Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Chapter 67 I Won't Forgive Him

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.

has delayed you for several days," Emma said, patting my

said, "Mom, it's okay. We rarely come to see you.

focus on your careers. Now with my poor health, I probably

my gaze and looked down. If that

she fell asleep, I quietly asked Arthur where

about to close the door after going upstairs, Arthur followed and held the door

I asked, staring

pushed the door open, came in, and closed it behind him, looking at

a point, but I didn't trust him, so

you can sleep on

he pulled out some quilts from an old cabinet and made

I couldn't sleep, so I

heard Arthur's steady breathing from the

fall asleep, but eventually, I

I had slept when I was awakened by a strange noise. I opened my eyes

was

him hard, my

down, restraining me, and

his hand slipped

his hand away. "Get

fuck you, why can't I? You lived with me for two years, while spent so little

exactly why I want to sleep with you. I need to get back at

and forcefully kissed me,

his mouth touched mine, I felt so nauseated that

When he tried to push his tongue into my mouth, I bit down hard. The taste of blood quickly filled my mouth, and

knee him hard in the groin. He cried out in pain and lost his grip on me.

back to see Arthur clutching his crotch, writhing in pain on

of force to escape, and I

weak voice called out,

didn't respond, just opened

escaped from Arthur in the middle of the night. Ethan was

along the field path, following the

of my running footsteps was very clear. A dog started barking somewhere, setting off a chain reaction of

my feet, but I ignored the pain and kept running until I reached the main road, where I finally stopped. Looking

excruciating. I hadn't felt it while running, but now that I had stopped, every step was

squatted by the roadside, feeling a lump

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

'I cursed myself