Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I stared at Ethan, feeling like my heart was getting stomped on. Seriously, it felt like the universe was messing with me.

I was already trying to clear up the mess, and now he caught me alone with Faris. Explaining this? Yeah, right.

Faris, though, was cool as a cucumber, even smirking a bit, not letting Ethan outshine him.

Ethan strolled over to the bed, bent down, grabbed Faris by the collar, and yanked him up.

Faris didn't fight back, just lifted his head with Ethan's pull, his eyes daring him.

Ethan's cigarette fell onto Faris's clothes, burning a hole before hitting the floor.

In the dead silence, Ethan's voice cut through, colder than usual.

"I gave you the land you wanted. Don't push your luck."

Faris just smiled, all chill, and said, "If you hold onto something tight enough, no one can take it from you."

Ethan's face, half-hidden in the shadows, looked even more menacing.

Faris slowly pried Ethan's fingers off his collar, one by one, until Ethan let go. Then he casually straightened his messed-up collar.

I couldn't take my eyes off the bloodstain on his collar.

"Get out," I snapped, pointing to the door.

Faris glanced at me, nodded with a smile, and said, "Alright, I'm going."

He turned his wheelchair around and rolled out slowly.

The sound of the wheels echoed down the hallway, fading away.

I grabbed Ethan's hand. "What happened to your hand?"

He dodged my question, sat on the bed, and lowered his head, his hair falling over his eyes.

"You staying in the hospital makes it hard for me to take care of you. I want to take you home."

Before I could ask more about his hand, the door swung open.

Jason came in with a few nurses, pushing a stretcher.

I only had a head injury and could walk, but Ethan and Jason insisted I use the stretcher, so I went along with it.

The hospital's vehicle took me home with Jason while Ethan drove his car.

I asked Jason, "Why the sudden move home?"

Jason smiled. "You're stable. Home's better for recovery. And with me as your private doc, it's the same as being in the hospital." "But it feels like you all planned this," I said, still suspicious.

Jason grinned. "Of course, we did. It's for your own good."

When we got there, Ethan scooped me up and carried me into the villa, laying me on the bed.

He told me to rest and that he'd be back later.

Jason set up the coat rack for tomorrow's IV drip.

After getting everything ready, he told me to rest and left the room.

Lying in my own bed was way more comfy than the hospital. I fell asleep fast.

I dreamed of the time I threw a snowball at Richard.

He kept badmouthing me, his words getting nastier.

I lost it, hitting him, crying, screaming like I wanted to tear my throat out.

The pain and sadness felt so real.

The itchy feeling on my face woke me up. I opened my eyes to see Ethan's face, gently kissing away my tears.

I must've been really upset in the dream. I couldn't stop sobbing, and more tears fell.

He wiped my tears with his bandaged hand.

"What happened to your hand?" I asked.

"Just a little accident," he said lightly.

He propped his head up, looking at me closely.

Thinking of the dream, I felt a wave of sadness, and my voice was hoarse. "Do you believe me?"

I looked at him, feeling uneasy and hopeful.

"Yes," Ethan said firmly.

"Why?"

Ethan lowered his head, his nose brushing against my face. His breath tickled my skin.

"Given Richard's state, I wouldn't believe him easily. I'm not stupid."

But I didn't think Ethan had no doubts.

"Where were you all day?"

He got into bed, pulled the blanket over us, and lay down, his deep voice in my ear.

"I went to a bunch of places: the insurance company, the traffic police. You were driving without a license and got into an accident. By law, you'd get fined and detained. I didn't want that, so I was handling it."

At that moment, I was so caught up in my emotions that I didn't think about the consequences at all. Now, I'm starting to feel a bit scared. Lucky for me, I was the only one who got hurt. If I'd hurt someone else, I'd probably feel guilty forever. "Why'd you suddenly want to bring me back?" I asked, staring at his handsome, mature profile.

He held me tighter, his bandaged hand slipping under my clothes, caressing my skin.

"I only feel at ease when you're sleeping next to me."

His fingers traced circles on my belly, making me squirm from the ticklish sensation.

He suddenly laughed. "Emily, I'm just now realizing you're the type to act on impulse. I used to underestimate you."

I felt a bit embarrassed and mumbled softly, "Acting on impulse is trouble. People just aren't rational when they do that."

Ethan's breathing was heavy and steady.

"Emily, you have to be responsible for yourself at all times. Do you know? I was riding my bike behind you, unable to stop you, and I was really scared. I've never been that scared before."

I asked, "Were you afraid I would die?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"But everyone has to die."

"I hope that day takes its sweet time getting here because I want you around as long as possible."

Ethan always had a way of making me drop my defenses and follow him without hesitation with just a few words.

But did he really not care about what Richard said? Or was he just afraid I would continue to be irrational?

The next morning, Jason came to give me an IV drip.

Because of Ethan's hand injury, Jason also took on the task of cooking.

While I was bedridden, Aurora called to ask when I would visit. I didn't tell her about my injury, just said I had some things to deal with and would go after that.

Sophie came with Lacey.

She sat by the bed holding Abby, hesitating several times before finally asking, "Emily, did you get into the car accident because of Richard?"

Yeah, he kind of caused it.

But honestly, after seeing Sophie kneeling at the Windsor family's door, begging for her child back, I deeply felt Linda and Richard's coldness and heartlessness towards her. Although the child was Richard's, I sincerely hoped she had no further entanglements with them.

I shook my head. "No, it was because I'm not good at driving."

Lacey, standing by the window, cursed, "Richard is a bastard. Sophie, don't be sad. Whether they acknowledge Abby or not, I do."

Sophie lowered her head, looking very sad.

I thought for a moment and said, "Sophie, have you considered finding someone to take care of you and Abby? Try to accept someone new. She can't grow up without a father."

Sophie bit her lip, and after a long while, she said, "Although it's tough raising a child alone, I won't give up on Abby. No matter how hard it is, I'll raise her well."

It must be the strength of a mother that gave this nineteen-year-old girl such determination and courage.

Most of the time, I was home alone. When I was bored, I thought about calling Bella. But I hesitated when I saw her number. After all, Bella was married now, and I didn't want to bother her as often as I used to.

A week later, I had mostly recovered, and the bandage on my head was removed.

That day, Ethan invited a few friends over to the house, and Jason was still in charge of cooking.

I sat on the couch watching TV while the others played cards on the coffee table. Oliver was playing with them but seemed uninterested, completely different from before, as if he had suddenly become much more mature. After dinner at 8 PM, I watched TV while Ethan played cards. Jason sat next to me, quietly watching the romance drama.

Oliver sat smoking, staring at the TV but not really watching. I knew Bella's situation was still on his mind, but it wasn't the right time to talk.

During a commercial break, my phone rang. It was Bella.

As soon as I answered, I heard Bella's pained voice.

"Emily, help!"

"Bella, what's wrong?" I asked nervously.

Oliver, sitting on the other side, immediately turned to look at me, his brows furrowed, eyes filled with worry.

Ethan, who was playing cards, also looked up, and the previously lively card game fell silent.

After hanging up, I stood up from the couch, and Oliver's eyes were fixed on me.

I looked at Ethan, pointed to the door, and stammered, "Quick, let's go."

Throwing his cards on the table, Ethan quickly got up and grabbed his coat.

The others, understanding the situation, also threw down their cards and started cleaning up.

As Ethan and I headed out to the car, I saw Oliver following closely behind.