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.

Ethan 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 happened.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm starving." My eyes must've been red as hell.

Ethan took me to grab some local food.

It was just one night, but it felt like I'd been cut off from the world forever. Even a bit of sunlight felt like a blessing.

Later, I found out the guy who snatched the kid had falsely accused me of stealing. He just wanted the kid back.

Ethan got the surveillance footage from the bonfire party, which cleared everything up. The woman who ditched the kid got caught and spilled the beans.

That afternoon, we hopped on a plane back to Starlight City.

As the 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 something.

Back in Starlight City, life went back to normal. I spent my days studying for exams and hitting up driving school.

One day, as I was getting out of the instructor's car, my phone rang with an unknown number.

I picked up, and a familiar voice came through. "This is Victor."

After hanging up, I grabbed a taxi straight to Windsor Villa.

Victor's tone was still icy, but I rushed over anyway.

In the living room, besides Victor, there were two other familiar faces: Mary and Kyle.

As soon as Mary saw me, she came over all warm and fuzzy, grabbing my hand. "Emily, you've been married all this time and didn't tell me? Your parents aren't around anymore, so as your aunt, I'm like your mom. The families should've met ages ago. This is my first time here, and I didn't bring much, just some stuff from home. These are eggs from my own chickens, no feed, and a hen I've been raising for two years. Perfect for soup."

I glanced down and saw the chicken and eggs on the floor, with a pile of chicken poop right there on the clean floor. The smell was rank.

Seeing Victor's icy stare and Linda's look of disgust, I felt super embarrassed.

Mary's family had never been this friendly, especially after my dad passed away. They avoided us like the plague. Now, knowing the Windsor Family had money, they shamelessly showed up. Their behavior not only embarrassed me but also made me sick.

Reality bites; even my own family could be so opportunistic.

"Aunt Mary, Kyle, you should go back," I said, trying to keep my cool.

Mary acted like she didn't notice my irritation and plopped down on the sofa. "What's the rush? I just sat down. They seem like nice folks. Emily, you're really lucky."

I didn't dare look at Victor, who already wasn't my fan. I could just imagine the scorn on his face.

Just then, footsteps echoed from the stairs. I looked up to see Lacey coming down.

Mary glanced at Lacey and asked, "Who's she?"

Linda snorted and said proudly, "She's my daughter."

Mary, trying to be slick, said, "So she's Emily's sister-in-law. She and Ethan are both very good-looking."

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

Lacey ignored Mary's flattery, gave me a faint smile, and walked out.

Mary was no fool; she had to know Victor and Linda didn't like her, but she pretended 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 me, barely glancing at Mary and Kyle.

Kyle, who'd been quiet the whole time, piped up when he saw Ethan, "Ethan, you're back!"

Ethan didn't respond, didn't even look at Kyle.

"Ethan, come upstairs," Victor said, getting up and heading upstairs.

Even Linda seemed done with Mary and left the room.

Ethan and Victor were upstairs talking forever. Meanwhile, Mary was gawking around the Windsor Villa, constantly muttering, "Rich folks sure live differently."

I ignored her and just sat there, silent.

Mary's sharp eyes darted around, and she leaned in to whisper, "Emily, you really hit the jackpot with Ethan. It's a shame your parents aren't here to see this; they would've loved it."

I was about done pretending to be close to Mary, but thankfully, Ethan came back down.

Ethan pulled me up from the sofa and said to Mary, "Mrs. Ward, let me drive you home."

Ethan didn't need to be so polite to Mary's family; he was doing it for me.

Mary was probably riding in such a fancy car for the first time and was super excited.

After a bit of driving, Mary, sitting in the back, piped up, "Emily, Kyle's wife is about to have a baby. You know how rough it is at the construction site-boiling in the summer, freezing in the winter. It's no place for a pregnant woman. I was wondering if she could stay with you for a while?"

There it was, her real motive. If they knew where Victor lived, they definitely knew where I lived too.

"No," I said flatly.

Even though the villa was big enough, I wasn't about to force myself to accept something I didn't want.

Ethan kept driving, staying quiet. The car ride got awkward real fast.

After a bit, Mary tried again, "Emily, we're family. Now that you're doing well, you can't just let Kyle's wife suffer."

"I don't like being disturbed," Ethan said calmly but firmly.

Mary was left speechless.

Ethan squeezed my hand and said softly, "A woman's living conditions and the life she leads, and the environment a child grows up in, are determined by her husband's ability."

That probably stung Kyle's pride. He stayed silent.

Ethan dropped them off at the construction site and then sped away.

I felt super embarrassed, but Ethan just laughed. "You handled that like a pro."

I stared at him, surprised, and he explained, "You learned to say no."

I used to never be able to say "no" and always ended up making things hard for myself. But now, I made things hard for those who deserved it.

I thought about Ethan and Victor's long chat upstairs and couldn't help but ask, "What did your dad say to you? You guys talked forever."

Ethan looked at me, silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Richard is going to appeal."