30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 303: Empty Promise

How did she even know about his mother’s suicide? And why was she blaming herself for it? Back then, his refusal to listen to his mother’s words caused everything—what did it have to do with her?

His mother’s death was on him... not her.

Ethan stared at her curled-up figure on the ground, his chest aching as if it had been torn open. His fingers clenched into a fist as he ground out through gritted teeth, "Then stay here and repent all you want!"

He turned and headed toward his car. Lily remained crouched on the ground, her mind filled with Nanny’s voice echoing repeatedly, each word piercing her like a blade.

Accusations. Condemnations of the choices Lily made nine years ago

It turns out that it wasn’t Ethan’s values that were wrong—it was hers. She was the one who made the mistakes...

"Lily, don’t ever come looking for me again!" Ethan’s voice was cold as ice. He opened the car door, casting one last glance at her fragile, crumpled figure. She looked like a broken rag doll, and in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, he added, "I’m just trash. I’m not worthy of you."

To Lily, those words cut more profound than anything else.

"Do you hate me?" she asked, forcing herself to stand, blinking through a veil of tears as she looked at his tall silhouette. Her chest tightened with despair.

Of course, he hated her.

Why else would he remember her name and face for nine long years?

Why else would he violate her the first time they met again after all those years?

"What do you think?" Ethan’s eyes darkened as he responded. He climbed into his car and started the engine.

"I didn’t know it would happen like that... I didn’t know..." Lily muttered in broken whispers.

Ethan didn’t respond. He drove away.

Without thinking, Lily chased after him. She furiously pumped her legs on the empty street, running with everything she had to keep up with his car.

Was she still chasing him?!

Ethan gripped the steering wheel with one hand, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror, watching her desperate pursuit.

Time and time again, she chased after him...

The once proud girl he remembered had turned into this.

"I’m sorry... Ethan, I’m so sorry... Ethan, I’m sorry..." Lily screamed as she ran, her tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

She wasn’t trying to salvage their relationship. She was apologizing...

Ethan’s hands tightened around the steering wheel, his gaze locked on the mirror as he watched her faltering steps grow weaker.

"Ethan, I’m sorry—sorry—"

She kept shouting, her pace slowing, stumbling, nearly falling several times.

Ethan lifted his dark, tear-filled eyes, unable to stop the tears from rolling down his chiseled face.

"Stupid woman, it’s not your fault..."

He murmured under his breath.

But she couldn’t hear him.

Stop chasing me.

...

Finally, she collapsed, her body hitting the pavement hard. She lay on the side of the road, her slim silhouette crumpled and motionless.

Ethan’s heart clenched as if something had grabbed it and squeezed, leaving him gasping for air.

He slammed on the brakes, one hand gripping the door handle as his dark eyes stayed fixed on her collapsed figure. For a moment, he seemed ready to get out. But then his hand dropped back to his side.

"Lily, go live your life."

He closed his eyes, his tears streaming down his face. Without looking back, he drove away.

Lily lay motionless on the ground, listening to the sound of his car fading into the distance. When she finally lifted her head, her blurred vision could barely make out the silver-blue sports car disappearing further away... until its color faded into nothing.

Lying on the ground, Lily watched helplessly as the sound of Ethan’s car faded. Tears blurred her vision as the silver-blue car vanished utterly.

"I’m sorry... I’m really sorry..."

She hadn’t known... She had no idea that one foolish act of her youth would lead to Ethan’s drastic change, to the shattering of his family.

She understood the pain of losing loved ones. She had experienced it firsthand.

But she had never realized that she was the one who indirectly caused Ethan’s mother’s death. She had always been the culprit...

It was all her fault.

It’s no wonder he hated her so much. It’s no wonder she couldn’t make friends at school back then. It’s no wonder the other girls despised her.

Someone like her didn’t deserve friends.

The pain from her scraped knee spread, making it impossible for her to stand.

She couldn’t get up...

Eventually, someone who "happened" to pass by took her to the hospital. Lily knew, deep down, it was Ethan’s arrangement again.

But this time, Lily understood. Whether she gave up or not didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was that she no longer dared to face Ethan again.

He wouldn’t need to feel burdened by her anymore.

She could never go to him again. Never again...

Lily returned to the city. Exiting the bustling airport, she hadn’t walked far before she heard an anxious voice calling out behind her.

"Lily—"

It was Alex Carter.

She had something to ask him anyway...

Turning around, she was immediately pulled into a tight embrace. The faint scent of mint surrounded her.

Lily froze. "Alex?"

"Why did you run? Do you know how terrified I was, thinking you’d left for good?" Alex’s arms tightened around her, almost to the point of discomfort.

"Alex, don’t..." Lily tried to pull away, but his grip was firm, unwilling to let her go.

"Lily..." Alex whispered, holding her close, his heart pounding. He thought she had really left.

He thought she wouldn’t come back...

She should’ve taken him with her if she was going to leave.

Finally, outside the bustling airport, Alex loosened his hold on her.

"How did you know I was here?" Lily asked, puzzled.

"I thought you’d left, so I checked all incoming and outgoing flights—including the ones to this city. I figured if you were leaving, you’d at least go to see Uncle Henry again..." Alex explained, his brows furrowed, his hands gripping her arms as his worried eyes searched hers. "Where did you go?"

It wasn’t about where she went...

It was about where she had come from—breaking free from her stubborn, self-imposed prison.

"I just wandered around. That’s all, I..."

"Don’t leave again," Alex interrupted, pulling her into another tight embrace. Before Lily could protest, he released her, his face lighting up with excitement. "The antidote for AuroraVirus has shown progress."

"An antidote?!" Lily’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Is that true?"

"Of course, it’s true. So don’t leave again. I’ll arrange for you to undergo tests and start treatment," Alex said with a smile.

He hadn’t planned to reveal the antidote so soon, but Lily’s disappearance had shaken him deeply.

Before she could react, Alex took her hand and led her toward his car.

Ethan had once brought in a team of world-renowned specialists to research the RNA-based pathogen AuroraVirus. Despite their collective expertise, they couldn’t create an antidote. So, how had Alex Carter’s team succeeded so quickly?

Was this really an antidote?

As Lily glanced at Alex’s excited face, she couldn’t decide whether to feel grateful or not. She swallowed her doubts and questions, burying them deep within herself, and silently followed him into the car.

But the uncertainty gnawed at her. There were still so many unanswered questions.

Alex drove with one hand on the wheel, the other holding hers. Lily subtly withdrew her hand, her movements so smooth they barely registered.

"Lily, where did you go?" Alex asked after a moment, his voice calm but tinged with curiosity. The instant her hand left him, his palm felt cold, and for a fleeting second, he almost reached out to hold it again.

"Just walking around," she replied softly, gazing at the passing streets.

"But you’ve been crying. Did you go to see Uncle Henry and the others?" Alex asked, his tone filled with concern.

Lily instinctively touched her eyes. They were still a little swollen.

The memories of her time in the city rushed back—every moment, every detail replaying in her mind. Closing her eyes, she felt the tears welling up again, threatening to spill over.

The tangled emotions, the unresolved ties...

Ethan’s drastic personality shift. His mother’s tragic suicide. Her own naïve actions back then...

It felt like a vicious cycle, one she couldn’t escape.

Alex brought the car to a stop outside a private hospital. The top floor was entirely dedicated to a team of experts researching AuroraVirus. The facility was equipped with the most advanced technology and staffed by professionals who radiated dedication.

Standing at the doorway, Lily watched the bustling team at work. "Have you really developed a cure?" she asked, her voice cautious, almost disbelieving.

"Yes," Alex replied with a confident smile. "Once you undergo the treatment, you’ll be completely cured."

A normal life...

But what did "normal" even mean for her now?

There wasn’t a hint of joy on Lily’s face. Lowering his gaze to her, Alex reached out and adjusted the hat on her head. "Lily, aren’t you happy?"

"My son... He doesn’t have an antidote," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, each word scraping painfully from her throat.

What was the point of her being cured? Her son, the child she had with Ethan, would never come back. There would never be a future for her and Ethan.

Their story had reached its final Chapter.

Her son... had died because of AuroraVirus.

"You need to take care of your health. You’ll have children again someday," Alex said, his gaze following hers to the busy medical team inside.

"But it won’t be him."

There was no going back for her and Ethan. The road they had walked together had led them to a dead end. How could she possibly have another child? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

She wouldn’t dare hope for love again, either.

Her life unraveled from the moment Ethan took her back to the place where they had first met. Only then did she truly understand how deeply she had failed—not just in love but in life itself.

"Don’t dwell on the negatives," Alex said softly, retaking her hand. Her slender fingers were icy cold. "At least now there’s an antidote. Your life can turn around."

Lily tried to pull her hand away, but Alex held on tightly this time, refusing to let go.

For some reason, even knowing that the antidote could rid her of AuroraVirus, Lily felt no relief, no happiness.

Her world had already turned gray. Her life had dwindled to just her. What did it matter if she could live normally again?

She admitted it—she had fallen into complete despair.

During the blood tests, Lily didn’t even flinch as the needle pierced her skin. As the series of examinations continued, her face remained devoid of expression—no pain, sorrow, or joy.