30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 314: A Heart in Ruins

Alex Carter stood by his car, his tall, lean frame motionless under the unforgiving sunlight.

His long white coat, once elegant, was now dust-streaked, the fabric billowing slightly in the wind. His ash-brown hair caught the light, giving him an almost ethereal glow.

His face was unreadable—calm, poised, but his eyes...

His eyes were rimmed with red.

When he exited the car, several men in black suits rushed forward, grabbing him.

Alex clenched his jaw, swinging a fist into one of them, kicking another.

But he didn’t run.

Instead, he walked toward the edge of the bridge, his gaze fixed on the still, undisturbed lake below.

"Mr. Blackwood."

A voice, cold and respectful, cut through the silence.

Alex turned.

A sleek sports car door swung open, and Ethan Blackwood stepped out.

His tall figure was rigid, his expression carved from ice.

The air around him was heavy, dark, suffocating.

A dozen black cars lined the bridge, turning the vast open space into a trap.

The only sound was the wind howling past them.

Ethan’s steps were slow and deliberate, each carrying the weight of something lethal.

He twirled a sleek black gun, the movement almost casual.

Alex didn’t flinch.

He watched as Ethan came closer.

Then, just a meter away, Ethan stopped.

His piercing gaze locked onto Alex, sharp as a predator’s.

His lips curled into something cold, something lethal.

"You actually had the nerve to return to the city?"

Ethan’s voice was low, laced with venom.

He had thought Alex would have fled by now.

Yet here he was—walking straight into the lion’s den.

Alex tightened his grip on the letter in his hand.

He stepped further onto the ledge, his voice quiet, steady.

"I wrote down the antidote formula for Lily. She and the baby will be saved."

Saved?

Ethan let out a humorless laugh.

His lips twisted into mockery as he flicked the safety off his gun, lifting it with ease.

The barrel pointed straight at Alex’s heart.

"Now you want to repent?"

His voice dripped with disdain.

"Now, you want to hand over the antidote?"

Too late.

Everything was already too late.

He had already traded himself and his son to his father.

There was no turning back. No undoing the past.

And no one—no one—would be spared from the consequences.

"I regret letting you live this long."

Ethan’s voice was colder than the wind cutting through the bridge.

His finger tightened on the trigger.

The world stilled.

"Bang—!"

The gunshot shattered the silence.

Ethan’s face remained impassive.

No hesitation. No mercy.

Alex staggered, his body jolting from the force of the bullet.

A crimson stain spread across his chest, soaking the white fabric.

His breath hitched.

His vision blurred.

"Bang—!"

The second shot struck him before he could even recover.

The pain burned through him, seeping into every nerve, every bone.

His knees buckled.

The letter in his hand slipped from his fingers—

Like a paper crane twirling against the endless blue sky.

His mind blurred.

The world faded.

But in that moment, a memory surfaced—

The past is untouched by time.

A childhood balcony.

Lily was beside him, her laughter ringing like a melody.

She wore a princess dress, smiling at him as they released paper airplanes into the sky.

The wind carried them high, far, far away.

The white coat he wore bloomed like a wilting flower, stained deep red.

His body tilted—And then he fell.

Plunging into the lake below, swallowed by the crimson-streaked water.

Water blurred his vision, clouding the world around him.

"Lily, from now on, will you spend every birthday with me? Grown-ups are always too busy with work."

"Okay! From now on, I’ll be there for every one of your birthdays, Alex."

"Then what about my birthday? Will you spend it with me, too?"

That birthday... that kindergarten memory...

She had been so small, so bright-eyed, dragging a bag filled with sparklers as she ran to find him.

Her laughter was pure, her smile radiant.

The way her lips curved, the way her eyes crinkled at the corners—

And in her gaze, reflected back at him, was only him.

It felt so close as if he could reach out and touch it.

"Okay."

Alex mouthed the word, soundless, beneath the water.

He reached for something—anything—

But there was nothing to hold on to.

The icy depths pulled him under.

If there was a next life...

He wouldn’t go anywhere.

He would stay and be there for every single one of her birthdays.

Ethan stood at the edge, staring down at the crimson-stained water.

His face was expressionless, his sharp features set in stone.

A single sheet of paper fluttered in the wind, spiraling downward and landing softly on the lake’s surface, like a lone boat drifting aimlessly.

Ethan’s eyes darkened.

Without another word, he turned and walked away.

His tall frame disappeared into the waiting cars, his presence as cold as the wind swept across the empty bridge.

At the Beachfront Villa

Alice had been throwing things for hours.

She had torn apart nearly every room in the house, her rage consuming her.

The once-pristine villa now lay in ruins—shattered glass, overturned furniture, clothing ripped from closets.

Then—

Thud.

A heavy sound echoed through the space.

Lily turned in the alarm.

Alice had collapsed.

Without warning, she had crumpled to the ground.

"Alice!"

Lily rushed forward.

Alice lay curled on the floor, her body trembling, sweat and tears mingling on her pale face.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she clutched her stomach.

Lily’s breath caught.

A deep red stain spread beneath her.

A slow, terrifying pool of blood.

Her chest tightened with panic.

"Butler Aston! Call an ambulance! Now!"

The butler hesitated momentarily before snapping into action, fumbling for his phone.

At the Hospital-

Doctors and nurses swarmed around Alice, wheeling her into surgery.

She groaned in pain, her hands flailing, searching for something to hold on to.

She grabbed Lily’s hand.

Tight. Desperate.

Lily hesitated, unsure, before murmuring, "You’ll be okay. Don’t be scared."

Alice’s lips parted, and in a breathless whisper—

"Alex... Alex..."

Lily froze.

Alice was calling for him.

Did she think... Lily was Alex?

"Family members, please wait outside."

A nurse blocked the entrance, forcing Lily and Butler Aston to step back.

But Alice didn’t let go.

She clung to Lily’s hand with an iron grip, refusing to release her.

Until the doctor pried her fingers away.

And then, the doors slammed shut.

Bang.

The sound echoed in Lily’s ears.

She stood frozen, staring at the closed doors; Alice’s helpless, terrified expression burned into her mind.

Blood still stained Lily’s hands—Alice’s blood.

Bright, vivid red.

Everything felt wrong.

Her heart pounded wildly, an unshakable sense of dread creeping into her bones.

Something was happening.

Something was wrong.

She pressed a trembling hand to her chest.

And then—She ran.

Like she was running for her life.

Like something inside her knew—She had to go.

"Miss Anderson, where are you going?!" Butler Aston called after her.

Where?

Lily didn’t know.

She only knew that her heart was racing, her mind chaotic, and something inside her screamed to run.

She burst out of the hospital doors, stopping just outside, panting.

The world around her spun.

The sky was too blue.

The red cross of the hospital sign loomed before her, growing larger and larger.

Her vision blurred.

An unbearable silence.

Lily pressed a trembling hand to her chest, feeling the erratic rhythm of her own heartbeat.

Between her fingers, blood smeared against her skin—bright, vivid red.

The air was clear and abundant, yet she couldn’t breathe.

She was suffocating.

"Miss, are you alright?" A passerby stopped, concern evident in their voice.

"Your hand—"

"I’m fine. Thank you."

Lily forced a slight shake of her head.

The stranger hesitated, eyeing her bloodied fingers with suspicion before walking away.

How could someone bleeding like that say they were okay?

She remained rooted in place, staring blankly at the world around her.

A paper plane, bent at odd angles, fluttered down from above.

It spiraled in the air before drifting toward her.

Lily slowly lifted her gaze.

Two children, clad in hospital gowns, stood on a balcony, giggling as they tossed paper planes into the wind.

More and more of them floated down, scattering across the hospital entrance.

Her vision blurred.

Memories overlapped, past and present colliding.

"Lily, does it look nice?"

"Yes! But I want a green one and a yellow one too!"

"Alright, I’ll make them for you."

"Alex, you’re the best!"

A sharp pain tore through her chest.

Like someone had sliced her heart open, leaving it to bleed freely.

A pale yellow paper plane landed in her palm.

Her breath hitched.

"Miss Anderson! Miss Anderson!"

She barely registered Butler Aston’s voice as he ran toward her, his usual composure shattered.

His steps were hurried, unsteady.

Lily turned toward him, her lips slightly parted.

He hesitated, then exhaled heavily, shaking his head.

"Miss Johnson lost the baby."

The world tilted.

The paper plane slipped from her fingers.

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the ground.

Pain clenched around her heart, suffocating, inescapable.

And there was nothing—nothing—she could do.

The wind carried the remaining paper planes, scattering them around her.

They landed softly beside her, one after another.

But the world felt unbearably heavy.

"Miss Anderson, are you alright?" Butler Aston crouched beside her, worry etched across his face.

"Do you want to go see Miss Johnson? She’s not stable."

Lily’s voice was hoarse when she finally spoke.

"Where’s Alex?"

Butler Aston hesitated.

Then, in a quiet voice—"I don’t know."

Don’t know...

He had left behind a wife. Left behind the antidote.

And then—Vanished.

Lily tilted her head back, staring up at the sky.

The sun was too bright.

A paper plane drifted downward, brushing against her cheek before falling.

The sting was tiny—almost insignificant.

But the ache in her chest stretched endlessly.

Inside the Hospital-

Lily followed Butler Aston inside, her steps slow, unsteady.

The hospital’s television flickered with breaking news as they passed through the lobby.

The headline flashed in bold letters:

Carter Group Declares Bankruptcy

Video clips played one after another—Bill Carter in a courtroom, Alex Carter in business meetings.

A once-thriving Carter International Mall was now sealed shut with a government notice plastered across its doors.

"The Carter Group, once a towering empire, has officially declared bankruptcy overnight. Both Bill Carter and Alex Carter have disappeared without a trace."

A reporter stood outside the abandoned mall, gesturing toward the locked entrance.

"This was the largest shopping complex in the country, an iconic landmark. The crowd was so overwhelming on its grand opening day that it caused city-wide traffic congestion. It was a symbol of wealth, power, and ambition."

The reporter sighed.

"And now... it stands abandoned. Forgotten."

A murmur rippled through the hospital lobby as onlookers gathered around the TV, whispering among themselves.

Lily barely heard them.

Her gaze remained fixed on the screen.

"The sudden collapse of the Carter Group has left the business world in shock. No one knows what happened, and this may remain an unsolved mystery forever."

The world kept moving.

People watched, gossiped, speculated.

But for Lily—Everything was standing still.