Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Chapter 77 You Have the Power to Hurt Me

Arthur hit me up with a message: [Surprised? How about I throw some surprises your way every now and then? No need to thank me, let's see who can last longer.]

My hands were shaking like crazy, but I called him back right away. Of course, the phone was already off. Tried again, and the number was disconnected.

After dropping that bomb, Arthur vanished into thin air.

I holed up in the villa for a whole week, didn't even peek outside.

Ethan took care of the photo mess real quick. No clue if there were any rumors flying around, but I was too mortified to face anyone, so I just hid. But forgiving him? Not a chance. One day, I'll get my payback for all the crap he's pulled. Bella was a regular visitor during this time, chatting me up like she was scared I'd spiral into depression.

Yeah, I was kinda down, but I knew it wouldn't last. Just needed some time to get my head straight and figure out my next move.

One day, Bella and I were chilling in the garden. I got all emotional and said, "Bella, don't you think if people don't hustle when they're young, they'll regret it when they're old?"

Bella gave me a long look. "Emmy, I think you've changed. Weren't you more laid-back before?."

I gave a small smile. "Yeah, I've changed. Always being the underdog, getting pushed around without fighting back-I'm done with that. And love? It's not enough to keep a marriage going. Between Ethan and me, there might not even be love. He's never even said he likes me."

Bella shot me a glance. "Isn't it obvious?"

My heart twinged a bit. "Fiona will always be in Ethan's heart. I can't take that spot."

Bella looked at me. "Even if he once liked Fiona, that was ages ago. And don't forget, Fiona's dead. He announced your marriage certificate; that should count for something."

On the tenth day of my self-imposed exile, I went on a cleaning spree, scrubbing the villa until it sparkled. Even took care of the garden and made a new bed for Scruffy.

I hadn't really been there for Scruffy in a while, and I felt kinda bad about it.

Jason was the first to come back. He stood at the door, totally floored by the spotless living room.

I was on a cleaning high, not even tired after a whole day of work. Seeing Jason with groceries, I grabbed them and headed straight to the kitchen to start cooking.

When dinner was almost ready, Ethan walked in too. He gave me this look, like he couldn't quite figure out what was different about me today.

As I was dishing out the soup, he came over to help carry it and then pulled me aside, grabbing a napkin from the table to wipe my forehead. "What did you do at home to be sweating so much?"

waved my arm. "Upstairs, downstairs, the

are you working yourself to the bone? You could've just

I was taken aback by my own words, thinking, 'Since when did I start thinking of this place as my home?'

front of me, smiling warmly. "Since you've been busting your butt all day, you should eat more to

slob in front of them, more than the two of them combined.

full. I need to go out and walk it

offered to do the dishes, and Ethan joined me for

was in a pretty secluded spot, and the road outside was wide with hardly anyone around. It

side by side in silence. I looked down at our synchronized steps and felt like we were a

legs were longer than mine, and as we walked, I couldn't keep up with his pace. I would then deliberately adjust, finding it amusing. But I would always fall behind eventually. Frustrated, I started running. The sound of running followed behind me, and Ethan caught up with me

a challenging look. "Wanna

dashed ahead. He quickly caught up, so I sped up even more. But I couldn't outrun him with his longer legs. Frustrated, I grabbed his clothes to slow him down and overtook him

I'm. What are you

"Alright, I'll punish you when we get

a playful shove and teased,

we both

to start by facing my true self to make a

stared at Ethan, who was a few steps away.

and didn't say

what this means?" He still didn't speak, just tilted his head, his eyes softening

had his hands in his pockets. After a while, he

disbelief. "What

his face away, and refused to repeat

over, shaking his arm, filled with excitement and

his eyes serious. "Emily, you also have

heaved, and suddenly he pulled me in and kissed me. Under the moonlight, we kissed by the roadside. His kiss was gentle, more wonderful than any before, because I could feel his emotions through our lips. After

a while, I looked up at him. "Ethan, I remember you once said that the strongest person in the world isn't Superman, but the one who gets knocked down a hundred times and gets up a hundred and one times to face it again. Because the former is just strong, but the latter

remember my

lightly. "Can you be

and he

both in the living room, I showed them a news

woman in her twenties whose face had been ruined by chemical products

at me, waiting for my

wary of beauty products. Women love looking good, but they also care about safety. Everyone knows that cosmetic procedures in