Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Ethan dropped the ice pack, leaned back on the couch, and pulled out a cigarette. But he didn't light it right away.

He stared at the cigarette for a long time before finally saying, "I took that bet, risking Skyline International Corporation, not because she was Faye. I would've done it for anyone. That video going public would've wrecked her life. I knew it." He wouldn't just stand by and do nothing for anyone else either. He's not cold-hearted.

When we first met, he could've ignored me, but he helped because he's a passionate guy.

He lit the cigarette and continued, "When I got the USB drive back, I thought about destroying it right away. But I hesitated because I was afraid you'd ask me about it one day. If you didn't ask, I wouldn't have told you because knowing wouldn't make you happy."

He was right. Even though I understood him, I still felt a bit upset.

"Later, when you said the USB drive was lost, I didn't want you to feel guilty. So I told you it was okay. The reason I went looking for it afterward was that I was afraid it would fall into someone else's hands and still ruin Faye. But I didn't find it. It probably fell into the sewer, which is as good as destroyed."

He explained everything honestly.

Ethan's thumb gently traced circles in my palm. "Do you trust me?"

I was silent for a long time, then I looked at him and said, "It's not that I don't trust you; it's that you don't trust me. You don't believe I can handle all of this."

He tilted his head, the soft light outlining his features. "Honey, do you know why people get conflicted? Why they get scared? Why they worry?"

After asking, he suddenly looked at me, his gaze intense.

"Because they care," he answered himself.

My heart was pounding. He suddenly climbed over and pinned me on the couch, kissing me hard until my lips went numb. He finally stopped, panting as he looked at me.

Ethan said, "Next time you want to play hero, call me along. We work better as a team, got it? You freaked me out."

I felt a mix of gratitude and relief.

I whispered, "I wanted to bring you along. But the situation was urgent. There wasn't time."

Ethan gently rubbed my lips with his thumb.

His gaze fell on my lips, and his smile at that moment was indescribable-not too intense but utterly captivating.

"I married a kind-hearted wife."

Hearing his emotional words, my eyes suddenly welled up.

In that moment, I finally got it-his smile was pure happiness.

After that whole mess, I hadn't heard a peep about Faye.

Ethan came home on time every day and never mentioned her. I had no clue if he'd met her privately or tried to comfort her. I figured that incident must've reopened old wounds and hit her hard. She needed time to heal. A few days later, I bumped into her on the street.

Lacey had told me that Sophie found a cleaning job at a kindergarten. The principal felt sorry for her and let her bring Abby to work as long as she got her tasks done.

I was thrilled to hear that. Even though it was a low-level job, it showed she was fighting back against fate with her own efforts.

She couldn't rely on men anymore; she had to stand on her own. No matter what the job was, as long as she integrated into society, she'd learn and grow.

She was only nineteen, and even with a child, she still had plenty of time to find her life's value.

Later, I arranged with Lacey to visit her.

The kindergarten was on holiday, but the daycare still had some kids, so there wasn't much to do every day.

Sophie, with a few-month-old Abby, had found a decent job. She looked way better than before.

Maybe this job, which she relied on for survival, had given her new hope in life.

After leaving the kindergarten, Lacey and I went our separate ways.

Not far away, I saw a tall woman carrying large bags heading towards the post office.

Even though she wore a mask and tried to stay low-key, I recognized her as Faye.

I stood there for ten minutes until she came out of the post office.

She was in a hurry and didn't notice me. When she reached the street, she took out her phone to make a call.

I moved slightly, and an advertisement board conveniently blocked me from her view. We were super close, but she couldn't see me.

I vaguely heard her voice.

The call was to her family. She shared good news and reminded them to take care of themselves.

After hanging up, Faye walked past me. Her eyes were red, like she'd been crying. She walked quickly with her head down and still didn't see me. During dinner, I asked Ethan about Faye's family.

Ethan seemed a bit surprised that I suddenly brought up Faye, but he answered anyway.

"Her dad passed away a long time ago. Her mom's been paralyzed for years, so Fiona dropped out of school early to work and support Faye's education."

Turns out, they were all equally unfortunate.

Everyone had their struggles. It seemed like no one was born as God's favorite. We all had our own share of misfortune. Just being alive was tough enough, so why make it harder for each other?

A few days before New Year, I decided to do a deep clean of the house to welcome it.

Ethan suggested hiring a cleaning service, saying that cleaning such a big house would be exhausting. I turned him down because I had nothing else to do at home.

That day, I got up pretty early. After Ethan left, I started cleaning.

Halfway through, I took a break on the sofa and got a call from Faris.

I didn't want to answer. He always seemed like trouble. But thinking about his leg, I picked up anyway.

"You're really heartless, aren't you?" His voice came through the line. "What do you mean?"

Faris pretended to be pitiful. "I got injured for you, and it's been days. You haven't even come to see me?"

I snorted, "Isn't your leg already healed? Don't tell me that Santa Claus on Christmas wasn't you."

Faris said, "It was still limping, but then Ethan pushed me, and now the old injury hasn't healed, and there's a new one. I'm lying at home all day, with no one to cook for me, eating takeout until I'm about to puke. Can you really stand to see that?"

I didn't say anything. Faris chuckled, and his laugh sounded off to me.

Sure enough, he said, "I'm waiting for you at home. Remember to bring some groceries to cook. If you don't come, I'll send that video to Ethan."

I was so angry I almost couldn't catch my breath.

Hanging up the phone, I angrily threw down the rag, went upstairs to change clothes, grabbed my bag, and left.

I first went to the market to buy some groceries, then took a cab to the address Faris gave me.

When I got out of the cab, I remembered that this villa halfway up the hill was the place Faris had taken me when he kidnapped me last time.

The door was open. I walked in and saw Faris lying on the sofa, his legs draped over the armrest.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and smiled broadly. "You're here!"

I thought, 'No kidding! You threatened me; how could I not come?'

I didn't say anything; I just faced him with a cold expression.

Faris acted like he didn't see my expression and patted the seat next to him. "Come here."

I walked over but didn't sit.

He glanced at the groceries in my hand and muttered, "Corn, pumpkin, steak, all my favorites."

He shamelessly smiled at me.

I ignored him and looked at his leg. "How's your leg, really?"

Faris's expression darkened. "It's like this. Anyway, I don't care."

Could it really be that serious?

I looked at his leg again, feeling a pang of guilt.

There were indeed many takeout boxes on the coffee table. He might have been eating takeout all this time; he probably wasn't lying about that. "Wait here, I'll cook," I said.

Faris looked a bit surprised and smiled. "Okay."

I wasn't used to the unfamiliar kitchen. I roughly found the basic utensils and seasonings before starting to wash and cook.

After cooking, he was still lying there like a lord.

"Feed me," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Your leg is injured, not your hands. Why can't you eat by yourself?"

Faris was stunned by my outburst, then slowly grinned, looking particularly annoying.

"Didn't know you had such a temper."

I put down the utensils. "Eat if you want."

"I'll eat, and you eat too."

He got up, picked up a bowl, and took a deep sniff. "Smells so good."

I was speechless. "What's so good about it?"

He cleared his throat and suddenly said seriously, "It has the taste of home."

I suddenly remembered the first time I cooked at Ethan's house. He said the same thing, "A woman cooking in the kitchen gives me a sense of home." "What's wrong? Eat."

Faris's voice brought me back to reality. I looked down, and he had already put a piece of broccoli in my bowl.

After eating, he continued to lie on the sofa.

While washing the dishes, I heard him say, "By the way, Black is in the backyard. Help me take some food to him."

I guessed Black might be one of his buddies or something.

After washing the dishes and drying my hands, I took a clean bowl, filled it with food, and walked towards the backyard. Opening the back door, as soon as I stepped out, a black mass rushed at me.

I screamed, and the bowl in my hand clattered to the ground.

A hand suddenly wrapped around me from behind.

"Black, you scared her." Faris kicked the black mass.

I looked over, still shaken, and saw it was a black dog. But it was huge, like a wolfdog, and it looked at me with unfriendly eyes.

"You mean Black is this dog? You tricked me!" I was so angry I felt my blood boiling.

Faris patted my back to comfort me, "Alright, don't be scared, but I never said he was a person!"

He really didn't say.

My gaze shifted down to his feet for a few seconds, then back up to his face.

"Your leg is clearly healed, and you tricked me into coming? Are you bored?"

He looked a bit embarrassed. "I just missed you."

I shook off his hand and turned to leave. But Faris grabbed me from behind and held me tight.

"Don't move!"