Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

After chilling in Seabreeze Harbor for a few days, I headed back to Starlight City.

Not long after, Emily posted some awesome news on Facebook-she'd landed a bunch of big deals. I knew it was Faris who threw that party to help her out.

Emily was off to a great start, and I was genuinely happy for her, but it bugged me that I wasn't the one who helped her.

I still missed her. The occasional good news she sent my way just didn't cut it.

Every day, I came back to my empty place, eating, watching TV, and sleeping alone, with only Rollie for company.

The summer heat couldn't chase away the coldness of this home.

Rollie wasn't as chill as before. Maybe it was because Emily wasn't around; he had become super irritable. He always made a mess when I wasn't looking. I couldn't bring myself to scold him, so I just followed him around, cleaning up the chaos. While Emily was away, I poured all my patience into Rollie.

The night before our wedding anniversary, I took Rollie and drove up the mountain to the spot where we camped last year.

A year ago, under the influence of alcohol, I had my first intimate moment with Emily here.

In the blink of an eye, a year had flown by.

Back then, I was sure I'd spend my life with her, but now we were apart.

I always thought I controlled my own fate, but now I realized there were so many things I couldn't control.

That night, I sat on a rock and drank a lot, alone. Rollie kept circling around, making all sorts of noises.

I raised my glass to Rollie. "Come on, cheers."

Rollie could only respond with a couple of meows.

Luckily, I had Rollie. Without him, I'd feel even lonelier.

When I was drunk and lying in the tent, Rollie came in and lay beside me.

I got a call from an unknown number.

There was no sound when I answered, but I had a gut feeling it was her.

Emily wasn't heartless; surely there were times when she missed me, right?

I must have been really drunk because I said a lot on the phone.

After hanging up, tears had already slipped into my hair.

Love, simple to say, easy to write, but tough to bear. Once it took root in the heart, it could cause unbearable pain.

I arranged for Dakato to be Emily's driver. As Emily's due date approached, I was really worried. Dakato was a woman who practiced Taekwondo, someone Emily had never met.

I knew that as long as Dakato mentioned she practiced Taekwondo, Emily would definitely hire her.

I asked Dakato to make sure Emily had a glass of milk every morning and to get some plants to put by her computer to help with radiation.

I felt bad for Emily, struggling with that big belly, but I also admired her toughness.

I knew how rough it was at the start, dealing with all sorts of problems and the inevitable competition. If Emily didn't have enough grit, she wouldn't have made it. She had definitely changed a lot.

I decided to head back to Seabreeze Harbor for the second time. Even if I couldn't do much, being close to her was better than just watching from afar.

Before boarding the plane, I got in touch with Dakato. By the time I landed, it was almost dark.

I got a call from Dakato. She didn't say anything, but I could hear sounds of fighting and Emily's voice.

I knew they were in trouble.

I called the cops. When I found her, her legs were already covered in blood, and she was barely conscious.

I stayed with her in the operating room. The doctor said that Emily's condition was very critical.

At that moment, I had only one thought: I could live without the children, but I couldn't live without her.

Maybe God heard my prayers because He spared both her and the kids.

Maybe Emily had been through enough, and even Death couldn't bear to take her away or hurt her more. The moment Emily opened her eyes, I was truly grateful to God.

But Emily kept me at arm's length, so cold and unyielding. She hadn't forgiven me yet.

No matter how Emily treated me, no matter how cold she was, I never lost my temper. I was just grateful that she could still get mad at me; it was already a blessing. Fate was always like this. When everything seemed dark, and it felt like a dead end, a surprise would suddenly arrive, enough to inspire gratitude.

So at this moment, seeing her still able to talk to me, even if her words were harsh and she wouldn't look at me, I felt very content and happy.

No matter what, not taking good care of Emily, letting her struggle while pregnant, was my fault as a husband.

During the days I took care of her in the hospital, I realized she had really changed a lot, or rather, grown a lot.

Emily became more decisive and had more ideas and opinions of her own.

So later, when I thought about how I had wronged her during her pregnancy, I often comforted myself this way: at least the hardships brought her some gains. But at the same time, seeing her growth made me a bit worried, worried that she wouldn't need me anymore. I knew this worry was pretty selfish.

"I must learn not to rely on anyone," she said.

I replied, "Then if one day I fall on hard times, can I rely on you?"

I was being sincere at that moment.

I imagined that if such a day came, I wouldn't mind putting down my pride in front of Emily.

After she was discharged from the hospital, I tried my best to be the husband I should be. For a month, I put everything aside and focused on her and the kids.

The rift between us seemed to be slowly healing, but some things still lingered in her heart, as I could tell from her attitude.

For instance, when I kissed her, she didn't respond. When I wanted to make love to her, she resisted.

I couldn't force her, or rather, I didn't dare to. I was afraid of reopening the barely healed wound. I could only leave everything to time.

I had a vague feeling that there was a hidden issue in her heart, and our conflict wasn't as simple as I had thought.

I left everything in Starlight City and stayed with her for more than three months. On the night before I left, we had dinner, just the two of us.

That night, I deliberately got her drunk.

After getting drunk, Emily cried, finally shedding her armor and revealing her once vulnerable side. Seeing her like that made my heart ache.

I held her tightly in my arms. Her sobbing voice, and her expressed reluctance all tormented me.

I felt both heartache and relief. I knew she still loved me, but that deliberately altered recording was a knot in her heart that she couldn't untie. I finally couldn't resist being with her intimately.noveldrama

Seeing her so fragile, so tempting, I couldn't control myself. It had been almost a year since we last made love, and I missed her so much it drove me crazy. After she fell asleep, I found that recording on her phone, extracted it, and re-edited it on the computer to restore the correct sequence.

In the early morning, before dawn, while she was still asleep, I kissed her forehead reluctantly, covered her with a blanket, and left the hotel.

By the time I was waiting at the airport, it was already daylight. I sent her a message on Facebook, telling her the answer was on the computer. Although I couldn't provide her with stability at the moment, I had to resolve this issue and not let her remain unhappy.

After being away for more than three months, a ton of work had piled up at the company, waiting for me to handle.

Even though we had just parted, I already started to miss her. Every time Emily called, I didn't want to hang up.

She sent photos of the kids every day, and I could see how much they changed day by day.

I had originally planned to spend New Year's with the three of them in Seabreeze Harbor, but a sudden urgent task kept me in Starlight City.

On New Year's Eve, Unity Emporium held a cruise party, and according to an insider, a major deal for Unity Emporium was happening on the cruise.

It was also during that time that we got a possible sighting of Drew.

Drew had been on the run for ten years. I still vividly remembered the look of hatred he gave me when he turned away after we caught Wyatt. I thought Drew had come back for revenge.

I stayed at the company until very late, planning everything with Dennis.

I knew that night could be dangerous, and no one knew what the outcome would be. Before setting off, I called Emily.

"Honey, I miss you."

At that moment, I was making the call as if it were my last. Because I couldn't guarantee I would come out unscathed that day. I also wanted to see the kids through video, but unfortunately, she said they were asleep. That night, Dennis and I boarded the cruise, which was already filled with many undercover cops.

I saw Drew. Although he had changed a lot over the past ten years, I recognized him at a glance because he left such a deep impression.

I pretended to be calm because my main target that night was Unity Emporium.

Emily's appearance was my biggest surprise.

Actually, I recognized her when she went to the restroom. There was no reason for it; maybe I was just too familiar with her.

The capture plan had already begun, and Drew was watching me closely. I had no chance to warn her. But I was afraid she would get involved, so I had Dennis cut the power for five seconds, and I took the opportunity to leave the hall. Sure enough, Emily followed. I pushed her into a room and told her to stay put because the situation was very dangerous at the time. But she still didn't listen.

That night, Drew fought with everything he had, resisting until the very end. He was coming for me, but Emily took the bullet for me.

While waiting for her to wake up, I kept wondering: what kind of strength made Emily use her body to shield me from that bullet?