Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

So, when Ethan chucked the phone, he also accidentally answered the call. Arthur, on the other end, never hung up. So, yeah, Arthur heard everything. Every. Single. Thing.

Ethan got off me, plopped down on my lap, and gave me this lazy, smug look while speaking on the phone, "I'm with my wife, so what? Got a problem? Too bad, you can't do squat." After the call ended, I reached for the phone, but Ethan tossed it aside and jumped on me again.

Realizing Arthur heard all that noise, I yelled, embarrassed and pissed, "Ethan!"

"Yeah, I'm here." Ethan touched my cheek, looking at my freaked-out face.

I shoved him, and he slid back into the driver's seat. I sat up, trying to fix my messy clothes.

One of his hands was tangled in my hair, playing with it, while the other, wrapped in a bandage, rested on the steering wheel.

"Emily, stop making a scene. Can we just get along?" His tone suddenly got all serious.

I looked at him, dead serious. "I'm not making a scene."

A few seconds of eye contact, maybe my stare was too intense, made Ethan's smile fade.

In a staring contest with him, I'd totally lose. I turned my face away, stubbornly looking elsewhere.

"I said, everyone has their past. You have yours, I have mine. Why let the past mess with the present?" Ethan said softly.

When Ethan said this, I remembered that I didn't know if his past was boring or wild, happy or painful. I thought we could both forget the past, live in the now, and look forward to the future together.

But I was wrong. Not only did he not forget his past, but he also had this revenge thing going on. Now, thinking back to every moment with him, it felt like it was all planned.

Plus, Victor looked down on me so much. I couldn't shamelessly stay with Ethan.

Ethan reached out to cup my face, but I shook his hand off and said, "It's impossible between us."

"What did my dad say to you?" His voice suddenly got deeper.

I wouldn't tell him how Victor insulted me that day. Their father-son relationship was already bad; I didn't want to make it worse.

I held my phone tightly and said, "Nothing, I just feel we're not right for each other. After all, we've been together for so long, we know each other well enough. We both know if we're right or not." Ethan suddenly asked, "Are you really gonna get back with Arthur?"

I was stunned, then smiled and went along with it, "Of course, isn't it said that first loves are unforgettable? Don't you get that?"

"Are you nuts?" Ethan raised his voice, sounding pissed.

I looked at him sadly. "Maybe, otherwise, why would I rush to marry you without knowing anything about you? If that's not crazy, what is?"

Ethan irritably lit a cigarette and went silent.

I looked at him, feeling miserable. I didn't want every relationship to end in bitterness. Even if we couldn't be together in the future, I hoped we could break up peacefully.

"I remember you once said, don't judge things by their appearance. Many things in this world aren't as simple as they seem. I couldn't get what you meant then, but now I do. Your purpose in getting close to me was never as simple as it seemed," I said calmly, "You also told me that this world can't handle too much kindness. I was always fooling myself into believing you were different with me. Plus, I had nothing at that time. I didn't think I had anything left to be deceived about."

I kept talking while Ethan listened. He opened the car window, resting his hand holding the cigarette on the window, a wisp of white smoke rising from his fingertips.

He didn't explain. From the day I asked that question during the game until now, several days had passed, and he still hadn't explained. Because everything was true, he didn't know how to explain.

But today, we still ended up having sex in the car, like we were going further down the wrong path. It felt like a heavy stone was pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

I reached out to open the door, but it was locked. "I want to get out."

Ethan didn't move, nor did he intend to unlock the door.

I panicked and started banging on the door, even using my head to hit it.

"Emily." He grabbed me, a hint of anger in his eyes.

I looked at him calmly and repeated in a low voice, "I want to get out."

Ethan looked at me for a while, finally unlocked the door, and I immediately opened it and got out.

Determined to get out of the car, I didn't think about what to do in the middle of the night on this mountain. I just felt that I couldn't stay in the car with him any longer.

I was trying to be decisive and firm. Some things were better to give up sooner rather than later. I walked down the asphalt road, not considering how long it would take to walk back to the city. After a bit, I heard a car horn behind me. Ethan's car pulled up next to me, and the window rolled down.

"Get in the car," he said.

I ignored him and kept walking.

"Seriously, you planning to walk all the way back?" His voice got more intense.

Looking at the endless darkness around me, I felt a bit shaken. In the end, I opened the car door and got in.

We didn't speak the whole way. Ethan just smoked one cigarette after another. When he reached for another, the pack was empty. Frustrated, he crushed the pack and tossed it out the window. Both windows were open, and I felt a bit cold but didn't say anything. The smell of smoke lingered in the air.

He drove all the way to the entrance of Broadway Alley. As I got out of the car, he suddenly grabbed my wrist with a strong grip.

"Emily, you got two choices: come back with me or get out. This is the last time I'm asking you." He looked fierce. I hesitated for a moment but eventually shook off his hand.

Ethan clenched his jaw and nodded. "Fine, if I come looking for you again, I'm just being pathetic."

Watching his car speed away, I felt a sharp pain in my heart. But long-term pain was better than short-term pain. I thought I was right.

Ethan was a man of his word. I thought this was really the end between us.

As I walked to the stairway, I was startled. There was a small flame on the steps-it was Arthur smoking.

I asked, "What are you doing here?"

Arthur had heard everything on the phone earlier, and now he was here at my place, making me wary.

Arthur stood up and walked towards me. His face was hidden in the darkness, so I couldn't see his expression.

"Emily, can you come back to my hometown with me?" he said.

I was stunned. Arthur seemed very calm. I couldn't know his emotions, but the calmer he was, the more cautious I became. This wasn't like him. Or maybe he had become better at pretending.

"I know what happened earlier was Ethan forcing you. I won't blame you," he added.

'Blame me?' I sneered internally. 'What right does he have to blame me?'

I said, "Arthur, there's no need for this. Your revenge has already succeeded. There's no chance between him and me."

Despite my coldness, he didn't get angry. "Emily, you misunderstood. I genuinely regret it. I did wrong by you before. I've thought a lot these days and realized I still love you, Emily. Give me another chance." I thought, 'Another chance to hurt me? No way!'

"Emily, my parents don't know about our divorce. In their minds, you're still their daughter-in-law."

That caught me off guard. I didn't expect him to hide something as big as a divorce from his parents.

"Taking advantage of your parents' ignorance?" I mocked.

Arthur flicked his cigarette butt, creating a red arc in the darkness. "Emily, my mom is sick. I heard she can't get out of bed. Come back with me, even if it's just to pretend we're happy. I don't want my mom to worry." He wasn't completely heartless; at least he had some filial piety.

"We're already divorced. You can hide it for a while, but not forever. They'll find out eventually," I said.

Arthur looked at me, his eyes slightly pleading. "If my mom finds out, she might get so upset that she passes away. You know my parents are very fond of you. It doesn't matter if you don't want to get back with me right now. Just pretend in front of my parents. If my mom is happy, she might live longer. She's had a hard life, raising me wasn't easy."

Arthur sounded like a man for once. Just then, his phone rang. He answered it and then handed it to me.

I hesitated but took it. On the other end, his mom's weak voice came through.

Arthur's mom, Emma Miller, expressed that she hoped we could visit, fearing she might not see us again. Several times, I wanted to explain that Arthur and I were divorced, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. Emma was so ill, and I was afraid the news would worsen her condition.

Emma had worked hard all her life and rarely bothered Arthur. Now she was bedridden, and I reluctantly agreed.

I said, "Arthur, I'm only going because your mom is seriously ill. Don't get any ideas."

Arthur was quite pleased and nodded repeatedly. "I understand. I'll pick you up tomorrow, and we'll go to the hospital to ask for leave together."

The next day, we went to the hospital early to ask for leave, each going to different departments.

As I was about to leave, I ran into Jason.

"I heard you're taking a long leave? What's up?" Jason asked.

Since I had nothing to hide, I told him the truth.

He frowned, his eyes filled with concern. "Emily, you're too kind."

I was also anxious. Until the moment we left, I was still conflicted, unsure if my decision was right or wrong.

Despite my hesitation, I got into Arthur's car and set off with him. At that time, I had no idea that after this trip, a big secret related to me would be revealed.