Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I tried like crazy to push him away, but I just couldn't match his strength.

He didn't even acknowledge my protests.

His kisses were full of anger and force; it felt like he was biting my lips. It hurt like hell.

Faris tried to pry my teeth open, but I kept my jaw clenched tight, not giving him a chance.

Out of nowhere, he pinched my chin, and the pain made me let my guard down. He took that moment to invade my mouth.

The unfamiliar breath and slippery sensation made me feel completely humiliated.

I knew that no matter how much I fought back, I was at his mercy.

As tears streamed down, I gave up struggling.

But then, Faris suddenly stopped. He let go of my lips and stared at me, breathing heavily.

I tried hard to hold back my tears, but they just kept coming.

He bit his lower lip, and for a second, I thought I saw regret in his eyes.

At that moment, his impulsiveness seemed to fade, and he was much calmer.

He reached out to wipe away my tears, his touch gentle, but his tone was still overbearing. "If you don't eat, I'll make love to you." After saying that, he helped me up and handed me the utensils.

"Hurry up and eat." His tone and gaze were threatening.

I picked up the utensils, walked over to the table, and slowly started eating.

Faris moved the plate of pork ribs in front of me. "Eat the meat."

Looking at the greasy pork ribs, my stomach churned.

I put down the bowl and rushed to the trash can, retching.

I hadn't eaten for a while, so there was nothing to throw up except some stomach acid, but I just had this intense urge to vomit.

Faris seemed a bit lost. "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

I didn't say anything; my stomach felt awful, like something was pulling everything inside upwards.

He handed me some water, and I rinsed my mouth with it. After a while, I straightened up.

He poured me a cup of warm water to drink. "Could you be pregnant?"

Hearing him say that, I choked on the water and started coughing violently.

He quickly patted my back. "You can even choke on water, impressive."

I put down the cup, my mind in turmoil.

Counting the days, my period was indeed late. I had always wanted a child. If I were really pregnant, I should be overjoyed. But I couldn't feel any happiness at the moment.

It couldn't be that coincidental; maybe it was just my empty stomach acting up.

"So what do you want to eat? You can't just eat nothing." Faris seemed pretty worried.

I shook my head, not feeling like eating anything at all.

Later, Faris gave me a box of milk. "If you don't eat, at least drink the milk and get some sleep."

After he left the room, I forced myself to drink the milk.

Seeing my bag on the table, I grabbed it and found my phone.

After hesitating for a moment, I turned it on.

There were a few missed call notifications, but they were all from around six or seven last night.

In other words, since Ethan took Faye away, he hadn't called me again.

I felt a touch of sadness, but then I thought, why should I care about this? What could be more heart-wrenching than his words, "Let Faye go"?

Putting down the phone, I felt completely drained. I lay on the bed for a bit, but sleep just wouldn't come.

My mind was all over the place, with random thoughts flashing through my head.

I even thought about the night I first met Ethan.

If he hadn't heard me crying and turned back that day, maybe none of this would have happened.

What would have happened to the embarrassed me who couldn't get a cab that day?

Maybe when Arthur caught up, I would still be there; maybe I would have swallowed my pride and gone back with him, accepting all his unfair terms, and eventually be kicked out like a stray dog. Meeting Ethan gave me the strength to stand up to Arthur, and I had my moments of triumph.

Ethan didn't owe me anything; from start to finish, I owed him.

For dinner, Faris made oatmeal porridge, which wasn't greasy, and I managed to eat a bowl.

When the sunset faded, Faris said he would take me out for a walk.

He drove out of the village and finally stopped at the land next to Silent Grove Village.

I remembered that the last time we came looking for Faye was also at night. Back then, Silent Grove Village was lit up. But now it was pitch black, like no one was there anymore.

By moonlight, the ruins near Silent Grove Village came into view. Faris walked toward them, and I followed. After a few steps, he came back and held my hand. I instinctively tried to pull away, but he held on tight. He led me step by step into the ruins and stopped at a small clearing.

He let go of me, found a relatively smooth stone, cleaned it off, and let me sit. Then he found another stone, cleaned it up, and sat down himself.

I didn't get why he brought me here, but I was curious about his building a tomb here.

I asked, "Whose tomb is this?"

"It's my dad's."

In the past, whenever I brought up this tomb, he would always dodge the question. Today, he answered straight up and honestly.

Sensing he wanted to talk, I sat down.

He picked up a stick and started drawing circles on the ground, creating ripples in the dust.

With a thoughtful look, he glanced up and said, "Did you know? Silent Grove Village wasn't always Silent Grove Village. Victor made his fortune from a quarry."

I had heard Jason mention this before.

Faris continued, "My dad worked in Victor's quarry for about three or four years. That winter, on an extremely cold day, my brother and I came home from school to find our grandmother bedridden and our mother crying at the door. A neighbor told us that our dad had died, but I didn't believe it. That morning, he was perfectly fine, reminding us to pay attention in class and not to daydream. That feeling is incomprehensible to anyone who hasn't experienced it."

"I understand," I said.

I completely understood Faris's feelings at that time. Just like when those two police officers took me to the car accident scene, and I saw my dad lying in the snow. I couldn't believe it and wished it was all a dream. Hearing me say this, Faris seemed slightly comforted and smiled faintly. "They all said my dad was crushed to death by falling rocks during a blasting operation, but I always suspected his death wasn't that simple." "Why?"

"Because when we saw his body at the funeral home, he was missing a leg. If he had been crushed to death, he might have been a mangled mess, but he wouldn't have been missing a limb."

I had to admit, his analysis made sense. "So, how do you think he died?"

Faris tilted his head, deep in thought. "I don't know. I suspect he was killed by the blasting, and his leg was blown off. In fact, I wasn't scared at all when my dad died. I even took Yanis and searched the entire quarry, but we couldn't find my dad's leg. Over the years, I've been constantly dreaming about him. When I woke up, I always felt his spirit was around me. Maybe because he didn't have his leg, his soul couldn't rest. So I buried him where the accident happened, hoping his leg was there and he could find eternal rest."

It must have been many years ago. Now, when Faris talked about it, he seemed calm on the surface. But the hatred in his heart was still clear in his words.

I said, "Maybe it was really just an accident. You don't have to keep hating the Windsor family. I think no boss wants their workers to get hurt."

Faris snorted, "Yeah, of course, he doesn't want workers to get hurt. Cause if they do, he has to pay compensation. Victor is a real cheapskate. My dad worked for him for years and died in his quarry, but he didn't give us a penny. My mom was so heartbroken that she went back and drank pesticide, killing herself."

I looked at him in shock. Suddenly, I felt a sense of shared suffering with him.

I sighed and said softly, "Let the past be the past."

"It can't be," Faris's eyes turned cold. "I was all set to let bygones be bygones after getting this land and building the tomb. But now, there's no way I can. They blew up my dad's tomb. When my grandma heard about it, she couldn't take it and passed away."

"I believe Ethan didn't do it," I said.

Faris clenched his teeth, "Even if it wasn't him personally, it was the Windsor family. Not just anyone can get explosives. Victor had the permits for his quarry. Even if he stopped using it, it's not unexpected that he kept some."

I lowered my head, having nothing more to say.

The moonlight was exceptionally bright tonight. As I surveyed the chaotic scene, I saw the broken tombstone fragments scattered on the ground. My gaze suddenly settled on the photo on the tombstone.

I got up, walked over, picked up a piece, and brushed off the dust to look closely.

The photo looked very familiar. I felt like I had seen it before.

I thought for a moment, and suddenly my eyes lit up. "Uncle Sam?"

I turned to Faris, "Are you Uncle Sam's son?"

Faris smiled at me, not denying it.

When I was very young, my dad had a good friend named Melville, whom he asked me to call Uncle Sam.

Dad often invited Uncle Sam over for drinks. Uncle Sam always brought along a little boy, whom he called Fary. Looking back now, that must have been Faris.

I had forgotten what Faris looked like back in those days. But he must have changed a lot since then, not just in appearance but also in personality.

Back then, Faris was quiet and didn't fit in very well. He never played with us unless my dad said, "Why don't you take Fary to play?" Then I would reluctantly include him.

Even when he played with us, he didn't talk much and was very obedient. He never objected to whatever we decided to play.

It's been around twenty years. Now, I can't connect the charming and sometimes smooth-talking Faris in front of me with the shy and timid Fary from back then.

He was timid, but sometimes he was quite brave.

One incident left a deep impression on me, and the memory is still vivid.

Back then, Jason, Fary, and I, along with some kids from Broadway Alley, were playing behind the alley. Suddenly, someone shouted, "There's a snake!" We all scattered in panic, except for Fary. He picked up a brick and smashed it on the snake's vulnerable spot. Then he stepped on the brick, trapping the snake underneath. Just then, an adult came along and caught the snake.

From then on, we started to see Fary in a new light. With all of us looking up to him, he slowly became one of the gang.

Thinking about those childhood memories, I couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Faris asked, raising an eyebrow.

I smiled and said, "How did you go from being a quiet kid to a smooth-talking fox?"

Hearing this, he laughed too, but then his smile faded.

"I was forced to," he said.

His answer made my smile slowly disappear as well.

Yeah, growing up is all about falling down and getting back up, wiping away tears while pushing forward. Some changes are indeed compelled.

"Now, I need the Windsor family to rebuild this tomb, and Victor must be the first to pay his respects," Faris said as we were about to leave. We then left and drove back. Passing by a pharmacy, I asked him to stop.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"My appetite hasn't been good lately. I want to buy some digestive medicine," I said.

"I'll get it for you," he said, about to get out of the car.

I stopped him, "No, I'll go myself."

He didn't insist and said he'd wait in the car.

After buying the medicine, I returned to the car.

Faris drove not to Cindy's house but back to his villa on the hillside.

As he opened the door, he said, "There's TV and internet here. You won't be bored."

I stood at the door, not moving.

"Come in," he called when he saw me standing still.

"It's not appropriate for me to stay here," I said seriously.

He pulled me in and closed the door. "Ethan doesn't want you anymore. If you don't stay here, where else can you go to hide and cry?"

He took out a pair of slippers. "I don't usually have women over my place, so I only have men's slippers. I forgot to buy some when we passed the mall. I'll get a pair tomorrow."

He then walked inside, took off his coat, tossed it onto the sofa, and turned on the TV with the remote control.

I changed into the slippers and walked in but didn't sit down.

He crossed his legs, adjusted the channel, and looked at me. Suddenly, he smiled enigmatically and walked towards me.

Even though knowing Faris was the same Fary from childhood made me feel closer to him, his enigmatic smile made me instinctively take a step back.

I didn't stop until my back hit the stair railing, leaving me nowhere to go.

Faris put his hands on either side of me, leaning in.

"Why are you avoiding me? Afraid I'll fuck you?"