Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

"What?" I stared at him, eyes wide in shock.

Benjamin would never say something like that without a reason.

He turned to look at me and sighed softly.

"Trust me. I would never harm you. I just think you should find an ordinary person and live a stable life."

I always knew there was a huge gap between Ethan and me. So, I tried to bridge the discrepancy.

But my gut told me Benjamin's words meant more than just Ethan not being an ordinary person. It felt like there was another reason, something Benjamin was hesitant to say, maybe because it was inconvenient or had serious consequences. When I got back to the classroom, there were a bunch more Christmas cards on the desk.

Ethan was clearly more comfortable with the task now, jotting down his holiday wishes at lightning speed.

The kids laminated all the wish cards, but I was a bit distracted, replaying Benjamin's words in my head.

I had asked him in the hallway, "Are you still alone?"

Benjamin nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I am. But I don't think it's a bad thing. I'm not lonely; I have so many kids with me."

At that moment, I watched the kids calling him "Mr. Thomas" one after another, surrounded by a group of them. It was a really heartwarming scene.

When Ethan and I left, the kids were still making noise.

Walking through the familiar campus, I slowed down and stopped under a snow-covered fig tree.

It was Christmas Eve. Except for Benjamin's classroom, all the lights around were off, leaving everything in darkness.

I turned to look at Ethan. He was very close to me, but through the falling snowflakes, he seemed very distant.

"Ethan, who are you really? Why does it feel like you're miles away even though you're right in front of me? Why do I always feel like being with you is against some higher power, like God disapproves? Why?" Ethan lifted the hand that was on my shoulder and gently tapped my forehead.

"You're overthinking."

He wrapped his arm around my waist and slowly lowered his head.

At that moment, we were very close. I could only see his eyes, a pair of deep eyes that could easily make someone fall deeply.

"Look, the handsome guy in front of you is your husband, not someone else. We're together, and God can't do anything about it. If it's unhappy, it can make the snowfall harder to show its protest."

I was easily moved by Ethan's slightly domineering yet somewhat childish demeanor.

He kissed me for a while, and when he let go, he reached out to ruffle my hair.

I shook my hair, which had become a bit messy from Ethan's ruffling, and the sweetness that quietly invaded my heart replaced all my worries and unease.

As we were about to leave, the snow indeed started falling harder.

I opened my mouth in surprise and pointed to the sky. "Look, God really is protesting."

Ethan wrapped his arm around my shoulder domineeringly and snorted. "This isn't heavy. If God has the guts, let it snow enough to bury me."

I hurriedly covered his mouth. "Don't talk nonsense."

He stood still, letting me cover his mouth. His eyes were smiling, and a muffled voice came through my fingers.

"I doubt it can actually hear you."

We walked hand in hand, and as we strolled, I said, "After my dad's car accident, the neighbors around us talked about it like it was some kind of omen. Someone said it was no wonder the branch of the tree in our Broadway Alley suddenly broke the day before; it was a sign. Others said they heard crying the night before, and some agreed, saying they heard it too, making it sound so real. Although these things sounded absurd, I still felt regretful at the time, thinking I was too slow to understand God's hints. If I had known these were signs, I wouldn't have let my dad go out that day, and maybe we could have avoided the disaster."

Ethan suddenly stopped, and I looked at him.

He stared at me intently for a moment, then suddenly pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly, his voice hoarse by my ear.

"Don't let the past keep haunting you and take away your present happiness, okay?"

The snow on Christmas Eve fell especially heavily, so much that it seemed like the world was filled only with the sound of wind and snow.

After Christmas Eve, on Christmas Day, I went to Aurora's beauty salon.

Aurora's beauty salon was private; it focused on training talent. Many of the makeup artists who came out of there now work as personal makeup artists for popular celebrities.

I believed that combining what I could learn there with medical skills would be a right track. It would perfectly meet the needs of modern women.

Aurora personally led me inside, and I was blown away by what I saw.

Her team was vibrant and infectious, with each member exuding elegance, energy, and enthusiasm.

Compared to them, I felt a bit out of place.

Aurora must've noticed because she smiled and said, "A beautician's good image can instill confidence in clients."

I blushed and mumbled, "I get it."

Aurora smiled kindly and said, "Emily, don't be nervous. Stay calm when facing problems, and your poise will show. There's nothing wrong with you; in fact, you're great. Just a few tweaks, and you'll be even better." When people start doing something they're passionate about, they're always full of energy.

I went in excited every day, and as my understanding of beauty grew, so did my confidence in the future.

One day, I ran into an old classmate at Aurora's beauty center; she was working at the front desk.

After so many years, I didn't recognize her at first. She recognized me and pulled me aside during a break, and we reminisced about our school days.

We weren't close back in school, but seeing an old classmate still made me excited.

Although my school days weren't as carefree and beautiful as others', they were still a part of my growth.

So when Ethan came to pick me up and suggested going out to eat, I impulsively suggested going to a Subway near my old school for sandwiches.

The shop had been renovated, but the owner was still the same. He remembered me. The owner was very kind; back when I was in school, he knew about my family's situation and let me work there during summer breaks. The owner was thrilled to see me and greeted us warmly.

We arrived right at mealtime, and many students came into the shop one after another.

When I returned with my chosen ingredients, I noticed the female students around us whispering and occasionally sneaking glances at Ethan. Their eyes were filled with girlish fantasies.

I knew that with Ethan's looks, it was hard not to attract attention.

I wanted to enjoy my meal, but with so many people watching, I felt uncomfortable. Ethan, however, remained calm, as if those gazes had nothing to do with him.

A woman who had been observing us for a while suddenly got up and walked over.

"Hi, are you Ethan, the lead singer of The Thorn Birds Band? I used to love your songs. Could you sign an autograph for me?"

She handed over a pen and a notebook.

I was surprised that someone still remembered The Thorn Birds Band and even recognized Ethan.

Ethan's lips twitched slightly, and he said indifferently, "The Thorn Birds Band no longer exists."

The woman blushed. "I know, but it was my youth, my memory, my memento. Can you?"

People around us heard her and started discussing more loudly. Some even took out their phones to take pictures, probably thinking Ethan was a celebrity.

The woman held out her notebook, but Ethan didn't take it. She and I both felt embarrassed. I wanted to persuade Ethan, thinking it was an honor for him to be admired like this, and he could just sign it.

But before I could say anything, Ethan took out his wallet, placed some money on the table, grabbed my hand, and walked out of the restaurant quickly.

My sandwich wasn't even ready yet.

He pulled me along quickly, and we practically ran out of Subway, with some people following us to watch.

We walked a good distance until we were out of sight of those people. We stopped, looked at each other, and laughed.

"Why do I feel like I'm having a secret affair with a celebrity?"

He suddenly wrapped his arm around my neck and kissed me in public.

After a brief kiss, his handsome face was inches from mine, and he said domineeringly, "I'm not afraid of rumors."

His action attracted another crowd, and some girls even screamed.

So we ran away again.

Later, we went to another restaurant and solved our dinner with a bowl of pasta each.

Even though it was just a bowl of pasta, it felt especially tasty.

I was a bit excited all the way back, though I didn't know why.

When we got home, I found the villa's lights on, and the door open. A pair of four-inch-high heels was by the shoe cabinet.

These were definitely not something that should be in our house.

When I walked in, I saw a figure standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.

The figure was tall and slender. Despite the winter, she was only wearing a thin, light purple mid-length knit sweater, and her fitted pants perfectly hugged her long legs. Her waist-length wavy hair made the figure look very alluring. "Who are you?" I asked, staring at her back.

The woman slowly turned around and smiled faintly.

The moment I saw her face, I felt like I had been struck by lightning.