Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I finally tracked down Emily. And guess what? Faris was there too, with his leg all bandaged up.

Emily slapped Richard hard. She was beyond pissed, and after what Richard spilled last night, it hit me just how trapped and powerless Emily had felt through all this mess.

At that moment, I wasn't really questioning much. My heart was too busy being scared out of its mind at the thought of losing her.

All I felt was relief. But deep down, I was beating myself up. I was a lousy husband. I didn't protect her, and she kept getting hurt because of it.

The mountain road was cleared, but still pretty slick. I carried her down.

We didn't say much on the way. Later, Emily broke the silence, telling me there was nothing going on between her and Faris.

Honestly, that wasn't even on my mind. I was quiet because I was terrified.

I kept losing Emily and then finding her again. What if one day I couldn't find her? That thought scared the hell out of me.

I wondered, 'With all the secrets between us, what if they come out one day? Would Emily leave me then?'

When Victor threw a welcome dinner for Richard, Emily didn't go, and I didn't push her because, to be honest, I didn't want to go either.

At the dinner, Linda wouldn't stop talking. Even though hardly anyone was responding, she was still super animated. She was clearly thrilled about Richard being out.

I wasn't feeling it. I left early.

Emily went to Sophie's place. Later, she called and said she was staying there for the night.

The next morning, Emily called again, saying Sophie's kid was missing.

I didn't expect Richard to just take the kid home. I figured Linda was behind it.

Sophie was devastated. She'd do anything to get her kid back. So, I helped her call the cops. It seemed like the only move.

I knew what Linda was up to. She wanted to use the kid to make Sophie give up on Richard.

I couldn't stand irresponsible guys. I even wondered if Richard was really Victor's son. But now, I had no doubt. They were so alike. Richard had definitely inherited Victor's cold and ruthless streak. After things settled, Richard took off on his motorcycle, the engine roaring like crazy.

Jail time hadn't changed him. He was still as reckless and arrogant as ever.

I chased him down, stopped him in the middle of the road, and punched him hard. I grabbed his collar and glared at his defiant face.

Emily got out of the car to help, throwing snowballs at Richard, but they didn't do much.

Richard taunted Emily with his words. She was a mess, hitting and cursing him, but she couldn't stop him from slandering her.

I knew what she was worried about. She was scared I'd believe Richard's lies about her. But I wasn't an idiot. I knew Richard too well and saw through his crap.

But Emily was too impulsive. Without a license, she drove off.

I chased her on Richard's motorcycle. She sped up, and my shouting couldn't stop her reckless driving. She finally crashed into some greenery, and the car stopped.

She was hurt and passed out, but luckily, it wasn't too bad. Driving without a license and crashing made things really complicated.

After leaving the Traffic Enforcement Agency, I got into a scuffle with some local thugs. We fought, and one of them pulled a knife. I grabbed it with my bare hand, slicing my palm open. When the cops showed up, the thugs ran. After giving my statement at the station, it was already dark. The police wanted to take me to the hospital to bandage my hand, but I refused. With blood still dripping from my hand, I drove to the hospital.

On the way, I thought about the fight. I'd tried to avoid trouble and been patient, but they seemed to be targeting me on purpose. Looking back, it felt like there was more to it. At the hospital, I went straight to Jason's office. I had called him earlier, and he was still there.

I said, "Jason, I want to transfer Emily back home."

"Why?" Jason asked.

I replied, "I've made some enemies. I don't think you want anything to happen to her either, right?"

Jason saw my bleeding hand and frowned.

"What happened?" he asked.

I shrugged it off. "It's nothing, just a scratch."

When I got to Emily's room, I heard voices inside.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

I didn't barge in. Instead, I leaned against the door, smoked half a cigarette, and let the blood drip from my hand onto the floor. I stared up at the ceiling light, squinting. After listening to Emily's accusations against Faris, I finally pushed the door open, and the conversation inside came to a halt.

I walked over to Faris, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

I wasn't exactly calm. It felt like more and more things were coming between me and Emily, and it was starting to get to me.

I was scared that one day, things would spiral out of control.

I grabbed Faris by the collar and said, "I've given you the land you wanted. Don't push your luck."

He smirked arrogantly. "If you cherish Emily enough, no one can take her away."

He had a point, which was why I decided to bring her back home.

Emily asked why I suddenly brought her back. I told her, "I feel at ease when you sleep next to me."

That was the truth.

She asked, "Are you afraid I'll die?"

I replied, "Yes."

She said, "But everyone has to die."

I said, "The later that day comes, the better, because I want you to stay with me as long as possible."

I was terrified that one day, we wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure and would have to part ways.

On Christmas Eve, we went to Benjamin's school.

I had a good impression of Benjamin. I'd seen him give Emily eggs and milk.

Later, Benjamin called Emily out alone. I didn't know what they talked about, but as we walked through the campus, Emily suddenly got emotional.

She said, "Ethan, why do I feel like you're so far away even though you're right in front of me? Why do I always feel like being with you is breaking some divine rule, like even God doesn't approve of us?" She also brought up her father's car accident, which had happened years ago but left a permanent scar. She'd never forget it.

I thought, 'If only there was a medicine that could make people forget past unhappiness, how great that would be.'

Life had returned to normal, but I didn't expect Faye to suddenly come back, and with Fiona's face.

When I saw her, I was momentarily surprised. But only for a moment. Although she looked a lot like Fiona, she clearly wasn't.

I knew Faye would come back one day, but I had hoped she'd return more mature and sensible. Instead, she seemed more scheming, as evidenced by her plastic surgery.

I had already decided to support Faye in her career, but I wouldn't let Emily suffer because of her.

So that night, I didn't stay with Faye. But the next day, she came to the office to find me.

We didn't talk much, so she got straight to the point and brought up the cocktail party.

A few days later, Skyline International Corporation was hosting a business cocktail party. Business elites would be there, and some celebrities were invited to add to the event. Faye wanted to attend.

I stopped my work and looked at her seriously. "Faye, I've said I'll help you with your career as much as I can. But I also hope you work hard and take it step by step. Don't stray off the path." Faye understood and replied softly, "I understand, Ethan. I will cherish every opportunity you give me."

That day, Oliver came to find me, questioning me about the night he was framed.

That night, I was at the scene and watched him being taken away. I didn't intervene because I had more important matters, but I had Dennis follow him.

At the time, I didn't expect Oliver's situation to be so serious. After all, he'd been drunk before.

Oliver said, "Ethan, from now on, I don't consider you a friend."

This was the most serious and heartless thing Oliver had ever said to me.

Falling out with Oliver didn't feel good.

At that moment, I realized that my initial choice would ultimately lead me further down a lonely road.