Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Vivian shot me a look and said, "Watch out for Arthur; he's lost it. I know he hates me, but he hates you even more."

Thinking about all the stuff Arthur had pulled since he got back, I nodded. "Yeah, he's definitely lost it."

As I left the hospital room, there was Dennis, standing right outside, not having budged an inch.

On the way out, Vivian's words kept echoing in my head.

Did Arthur really hate me? What gave him the right? Shouldn't I be the one hating him?

He took my kid away, made sure I can't have any more, indirectly caused my mom's death, and spread my nudes. Any one of those is enough for me to hate him.

In Sunhaven City, we got our revenge on him, but he had it coming. What right does he have to strike back? What right does he have to hate?

The next couple of days were pretty calm. I was on edge about how Faris would react to the blown-up cemetery, but so far, nothing.

With Dennis around, Ethan felt better about me going out.

I knew what was on his mind. Ethan was only worried about two people: Arthur and Faris.

On the evening of the third day, Dennis picked me up from Aurora's beauty center.

The usually clear road was jammed today.

Dennis instinctively reached for his cigarette pack, only to find it empty.

Without smokes and stuck in traffic, he fidgeted with the steering wheel, looking a bit restless.

Having ridden with him every day for the past few days, I knew he had a serious craving for cigarettes. "Want me to get out and buy you a pack?" I offered.

Dennis smiled a bit sheepishly at my offer. "Nah, I'll get them myself."

There was a service station nearby, so he pulled over and got out to buy cigarettes, leaving me in the car.

As soon as he got out, I got a call from an unknown number.

"Is this Mrs. Windsor?"

"Yeah, what's up?" I answered.

"Mr. Windsor had a car accident at Pinehurst Crossing. Can you come over right now?"

Hearing this, I was scared out of my mind. "Is it serious?"

"The situation is unclear."

Pinehurst Crossing was about 20 yards ahead.

I didn't have time to tell Dennis. I opened the car door and rushed towards Pinehurst Crossing without a second thought.

I was almost certain the accident was the reason for the traffic jam.

I sprinted all the way, desperate to get there as fast as I could, but dreading what I might find.

When I saw a crowd gathered at the intersection and the front of a big truck all smashed in, my legs went weak.

I rushed over, but before I could get close, someone grabbed me.

"Ma'am, Mr. Windsor's already been taken to the hospital by ambulance. You need to hurry and sign for the surgery."

I was a bit skeptical, but the guy kept pushing me to get into a nearby car. Worried about Ethan, I didn't think twice and got in.

I slid into the back seat, where another guy was already sitting, and there was someone in the front passenger seat too.

The guy who pulled me in jumped into the driver's seat and sped off.

He skillfully dodged the traffic, taking a side road and driving like a maniac.

After a few minutes, I realized we were going the wrong way and got suspicious. "Which hospital is he in? Who are you guys?"

No one answered. The guy who pulled me in just laughed, a creepy laugh.

I started to panic and reached for the door, but it was locked.

"Stop the car, I want out!" I yelled, pounding on the door in a panic.

The guy next to me grabbed me roughly and said, "Sit still!"

Just then, my phone rang from inside my bag.

I figured it had to be Dennis calling because he couldn't find me when he got back to the car.

But before I could react, the guy next to me snatched my bag.

When I tried to grab it back, he tossed it to the guy in the front seat, who then took out my phone and turned it off.

I realized I couldn't take on three guys, so I tried to stay calm.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"Taking you camping!" The driver laughed sleazily.

At his words, the others laughed too.

The driver tapped the steering wheel rhythmically and said smugly, "I can't believe how easy it was to fool this woman."

As the car drove out of the city, I stayed quiet.

Instead of struggling for nothing, I decided to save my energy and wait for a chance.

Outside the window, twilight quickly covered the whole landscape.

After driving for a while longer, they pulled over on a deserted road.

The car door opened, and the guy in the front passenger seat moved to the back. Together, they tied me up, gagged me, and laid me across the back seat.

"Let's grab some grub," the driver said.

The guys locked the car doors and left, humming a tune.

While they were gone, I tried everything to free myself from the ropes or make some noise to attract attention. But they had tied me up so tight I couldn't move at all. I couldn't even kick the car door. By the end, I was drenched in sweat. Plus, this place seemed super remote. I hadn't heard anyone passing by.

Feeling hopeless, I finally lay still on the seat, resigned to my fate.

Who were these guys working for? Arthur? Faris? Or was someone else trying to mess with Ethan?

About half an hour later, it was completely dark, and the men came back.

They each took their seats, and the guy in the back seat lifted me to make space for himself. I sat up and leaned against the car door, trying to keep as far away from him as possible.

He seemed to find me amusing and watched me with curiosity for a while.

The car started, and I saw the time on the display: 7:10 PM.

By now, Ethan would usually be home from work.

Dennis, unable to find me, had probably already informed him.

I thought Ethan had Dennis stick around to prevent something like this from happening. But I still fell into the trap when Dennis went to buy a pack of cigarettes.

They drove the car up a mountain, stopping only when they reached the top.

The car door opened, and I was dragged out.

With my hands and feet bound, I couldn't stand and fell directly to the ground.

In the city, most of the snow had melted, but some remained on the mountaintop, forming irregular patterns on the ground.

At night, it was still very cold on the mountain, and the wind was strong.

Two men grabbed my arms and dragged me to the edge of a cliff, tying me to a tree.

The three men then casually picked some rocks to sit on.

"Our task is done. I wonder how the others are doing?"

"Hey, let's wait and see. It's still early."

Were they acting separately? What were they planning?

One of them went to the car and brought back several bags of food.

They shelled peanuts, gnawed on chicken legs, and drank beer while chatting and laughing, but I couldn't gather any useful information from their conversation.

The wind at the cliff's edge sounded like wailing spirits, and I was so cold I felt numb.

About half an hour later, another car drove up and parked behind the first one.

A woman was pulled out of the car, bound and gagged like me.

She made muffled sounds as they pulled her along.

As she got closer, I recognized her it was Faye.

She stiffened when she saw me, then quieted down.

Maybe she felt a bit better, knowing she wasn't alone.

They tied her to a tree near the cliff, about six feet away from me.

If they could capture both Faye and me, their target was definitely Ethan.

What did they want? I had no idea.

I just hoped the mastermind wasn't Arthur because he was too twisted and greedy.

There were now six men sitting together, drinking and eating, completely ignoring us.

I turned to look at Faye. She seemed to be shivering from the cold.

I noticed she was wearing very little a leather skirt and stockings, along with a short, thin designer jacket.

"Ethan sure is lucky. Both women are quite beautiful," said a guy with a crew cut, downing half a bottle of beer in one swig.

At his words, the others turned their gazes towards us.

Another guy clicked his tongue. "Two women, different flavors, must be quite an experience."

"One of them is even a little star. Ethan sure knows how to enjoy life."

"He's rich enough to enjoy it. You can't envy that," someone retorted.

The guy with the crew cut sneered. "These two women are in our hands now. I can have fun even without spending money."

Faye and I were like exhibits in a museum, subject to their comments.

One guy, more level-headed, said, "Don't act recklessly and ruin the big plan."

Crew Cut scoffed at his words, even standing up and walking towards us with a beer bottle in hand.

He first scrutinized Faye and then me. As he stared, he began to smile lewdly. "The mature woman must be great in bed. Why else would Ethan marry her instead of the beautiful star?" Someone chimed in. "Makes sense. Why not test if she's good in bed?"

The men burst into laughter.

"Her breast isn't as big as the star's, but it must be real," Crew Cut added after comparing us with his eyes.

"How do you know it's real?" Someone provoked.

He snorted. "I can tell just by feeling it."

He walked towards me, rubbing his chin, his eyes fixed on my chest.

Just as he reached out his hand, a stone came flying from somewhere and hit him, making him yelp in pain.

"Fuck..."

He was about to curse when he turned around and froze.