Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I stood there, totally at a loss.

"Richard! Watch out for your injury!" Linda came rushing in, her high heels clicking loudly, shouting as she ran. When Richard tried to throw another punch, Linda grabbed him.

Richard gritted his teeth, pressing one hand against his shoulder, glaring at Ethan like he wanted to kill him.

His injury probably hadn't fully healed, so his violent actions were hurting both others and himself.

Ethan didn't fight back; he just looked at him calmly. "Are you crazy?"

"Yeah, I'm crazy. Today, I'm gonna fight you."

Richard was red with anger, but I had no clue what he was mad about.

Since New Year's Eve, my impression of Richard had changed. I thought he wasn't inherently bad. And after he risked his life to save Abby, I considered him a decent person.

For him to be so impulsive today, something must have happened.

Linda said, "Richard, your injury hasn't healed yet. How can you fight? You'll only hurt yourself more. I'll feel sorry for you."

Linda kept trying to calm him down, but Richard pushed her away.

Richard took a step forward, pointing at Ethan. "Ethan, you need to explain yourself today. Was it you who blew up the cemetery Faris was building near Silent Grove Village? Answer me!"

He kicked the coffee table, causing the glass cups on it to shatter on the floor.

I looked at Ethan in shock.

"No." Ethan was really calm.

Richard, furious, threw another punch, which Ethan caught.

Richard shook off his hand and yelled, "You're lying! Do you think we're all idiots? I checked the surveillance at the entrance of Silent Grove Village. Your car was there last night, and the cemetery was blown up last night. Are you still denying it? Do you have the guts to do it but not to admit it? You're a bastard."

He made a compelling argument. And after hearing what Richard said, I couldn't help but look at Ethan with suspicion, recalling that Ethan had gone out late last night.

Although I didn't want to be involved with Faris or care about his affairs, I knew he had gone to great lengths to acquire that land and build a cemetery there for a reason. A grave often holds more significance than a house for the living. Now that the cemetery was blown up, Faris would go crazy when he found out, wouldn't he?

Ethan pressed his fingers against the corner of his mouth where Richard had punched him and said calmly, "You want to force me to admit to something I didn't do? You've got the wrong person. I'm not taking the blame for this." Linda tried to persuade. "Richard, let's go. You need to get an X-ray to see if you pulled anything. Why are you so agitated? If it's blown up, it's blown up. It shouldn't have existed in the first place."

As Linda dragged Richard out, he kept cursing, "I'm telling you, this isn't over. Faris won't let you off either."

It wasn't until they were out the door that Richard's cursing gradually faded and finally quieted down.

I stood still for a while before grabbing a broom to sweep up the broken glass.

"Was it you?" I asked, looking at Ethan sitting on the couch.

Ethan looked at me, calm and composed. "No."

"Then why were you there in the middle of the night?"

Ethan silently fiddled with the lighter in his hand. After a long while, he said, "Trust me, it wasn't me."

I nodded. "I believe you."

I asked again just to confirm the answer from his mouth.

The breakfast we had prepared had gone cold, so Ethan reheated it in the microwave.

We ate breakfast as if nothing had happened.

After breakfast, Ethan left.

While washing the dishes, I suddenly recalled the conversation between Linda and Richard at the hospital that day. Linda and Victor had always been resentful of the cemetery. They were the ones who least wanted it to exist, not Ethan. But now that the cemetery was destroyed and the evidence pointed to Ethan, why?

I felt there was something I couldn't figure out behind all this.

Could it be that Victor did this to frame Ethan?

Impossible! No matter how much Victor disliked Ethan, Ethan was still his son. He wouldn't let Ethan take the fall, would he?

Thinking back, it seemed like too many things had happened in the past few days: Arthur's revenge, Zachary being wanted, Faris's cemetery being blown up. It felt like everything was piling up at once. I hadn't felt at ease these past few days, always feeling like something was about to happen.

After that, I took a cab to Aurora's beauty center as usual. Today was a practical class, but I was completely out of it, making mistakes or not hearing what others were saying.

"Emily, you don't look well. What's wrong?" Aurora asked with concern.

I shook my head and apologized. "I'm sorry, Aurora. I've had some insomnia these past two days and haven't slept well."

"Then go home and rest. Your health is important," Aurora said understandingly.

I really wasn't in the right state, so I took a cab back home.

On the way, my mind was tangled with countless thoughts.

I was worried about Arthur. We were exposed, and he was in the shadows. As long as he was alive, he would definitely seek revenge again.

I was also constantly monitoring the police's movements, hoping for news about Zachary and Bella, but I was also afraid of hearing news about them from the police.

Faris said he would leave Starlight City. But if he found out about the cemetery being blown up, he would definitely come back.

How would he react? Would he believe what Richard said and blame Ethan for it?

When Ethan came back in the evening, I had already whipped up dinner.

We sat down to eat, and after taking a bite, Ethan suddenly looked at me with a strange expression.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He cleared his throat, put down his utensils, and said, "I suddenly don't feel like eating this. Let's have spaghetti instead. I'll make it." With that, he got up and headed to the kitchen.

I stared at his back in surprise, then looked back at the food on the table.

I couldn't help but take a bite, and it was so salty that I immediately ran to the trash can to spit it out.

Walking into the kitchen, I saw Ethan throwing the food into a boiling pot.

"Sorry," I said quietly, feeling ashamed.

Ethan turned and gave me a faint smile. "Even a sharpshooter can't hit the bullseye every time. A chef can have an off day too."

After he finished, he placed a bowl of spaghetti in front of me.

The spaghetti was steaming, with a fried egg on top.

"I cooked this myself. It would mean a lot to me if you could eat a bit more, okay?"

That night, because of the warmth of the spaghetti, I temporarily forgot my worries and anxieties.

To be honest, I really liked these simple and genuine days.

I didn't ask for a love that shook the heavens and earth; I just hoped that Ethan and I could continue living like this, peacefully and quietly, until we grew old together.

The next day at noon, after receiving a phone call, I changed clothes and was about to hail a cab when I saw a familiar car parked at the door.

Dennis got out of the car and said, "Mrs. Windsor, where are you going? I'll take you."

Sitting in the car, I curiously asked, "Why are you here?"

Dennis drove steadily and smiled faintly. "Mr. Windsor instructed me to be your driver from now on."

"More like a bodyguard?" I interjected.

Dennis smiled and didn't say anything more.

I had Dennis drive to Benevolence Hospital.

As I entered the hospital, Dennis followed me, not too close but not too far, keeping a distance of about six or seven feet.

Pushing open the ward door, I immediately saw Vivian lying on the bed, staring blankly out the window.

The man sitting on the small sofa beside her stood up as soon as he saw me.

I remembered him; he was Vivian's husband. I had seen him once at the grocery. He seemed like a very kind person.

When Vivian saw me, she told her husband, "You can go out."

Her husband obediently nodded. "Alright, I'll go out for a smoke then."

With that, he left.

This was the obstetrics and gynecology ward, so Dennis stopped at the door, probably thinking it was inappropriate to come in.

I said, "Dennis, wait for me outside. I'll be out in a bit."

Dennis scanned the entire ward cautiously, then nodded. "Alright, I won't go far. I'll be at the door. Call me if you need anything."

I acknowledged and closed the door.

Vivian looked pale and haggard.

Given the dangerous situation that day, it was a blessing she survived.

I stood a few steps away from the bed, and Vivian suddenly smiled a pale smile. "Seeing me like this now, do you feel a sense of revenge?"

I remained silent.

Vivian had called me here, so I thought she might have something to say.

She said self-deprecatingly, "Yes, I deserve this. It's karma!"

I said calmly, "We all make our own choices. You chose to interfere in someone else's marriage. Whether it ends well or not, you have to bear it yourself. Just like I chose to marry Arthur. Even though he ended up abusing me, it was still my choice."

Vivian looked at me, then lowered her head, no longer as sharp as before.

Vivian said, "Actually, I didn't make him get rid of your child back then. I'm a woman too; I wouldn't be that cruel. It was Arthur who wanted to please me. He wanted to be with me sooner and thought your child was in the way. He didn't want to take responsibility for the child, so he decided to get rid of it."

Hearing the truth now, I felt nothing. I already knew Arthur was scum-ruthless and twisted. I don't hate him anymore because I stopped loving him.

Vivian continued. "Arthur wasn't like this before. He used to be very weak in front of me, always listening to me. He never dared to go against me. I didn't expect him to become so cruel and heartless now."

I gave a cold smile. "When he got rid of my child, you should have realized he was extremely cruel. And you all thought I was weak and easy to bully, right? But just because someone is bullied doesn't mean they won't fight back one day. Even God can't stand it sometimes."

Vivian had always been proud and strong in front of me. But this time was different. She just lowered her head as I spoke.

After I finished, she sighed softly. "I finally believe in karma."

Seeing Vivian like this, I no longer hated her as much.

The grudges between us seemed like distant memories. From another perspective, Arthur was naturally restless. Even without Vivian, he would've found someone else eventually. Her timely appearance, though painful, helped me cut ties with a scumbag. Without that hurt, I might not have met Ethan.

Thinking this way, I felt lucky. I only lost a scumbag and a bad marriage no regrets. Meeting Ethan made up for everything.

"Take care. I can't bring myself to care about you, but I won't curse you either," I said as I turned to leave. Just then, Vivian called out, "Emily."

I stopped and turned back, knowing that Vivian hadn't said what she truly wanted to say.