Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

On New Year's Day, Emily and I visited the cemetery.

It was my first time standing in front of her dad's grave. Memories from years ago and the guilt I'd been hiding in my heart came rushing back.

If her dad knew who I was, would he have been against us being together?

All I could do was take care of Emily and use all my love to heal her pain.

I didn't expect Emily to get into trouble so soon.

The day Arthur took Emily, thank goodness she still had the necklace with the tracking system on.

When I found her, Arthur had already taken off, and Emily was tied up in a wardrobe. Although I arrived fairly promptly, it might have been Arthur who made her recall her unhappy past, especially the child she lost because of him. That was why she was so devastated at that moment.

For days after, Emily was a mess. I coaxed her to eat, took her on walks, and comforted her, trying to cheer her up.

I was so grateful I gave her that necklace; otherwise, who knew what could've happened.

Zachary slipped away quietly, just two days before his guy got arrested. He was smart; he must've sensed something and planned ahead.

I wasn't worried about him getting away. Emily had given the necklace to Bella. As long as he was with Bella and she kept wearing that necklace, we'd find him.

After his guy got arrested, they spilled the beans about Zachary, and the cops put out a wanted notice. We already knew where Zachary was. The notice was for Rhyns. If he had any ties with Zachary, he'd show up before Zachary got caught, trying to find him before the cops did.

One night, Frank called us to the Midnight Bar; he wanted to mediate the conflict between Oliver and me.

Honestly, I was never really mad at Oliver. I never thought our friendship was that fragile. I figured he just needed time.

Oliver didn't want to drink with me at first, but once he got drunk, he wouldn't let go of me. "I'm worse off than a beggar; I don't have any family or a partner," he said.

After all these years, our friendship meant something. I understood Oliver; he couldn't be as carefree and heartless as he pretended. He seemed indifferent, but he was the most sentimental, so he found it hardest to let go.

My relationship with Oliver was a lot like Emily's with Bella. So when Emily found out Zachary was wanted and Bella was on the run with him, she couldn't handle it.

I went with Emily to the old place to get the gifts Bella had given her. Emily told me the story behind each gift in such detail, down to the smallest specifics. She hadn't forgotten a thing, even after all these years.

Listening to Emily's sad stories felt like a heavy stone pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

Years ago, Emily's pain was caused by Victor, and now, the pain from her best friend's situation was because of me.

But I had no choice. I took that path because I had no other options at the time. If I could've handled it without hurting her, I would have, but everything was so out of control.

That night, I got a text from Arthur. He threatened me with Emily in the message. He really forgot the pain once the wound healed.

I drove out in the middle of the night without waking Emily.

Arthur's location was set at Silent Grove Village. Knowing him, he had only two goals: money or revenge for the humiliation he suffered that day.

But as soon as I got to Silent Grove Village, an explosion went off nearby. The sky lit up with flames, almost lighting up half the sky.NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

I parked by the roadside, squinting as I watched everything unfold.

I didn't see Arthur. I only saw people rushing out of Silent Grove Village, someone calling the fire department. Shortly after, the sound of fire alarms came, and several fire trucks arrived, with firefighters rushing out to put out the fire. Luckily, they got the fire under control in time; otherwise, it could've spread to Silent Grove Village and the forest behind it, with unimaginable consequences.

When the fire was out, I still didn't see Arthur. When I called him back, his phone was off. He dared to play me.

Richard checked the surveillance at the entrance of Silent Grove Village. Because my car showed up in the footage, he suspected I was behind it. He had his reasons for suspicion, but I would never admit to something I didn't do. After Richard made a scene and left, Emily asked if it had anything to do with me.

Helplessly, I could only say, "Trust me, it wasn't me."

She said, "I trust you."

Emily's words were enough to comfort all the grievances I had endured.

Afterward, I went back to Silent Grove Village to check the surveillance footage. Besides seeing my own car and the fire trucks arriving later, there were no other useful clues.

But I knew one thing: Arthur lured me there, and this whole mess was likely tied to him.

Since last night, Arthur seemed to have vanished into thin air again. His phone was off, and he was nowhere to be found.

It seemed like he was hiding out of guilt for something he had done.

A lot of stuff had been happening lately, like everything was piling up all at once. Rhyns, Zachary, Arthur, Faris-our lives were getting turned upside down. Things could change dramatically at any moment.

I worried that those lurking in the shadows would seize the opportunity to act. Even if I was being paranoid about Rhyns and he actually knew nothing, at least Arthur had a vengeful mindset. Ever since he returned from Sunhaven City, his behavior had been almost deranged. An already mentally unstable person could do something even more insane.

I couldn't keep Emily from going out, so I had Dennis pick her up and drop her off every day. With Dennis's skills, he could protect her well.

Changes often came unexpectedly out of nowhere.

Dennis: [Lonehawk sent a message; Rhyns is making a move.]

I got a text from Dennis while I was in the office.

Apparently, they had a big deal that night, and Rhyns would be there in person. Lonehawk provided the specific time and place.

Rhyns was very cunning, always elusive. Years ago, during the capture of Drew, it was said that Rhyns was involved. Even after all these years, the police still couldn't track his movements or gather evidence against him. Finally getting information about his deal, we couldn't let him slip away this time.

As for Zachary, I knew he was on the mountain. I had people stationed around the base of the mountain, but no suspicious individuals had been seen going up. This meant that Zachary might not be connected to Rhyns. Rhyns choosing to act now must mean he knew the police were fully focused on capturing Zachary and wanted to take advantage of the situation to make a big deal.

I replied: [Is Emily with you?]

Considering the upcoming actions, I was most worried about her.

Dennis: [She's in the car. I just picked her up from work and am about to take her home. We're stuck in traffic right now.]

I replied: [Please get her home safely, and then we'll prepare for our plan.]

Dennis: [Don't worry.]

According to Lonehawk's info, the deal was going down at a farm in the suburbs.

I shut down my computer, went to the restroom to wash my face, and straightened my suit.

In our line of work, sometimes we spent a lifetime trying to catch just one person. So when the opportunity came, even if we weren't fully prepared and knew it would be dangerous, we had to seize it, because opportunities like that didn't come around often.

I checked my watch. In half an hour, we could set off.

I left the office, got into my car, and waited for Dennis to take Emily home and then meet up with me.

With one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the window, my feelings were all over the place.

I was about to call Emily to tell her not to wait up for me because I had a meeting and would be home late.

No, a meeting would be too short. What if something happened and I couldn't get back in time? She'd worry. It was better to tell her I had to go on a business trip.

I took out my phone, ready to call, when Dennis's call came in.

Dennis said, "Emily is missing."

Dennis's urgent voice pounded in my ears, making my head buzz.

I said in confusion, "What do you mean!"

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to stay calm.

Dennis replied, "There was a traffic jam just now. I only got out of the car to buy a pack of cigarettes. When I came back, Emily was gone. I called her, but she hung up, and then her phone was off. I'm worried she might have been taken by someone."

I stubbed out my cigarette, biting my lip, staring at the darkening sky.

I said, "I'll come find her. You get ready and follow the original plan."

After hanging up, I called Emily's phone, but it was already off.

Considering the previous crises, I gripped the steering wheel tightly, my heart pounding, my palms sweaty.

Trying to stay calm, I opened the tracking app on my phone. As long as she was still wearing that necklace, I could find her location.

The app showed her location at the foot of a mountain.

I immediately drove there, but it was rush hour, and the traffic was terrible. I couldn't help biting my nails, tapping the steering wheel continuously. My anxiety was beyond words.

The car crawled forward at a snail's pace. The app showed that Emily's location, originally at the foot of the mountain, was now moving up the mountain.

Just as I was about to abandon the car and run, a call came in from an unknown number.