Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Chapter 89 Learned to Refuse

The light from outside streamed in, making me squint like a deer caught in headlights.

A guy in a crisp police uniform strolled in with a folder, a lady cop trailing behind him.

He flicked on the desk lamp, plopped down behind the desk, and set the folder aside. Lighting up a cigarette, he finally looked at me. "Name? Age? Where you from?"

Man, I'd only seen this kind of stuff on TV. Never thought I'd be the one in the hot seat.

I gulped and stammered, "Emily Russell, 26, from Starlight City."

He raised an eyebrow. "Starlight City, huh? What brings you to Sunhaven City?"

Just then, a spotlight hit me dead-on. Felt like I was under a freakin' microscope. "Tourism," I blurted out.

He fiddled with his lighter, eyes cutting through the smoke like a knife. "Cut the crap. Who were you dealing with today? Got any partners? Spill it. Play nice, and I might put in a good word for you."

Sweat trickled down my back, my palms all clammy. Even if I was innocent, I felt guilty as hell. I couldn't meet his gaze, just stared at the floor. "I swear, I don't know what's going on. The kid's not mine, and the stuff's not mine. I was just holding the kid for a woman. That's it."

He coughed, signaling the lady cop to jot down notes, then turned back to me. "The kid's not yours? Then whose is it?"

I explained, "I was just taking a break from dancing, sitting down. This woman with a kid sat next to me. She said she needed to hit the restroom and asked me to hold the kid. I don't know her; I was just being nice." The officer rubbed his temples, the silence making the room feel like a pressure cooker.

With his years of dealing with all sorts of crooks, he was a master at interrogation, always laying traps and waiting for suspects to trip up.. "Isn't it possible you snatched the kid? Using the kid as a cover, maybe?"

I was floored by the word "stole" and shook my head like crazy. "No way, I didn't steal anything. That woman handed me the kid to hold. I have no clue what the kid had on him. Seriously, you gotta believe me." The guy sneered, "We only trust facts and evidence. Someone already testified that you swiped the kid."

I was dumbstruck. 'That's total BS.'

"I really didn't steal." But all I could do was keep repeating my weak defense.

After taking my statement, the two cops left. I spent the night in that dark room, feeling helpless and scared out of my mind.

Early the next morning, the door creaked open. The officer at the door called out, "Emily, you're free to go."

I slowly got up from the corner, my legs all pins and needles.

As I walked out, I spotted Ethan leaning against the wall. The whole night's worth of stress made my nose sting.

saw me, rushed over, and put a hand on my shoulder. "Hungry? Let's get you some food." His voice was so calm, like nothing had

I'm starving." My

took me to grab some

cut off from the world forever. Even a bit of sunlight felt like a

the guy who snatched the kid had falsely accused me of stealing. He just

the surveillance footage from the bonfire party, which cleared everything up. The woman who ditched

hopped on a

plane took off, I thought back on the trip and still felt a bit shaky. Life's full of these wild experiences, and each one teaches you

back to normal. I spent my days studying

out of the

familiar voice came through. "This

up, I grabbed a

was still icy, but I rushed over

room, besides Victor, there were two other familiar

families should've met ages ago. This is my first time here, and

the floor, with a pile of chicken poop right there on the clean

look of disgust, I felt

especially after my dad passed away. They avoided us like the plague. Now, knowing the

my own family could

Kyle, you should go back," I said,

didn't notice my irritation and plopped down on the sofa. "What's the rush? I just

already wasn't my fan. I could

then, footsteps echoed from the stairs. I looked

at Lacey and

said proudly,

said, "So she's Emily's sister-in-law. She and Ethan are

my forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Mary always had a way with words, but right now, every word was grating

Mary's flattery, gave me a faint smile,

not to notice. I was really worried she had some other agenda. After a bit, I heard a car pull up outside. Ethan walked in, his eyes locking onto

time, piped up

didn't respond, didn't even look at

said, getting up and

Linda seemed done with Mary

were upstairs talking forever. Meanwhile, Mary was gawking around the Windsor Villa,

ignored her and just