration, trying to mask his discomfort. His dark eyes glared at her fiercely. "Why are you still here?!"

"You have a fever. You need to go to the hospital."

"Get out of the car!"

"Go to the hospital."

"I said get out of the car!"

"I’ll go with you to the hospital," Lily said stubbornly.

"Damn it!" Ethan cursed, leaning forward to push the car door open. He grabbed her arm roughly and tried to shove her out of the car. His movements were forceful and harsh.

Lily, however, remained in the passenger seat. Though her arm was gripped painfully, she refused to get out. She clung to the car without regard for her pride, insisting on staying.

"Lily, get the hell out!" Ethan shouted angrily, his patience thin as he tried to push her out.

Suddenly, he saw her tears.

Silent tears streamed down Lily’s pale face as she sat there. She kept her eyes down, avoiding his gaze, while his rough grip on her arm remained.

Ethan felt as if a knife had been driven into his chest.

He was at his wit’s end.

Lily was more persistent and stubborn than he had ever imagined...

Ethan’s hand still held her arm, but he no longer tried to push her out.

"How much more do you want to hurt me before you’re satisfied?" Lily’s voice broke the silence, her tears continuing to fall unchecked. Her words were forced out of her throat, raw and aching.

Over and over again, he yelled at her.

Over and over again, he had said things to her that cut deep.

Over and over again, he had pushed her away.

Ethan’s grip on her arm tightened, his chest feeling so heavy that he could barely breathe. His voice was cold and restrained. "What will it take for you to give up?"

"I wasn’t planning to look for you anymore. I was just going to live out the rest of my days alone, lying in bed, waiting to die..." Lily raised her tear-filled eyes to his tense face, her lashes damp. "But you kept showing up, giving me false hope."

Did she think she wanted him to follow her?

If only he could control himself...

"Can you just tell me why this is all happening?" Lily pressed, her voice soft and low.

"Lily, get out of the car."

He still refused to answer.

"Either let me go with you to the hospital or push me out of the car," Lily said firmly, her tone unwavering. Her need for answers was stronger than ever.

"You’re not leaving, are you?!" If he could push her out, he would have done so already.

"No, I’m not."

"Fine! If you don’t leave, I will!" Ethan glared at her.

"Bang!"

Ethan shoved the car door open and stepped out, striding away purposefully. His tall figure cut a striking silhouette, each step feeling like a blow to her heart.

Lily sat in the car, the taste of her tears bitter as they slipped into her mouth.

She got out of the car and followed him. She trailed after his cold, distant figure, telling herself to stop, to let him go...

But her feet wouldn’t listen. They kept moving forward, following him.

She couldn’t stop herself even if his back was cold and unapproachable.

She thought to herself, I’m genuinely pathetic.

Noticing that she was following him, Ethan quickened his pace. In the blink of an eye, he turned a corner and disappeared from sight.

Lily stopped in confusion, looking around for him. She couldn’t see him anywhere. The towering skyscrapers around her felt like obstacles, blocking her view. She couldn’t find Ethan...

She searched aimlessly and accidentally bumped into a supermarket’s standing advertisement board. The impact made her double over in pain.

"Miss, are you okay?" A passerby—a kind-looking man—hurried over to help her up.

"I’m fine, thank you," Lily said, refusing to look up. She let him help her to her feet, but the man caught sight of her tear-streaked face. He pulled out a pack of tissues and handed it to her, his hand lingering on her arm a little too long. His fingertips brushed against her skin in a way that carried an unspoken intent.

"Did you hurt yourself badly? There’s a hospital nearby. I can take you there," the man offered, his tone suggestive.

"No, thanks," Lily said, shaking her head as she freed her arm. She wiped her tears with her hand.

"Take the tissues, at least," the man insisted, pressing the pack into her hand. His other hand reached out, trying to grab hers again. The more she backed away, the closer he leaned in.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!" A furious voice roared from behind.

Lily looked up in shock to see Ethan standing in front of her. He grabbed the man by the collar and, without hesitation, punched him to the ground. His eyes burned with rage. "What do you think you’re doing?! Taking advantage of her?!"

"Are you crazy? I wasn’t doing anything!" The man protested, his lip split from the punch. But feeling guilty, he didn’t dare argue further and quickly fled.

"You think you can just leave?!" Ethan shouted, moving to go after him. Lily quickly grabbed his sleeve with both hands, stopping him. "Don’t."

"Lily, are you out of your mind?! That guy was clearly making moves on you! Why didn’t you scream?! Why didn’t you fight back?!" Ethan glared at her, his anger blazing.

The man’s hand had been about to touch her chest, and all she did was retreat, shrinking back...

Where was the fire she had when she argued with him?! Where was the defiance?

So she only dared to stand up to him? Was that it?

"Why did you come back?" Lily asked, her eyes meeting his deep, stormy gaze. His face was still filled with anger, his temper far from calming.

Ethan didn’t answer.

Lily continued to look at him. "Every time, you leave so cleanly, so completely. Why do you always come back?"

How was she supposed to let go if he couldn’t even do that? How was she supposed to move on?

Damn it.

Wasn’t it because he saw her being harassed? Otherwise, why would he have shown up again?

This foolish woman. She was only challenging in front of him. Out here, she had no sense of self-preservation!

"I’m leaving right now!" Ethan snapped, glaring at her before turning to walk away. But Lily held onto his sleeve tightly.

Ethan looked down to see her tiny hands clutching his sleeve with all her strength, her fingers digging in as if she would never let go.

"You really like this coat, huh? Fine, keep it!" Ethan said coldly and began to shrug off the coat.

At his words, Lily suddenly threw herself into his arms.

Ethan froze, his entire body stiffening as his heart shook violently.

Lily clung to him tightly, burying her face in his chest. Her tears immediately soaked through his shirt.

"Ethan... don’t leave me alone," Lily pleaded, trembling. "If you still love me, don’t leave me for any reason. I can’t go on... I really can’t without you..."

Don’t leave me alone.

Her soft body pressed against his, her voice low and humble. She had never spoken to him like this before.

Ethan raised his hand as if to hold her, but his fingertips barely brushed her clothes before he pulled back.

"Lily, you’ve gotten through everything. There’s nothing you can’t handle."

"There is... not having you... I can’t handle that," Lily choked out, her voice breaking. The heat radiating from his body seeped into hers. "Without you, I don’t know how to keep going... I really don’t. Or maybe you can teach me how to live without you?"

Every time she felt hopeless, he appeared before her, barging into her life and heart and turning her world upside down...

Every time she looked back, he was there, by her side...

Now, without Ethan, all she had left was herself. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t keep going...

The two stood on the street as Lily clung to him tightly. Ethan closed his eyes, his cold face tightening as his lips pressed into a thin line.

Lily, people can’t have everything.

Maybe this was all they were ever meant to be...

"Come on, I’ll take you somewhere," Ethan suddenly said, his voice low. He gently pulled her out of his arms and grabbed her hand, leading her toward the car.

Lily was ushered into the car, and Ethan followed, starting the engine. Lily glanced at his impassive face. "Where are we going?"