Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I once swore I'd never set foot in a car that witch Vivian had been in. Back then, I was dead sure I'd never cross paths with Arthur again. Never in a million years did I think I'd be heading back to his hometown with him. On the drive, Arthur goes, "Emily, thanks."

I shoot back, "Don't thank me. I'm not doing this for you; it's for your mom."

Maybe I had always been a sucker for family vibes, 'cause when it came to Emma, I just couldn't help but feel for her.

We cruised down the highway for five hours to their county, then another half hour from the county to the town. The road from the village entrance was still gravel, so we had to take it slow. By the time we rolled up to Arthur's place, it was already 4 PM.

Arthur and I had been hitched for two years and had only been to his hometown twice.

The car couldn't make it all the way to his house, so we had to hoof it a bit along a field path after parking by the roadside.

It was just a regular two-story house. His dad, Chase Miller, was chilling at the door, smoking. Chase was a straight-up guy, didn't talk much. When he saw us, he got up with a simple smile. "You're back."

I couldn't bring myself to call him Dad, so I just smiled and nodded at Chase.

"Arthur and Emily are back." A weak voice came from inside the house.

We walked in, and sure enough, Emma was bedridden, her hair a messy gray. She was only in her fifties but looked at least ten years older.

Emma was pretty stoked to see us. She tried to get out of bed to cook for us, but even that small movement left her gasping for breath. I stopped her, threw on an apron, and got ready to cook myself.

As I left the room, I saw Emma nudging Arthur, wanting him to help me with the fire. They still used a traditional wood-burning stove, which made the kitchen super smoky. I didn't mind; I just felt bad that Arthur's parents had it so rough. After dinner, when I was cleaning up the dishes, Chase insisted on washing them, so I let him.

While cooking earlier, I had gotten covered in soot. Arthur saw me dusting myself off and suggested heating some water for me to take a bath.

Their bathroom was super basic, with unevenly laid tiles, but having a private bathroom in the countryside was already pretty decent.

When I went in, I found that the bathroom door wouldn't close, so I had to prop it shut with a stool.

As I was almost done bathing, I noticed that the door had somehow opened a bit. I felt a chill down my spine and quickly put on my clothes.

The bathroom was built separately next to the house. When I went out, it was dark outside, with only the occasional clucking of chickens from the nearby coop.

The countryside was chillier, and a gust of wind made me shiver. I figured the wind must've blown the door open.

As I passed through the main room, Emma called me over. I walked in and saw Arthur was there too.

Emma patted the bed beside her, signaling for me to sit down. I walked over and sat.

"Your visit has delayed you for several days," Emma said, patting my hand.

Playing along with Arthur, I said, "Mom, it's okay. We rarely come to see you. Your health is more important; money can always be earned."

Emma sighed deeply. "I know, you young people are career-driven. After getting married, you focus on your careers. Now with my poor health, I probably won't live to see my grandchild."

It seemed Emma didn't know I had been pregnant. I glanced at Arthur, who avoided my gaze and looked down. If that child had survived, he would have been born by now.

After chatting for a while, Emma got tired. Once she fell asleep, I quietly asked Arthur where I would sleep. He pointed upstairs.

As I was about to close the door after going upstairs, Arthur followed and held the door open.

"What are you doing?" I asked, staring at him warily.

Arthur pushed the door open, came in, and closed it behind him, looking at me. "If we don't sleep in the same room, my parents will get suspicious."

He had a point, but I didn't trust him, so I stood still.

He glanced at me. "If you're really worried, you can sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep on the floor."

With that, he pulled out some quilts from an old cabinet and made a bed on the floor.

After Arthur lay down, I climbed into bed. I couldn't sleep, so I took out my phone, but there was no signal.

Before long, I heard Arthur's steady breathing from the floor.

Subconsciously, I didn't dare fall asleep, but eventually, I couldn't resist the drowsiness.

I didn't know how long I had slept when I was awakened by a strange noise. I opened my eyes and screamed, but my mouth was immediately covered.

Arthur had climbed into bed and was groping me. His breathing was heavy.

"What are you doing?" I pushed him hard, my scalp tingling with fear.

Arthur pinned me down, restraining me, and smirked. "Fucking you!"

With that, his hand slipped under my shirt.

I slapped his hand away. "Get off me."

In the dim moonlight seeping through the window, Arthur's smile was eerily chilling. "Ethan can fuck you, why can't I? You lived with me for two years, while spent so little time with him." I realized I had fallen into Arthur's trap again, feeling both anxious and angry. "Arthur, don't forget, we're already divorced."

Arthur laughed wickedly. "I haven't forgotten. You're Ethan's wife now, which is exactly why I want to sleep with you. I need to get back at him."

With that, Arthur lowered his head and forcefully kissed me, gripping my chin so tightly that I couldn't escape.

The moment his mouth touched mine, I felt so nauseated that my stomach churned.

As he kissed me, his hands roamed all over my body. When he tried to push his tongue into my mouth, I bit down hard. The taste of blood quickly filled my mouth, and he let go of me in pain.

I took the opportunity to knee him hard in the groin. He cried out in pain and lost his grip on me. I pushed him away, jumped out of bed, then put on my shoes, and ran outside.

As I rushed out, I glanced back to see Arthur clutching his crotch, writhing in pain on the bed.

I had used a lot of force to escape, and I guessed he wouldn't recover soon.

As I ran downstairs, Emma must have heard the commotion. Her weak voice called out, "Emily? Be careful if you're going to the bathroom. Take a flashlight."

I didn't respond, just opened the door and dashed out.

This was the second time I had escaped from Arthur in the middle of the night. Ethan was right; I must be crazy.

I was unfamiliar with the roads here, but I ran along the field path, following the gravel road as best as I could remember.

The village was very quiet at night, and the sound of my running footsteps was very clear. A dog started barking somewhere, setting off a chain reaction of barking throughout the village.

I was terrified and could only run faster. The gravel road was particularly hard on my feet, but I ignored the pain and kept running until I reached the main road, where I finally stopped. Looking around at the black surroundings, I felt a wave of despair. This place was too far from Starlight City.

My feet were already blistered from running on the gravel road. The pain was excruciating. I hadn't felt it while running, but now that I had stopped, every step was agony.

I squatted by the roadside, feeling a lump in my throat but unable to cry.

Ethan was right; the world didn't have room for so much kindness. When good intentions went unrewarded and even leaded to harm, I realized that I was not kind but foolish.

'I am stupid! So stupid! 'I cursed myself silently and slapped myself hard twice.

I didn't know how long I had been sitting by the roadside. Perhaps I had been completely consumed by despair when I saw a light approaching from a distance. A car was coming my way. The headlights illuminated me, exposing my disheveled state once again.

The car stopped in front of me, and soon, a pair of black leather shoes appeared before me. "Emily, what happened?"

I looked up and saw Jason. At that moment, I couldn't hold back any longer and hugged his legs, crying loudly.

Jason squatted down and hugged me, gently patting my back with a particularly soothing voice. "It's okay now. Come on, I'll take you home."

He helped me up, but my feet hurt so much that I couldn't stand. Without a word, he carried me into the car and quickly drove away.

People were strange like that. When I was truly desperate, I couldn't cry. But when I saw a glimmer of hope in my despair, I couldn't stop crying. "Why are you here?" I asked, my voice nasal from crying.

In fact, I had thought the person who would appear like a knight in shining armor would be Ethan.

Jason glanced at me and, after a while, gave a self-deprecating smile. "I don't know. I just had a strange feeling. I was worried about you, so I came." After driving for a while, he pulled over and reclined my seat. "Sleep. We'll be there soon."

I said, "What about you? Driving back and forth like this, you'll get tired."

Jason smiled, "It's okay. I'm not sleepy."

In the rocking of the car, I eventually fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was still dark. Through the dim moonlight, I recognized the familiar surroundings. This was Ethan's villa, the room where I slept. Jason had brought me back here. Realizing where I was, I couldn't sleep anymore. My mouth was parched, so I got up to get some water.

As soon as my feet touched the ground, the pain was intense. I hobbled downstairs, accidentally kicking something in the living room. It was a beer bottle.

Looking closer, I saw beer bottles scattered all over the place, and someone was lying on the sofa. I didn't know if it was Ethan or Jason.

I tiptoed to the kitchen, poured a glass of water, and drank it. Just as I was about to turn around, I was grabbed and pinned against the wall.

A forceful kiss took my breath away, and the familiar scent filled my nostrils.

Ethan must have drunk a lot; his mouth reeked of alcohol. In his drunken state, he was rough, biting my lips until they bled.

"Let go of me," I pushed him away and ran.

In the living room, he caught me again and threw me onto the sofa, his body pressing down on mine.

At that moment, a wave of intense grievance surged in my heart. I didn't understand why they could all treat me so roughly but never sincerely.

Seeing that I wasn't resisting, Ethan stopped. He grabbed my chin with one hand, squeezing so hard that it felt like he would crush it. "You actually went back with that bastard? Arthur broke his promise; I won't let him off!" I sensed something in Ethan's words and looked at him nervously. "What do you mean by that?"