Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph
Chapter 112 Ethan Really Cares About Faye

I figured Ivan and Faye just didn't know each other, so they missed each other.

But Ethan said Ivan had already hit up the TV station looking for her, and the staff told him the participants had bounced ages ago. Faye didn't know the area, and it was the middle of the night-easy for her to get into some trouble.

I was half-asleep, but the thought of her out there alone jolted me wide awake.

"Can you call Faye and check?" I suggested.

I could still tell right from wrong. Even though Faye annoyed me, she was just a girl. I didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

Ethan nodded and called Faye right away, but no luck. She had called earlier, though.

He rubbed his brow, looking super stressed.

I reached out and held his hand.

His hand was colder than mine.

"Don't worry. Faye's not a kid; she'll be fine."

I really hoped Faye would be okay.

Ethan didn't pick her up tonight because of me. If something happened, he'd feel guilty for sure.

"I'll go check." Ethan threw off the covers and got out of bed.

Seeing his serious face, my heart sank.

At that moment, I realized Ethan really cared about her, whether it was sympathy, responsibility, or he was projecting his feelings for Fiona onto Faye.

I anxiously grabbed him. "Maybe Faye took a cab back herself?"

Just then, Faye called back.

"Where are you?" Ethan answered and put it on speaker.

On the phone, Faye said, "Ethan, I'm at the hotel rehearsing another program with friends. It's for the next competition, and we're tight on time, so we have to hurry." "Then I'll have the driver wait for you at the hotel entrance," Ethan said.

"No need. We might be up all night. You don't need to send the driver."

I wondered if it was my imagination, but Faye's voice sounded a bit tense.

"That's it, Ethan. I gotta go now." Faye hung up the phone.

I didn't sleep well that night, and Ethan was tossing and turning too, probably worried all night.

Early in the morning, the doorbell rang.

Ethan was making breakfast in the kitchen, so I went to open the door.

Faye stood at the door, still in the same clothes as yesterday, with her makeup still on.

"Emily, good morning. I'm just here to grab some things and change clothes," Faye said and hurried upstairs.

My eyes followed her, feeling like she was trying too hard to seem calm.

Even though she was a good actress, she was still young and couldn't hide everything completely.

When Faye came downstairs after changing clothes, we were having breakfast.

"I'm leaving now. We have to rehearse today."

She said as she ran, not sure if she was really busy or avoiding something.

"Faye," Ethan called out.

Faye stopped abruptly and turned around slowly, looking embarrassed.

"Ethan."

She was wearing a beige dress with a small jacket, still with a bun, looking pretty but also mature beyond her age.

"What happened to your hand?" Ethan asked.

Faye seemed to want to hide her hand but then realized it would be more obvious, so she showed it openly and smiled. "It's nothing. I just fell during rehearsal yesterday."

I then noticed a large bruise on Faye's arm, which I hadn't seen before, but Ethan did.

Caring about someone makes you notice the little details.

"You guys are rehearsing day and night. Don't you need to sleep? You're not robots," Ethan said, looking at her.

Ethan was really concerned about her.

Faye adjusted her backpack and said firmly, "To achieve my dreams, I'm willing to give it my all. I have to go now; everyone is waiting for me."

She ran off quickly, as if afraid he would ask more questions.

After Michael's criticism yesterday, I went straight to the driving school after breakfast. Ethan drove me I wanted to refuse, worried he might see Faris, but I didn't want to raise suspicions. Luckily, Faris wasn't there. "Emily, you're here!"

I heard the voice before seeing the person, and I couldn't believe the kind voice came from Michael, known as the strict instructor.

I forced a smile at Michael, who was walking towards me.

"Yeah, Michael. I got held up before, and I need to catch up fast. I don't wanna embarrass you during the test."

Michael nodded, looking pleased. "That's the spirit. Practice hard, and I'll give you some one-on-one coaching."

VIP treatment? Did that cost extra?

"Don't worry, no extra fees," Michael said, reading my mind.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I nodded.

Later, Michael took just me, assigning the others in my group to different cars. With his strict demeanor, he said he needed to give me individual lessons since I had fallen behind.

His sudden kindness made me uneasy and even more nervous. I struggled with the clutch and kept stalling. After several tries, I finally got the car started, but I accelerated too quickly, causing Michael to lurch forward in the passenger seat. Normally, he would have chewed out students for driving like that. Nervously, I glanced at him. He was gripping the handle tightly. But instead of scolding me, he just gave me a stiff smile.

"You need more practice with starting the car. If you do this during the test, you'll fail immediately."

Michael didn't get angry, which surprised me.

Feeling flattered, I impulsively made a promise.

"I'll practice hard and aim to pass the test on the first try. So I don't embarrass you."

After practicing in the morning, I got a call from Lacey.

Even though we had each other's numbers, she had never called me before, so I was a bit surprised.

Lacey wanted to visit Abby and buy baby stuff but didn't know what to get, so she asked me to join her, thinking I might have more experience. I hadn't seen the baby in a while, so after driving school, I met Lacey at the mall.

We went to the baby store and unexpectedly saw Faye shopping at a luxury store with some girls. Didn't she say she was rushing to rehearsal? What was she doing there?

"See anything you like? It's on me," Faye said like a benevolent queen, and the girls around her showered her with flattery.

"Faye, you're so kind!"

Faye pointed to a few presumably expensive perfumes. "One for women, two for men, wrap them all up."

"Faye, why are you buying so much?" someone asked in surprise.

Faye smiled mysteriously. "They're gifts."

She was basking in the attention, completely unaware that I was standing not far away.

"Emily, what's wrong?" Lacey asked, turning to me.

I took a step forward and said, "Nothing."

After buying some baby clothes and toys, Lacey drove us to Sophie's house.

Lacey wanted me to come along to ease the awkwardness with Sophie. Abby had grown a lot, but Sophie had lost weight since she was now caring for the baby by herself after the nanny left.

Sophie, still a kid herself, was learning to manage, which explained her weight loss. She used to seem so neat, but now her place was a bit messy.

She hurriedly picked up the clothes and diapers scattered on the sofa, blushing as she explained, "I can only do housework when the baby is asleep. When she's awake, I can't get anything done, so it's a mess."

We completely understood how hard it was for Sophie to take care of the baby alone.

The baby was very shy around strangers. Both Lacey and I tried to hold her, but she only wanted Sophie. So we helped tidy up the house.

Lacey, concerned about Abby being too shy, said, "Sophie, you should take the baby out more often to experience the outside world. That way, she won't be too timid."

Sophie nodded and smiled shyly. "Actually, it's because I'm too lazy. Carrying the baby up and down the stairs is exhausting, so sometimes I just don't feel like going out."

Lacey got an urgent call from her company for a document only she had access to, so she had to leave immediately. Since she might not have time to drive me home, I decided to go with her to Skyline International Corporation. She parked in the garage and hurried off.

As I left the garage, I paused when I saw a car. That license plate on that car was the same one that followed Faris and me yesterday.