Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Sophie's baby finally arrived, and it was a wild ride, but thank goodness, both mom and baby were okay.

I had no beef with the kid; actually, I kinda liked her.

Maybe it was because I had reached a certain age, but I felt an instinctive longing for a child and hoped to have one with Emily.

But then I got Emily's medical report, and it hit me how much pressure my baby fever was putting on her.

Emily told me her trouble getting pregnant was because of that abortion.

I felt terrible for her, and my hatred for Arthur just grew.

Emily was already struggling with confidence, and now, with the possibility of not being able to have kids, she was even more insecure and anxious.

On the night of Skyline International Corporation's anniversary bash, we threw a party at a hotel. I had a few drinks, nothing crazy. In the middle of the event, I got a photo from some random number.

The pic showed Emily and Jason holding hands, and it looked like they were at the same hotel where our event was happening. So, Emily and Jason were here.

Since Jason came back to the country, he'd been crashing with us. I knew he had feelings for Emily, but I always trusted him. Still, seeing that photo made me uneasy.

So, I bailed before the party was over.

I didn't think anything was going on between them. I trusted Emily, and I trusted Jason. I figured whoever sent the photo had some shady motives.

But that night, we ended up fighting.

It wasn't our first fight, but it was the first time I felt like Emily was being kinda unreasonable.

I was upfront with her; I had no clue what she was mad about. I lost it. During the argument, I thought about that photo, and it made me feel weird, so I said some harsh things.

I regretted it as soon as I left the villa, but what was done was done, and I couldn't take it back.

I crashed at Skyline International Corporation that night, and the next evening, I didn't go home either.

As night fell and the city lights came on, I walked out of Skyline International Corporation, had a lonely meal, and then wandered the streets by myself.

I had been single for years before and never minded being alone. But after having her, being alone suddenly felt kinda sad.

I passed by a bookstore, and the warm light inside pulled me in, so I walked in without thinking.

It felt like ages since I just sat down and read a book. As I wandered through the aisles, I felt kinda lost. Not sure why I even came in, maybe it was the peaceful vibe under the warm lights that drew me. My eyes landed on a book called "Parenting Foresight is Worth a Thousand Regrets." I couldn't resist buying it.

I knew our fight was just a bump in the road. I believed we'd eventually have a kid together.

Honestly, I missed her a lot these past couple of days. I wondered if Emily missed me too. We were both so stubborn, neither of us willing to make the first move, and neither of us called the other.

I spent another night at the office. The next day, after a long day of work, I looked out the window as it was getting dark.

Usually, as soon as it was time to clock out, I'd be itching to get home. Right now, I felt the same, but my pride was in the way.

From this whole mess, I learned that no matter what, I shouldn't storm out during a fight. In the end, it was me who suffered, stuck without a way to make things right.

After dark, I shut down my computer and headed out of the office.

I thought everyone had left, but the elevator stopped midway, and Lacey stepped in.

"Working late too?" she asked with a smile.

I nodded.

As we walked out together, Lacey smiled and said, "You haven't eaten yet, right? How about I treat you? Would you accept my invitation?"

I hadn't figured out where to eat anyway.

We went to a restaurant, and when the waiter came, I gestured for the menu to be handed to her.

"Order whatever you like; this meal's on me," I said.

Lacey didn't say much, took the menu, and ordered a few dishes. I got some wine.

While waiting for the food, I lit a cigarette.

Lacey, being sharp, quickly noticed something was off.

"What's up? You don't look happy. Let me guess, everything at the company is fine. Did you have a fight with Emily?"

I smiled and said, "Yeah, she might be jealous of you."

Lacey looked surprised. When the food and wine arrived, I opened a bottle and poured us each a glass.

"Sometimes I really don't get women. What do you all think about every day? I used to think I understood her, but now I realize I don't get her at all," I said. Lacey laughed, a bit smugly.

"I thought you had it all figured out, but it turns out you have your troubles too," Lacey said.

I rubbed my temples and smiled wearily.

"I'm human, not a god. Of course, I have my troubles too," I said.

Suddenly, there was a flash outside the window. I turned to look and saw it was thundering, and soon it started pouring rain.

Lacey glanced out the window and said, "The weather's really unpredictable. It was so sunny earlier."

I remembered that Emily was scared of thunder, but Jason should be with her.

My mood took a nosedive. I drank a lot of wine, and after finishing what I had ordered, I called the waiter for more.

Feeling a bit dizzy, I stared at my glass, watching the liquid swirl inside. "Why don't you head home? I'll stick around a bit longer."

Lacey didn't stop me from drinking; she just smiled.

"It's okay, drink as much as you want. I don't have anything else to do. I'll wait here in case you get too drunk. Otherwise, if you end up sleeping on the street, your image will be ruined," Lacey said.

I smiled, picked up the bottle, and kept pouring.

Then Lacey got a phone call, and she sounded pretty pissed.

After hanging up, she calmed down a bit and said with a bitter smile, "You know my mom and Victor's intentions. She booked us a room at a hotel. She really is something..."

"That's great," I said with a smile.

She looked at me, surprised, and I said, "Can you do me a favor?"

After finishing all the wine, we left the restaurant. We took a taxi to the hotel Linda had booked.

I was pretty drunk, so I wasn't really clear on when Lacey left and when Emily showed up.

One thing I knew for sure was that since Emily braved the heavy rain to come, it meant she still cared about me.

When there was no way to reconcile, getting drunk seemed like a good solution.

I could hold Emily in my arms again, and it felt amazing!

I really missed her.

I thought I was in love with her, but I didn't dare to say it easily. Love was a lifelong commitment. At least, I didn't think I was ready to say those words yet.

In the morning, we resolved our issues through playful banter. I still cherished those moments with her. I still loved holding her, comforting her, kissing her, and making love to her. I loved her pouting when she was angry and her blushing shyness. I loved how her face turned red under me, and the moans that came from deep in her throat.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

God, so this was what love felt like!

It was also on this hormone-filled morning that I suddenly got a phone call.

There was news from Sunhaven City; they had found traces of Arthur.

Tropicana Grove, near the Cyanber Country border, was a hot mess, full of chaos and drug trafficking. Because of my line of work, I had some connections there.

A few days later, pretending it was just a vacation, I took Emily to Sunhaven City.

I bet Arthur never saw his payback coming this fast.

I handed the whip to Emily myself, watching her unleash her fury.

But having her take revenge wasn't my endgame. I wanted her to let go of the past completely and be reborn after getting her revenge.

Afterwards, we could've just let loose and had some fun, but I didn't expect Emily to get caught up in an arrest.

Seeing her taken away in a police car, I knew she was terrified.

I called in a favor at the Sunhaven City police station. My friend there told me the guy who got arrested with her claimed he was the kid's father and that Emily had stolen his child. However, he had no clue what was in the kid's clothes.

I knew the law needed evidence. So, I asked for the surveillance footage from the scene. The cops found the woman who had abandoned the child overnight, and she confessed everything, clearing Emily's name.

Because of that mess, we didn't stick around and headed back to Starlight City quickly.

Victor told me Richard wanted to appeal. He said he wasn't afraid to spend money and wanted to use every trick in the book to get Richard out.

Richard claimed he was carrying drugs unknowingly. I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth. I got why Victor was worried. After all, Richard's imprisonment was partly my fault. If we could get him out and he turned over a new leaf, that would be the best outcome.

But the law wasn't something I could control. I wasn't confident, but I could only try my best. The day before my business trip, I got home early and saw Emily and Jason coming back together. Jason said he took her to the cemetery, and I remembered it was my aunt's death anniversary. Since I was leaving for a business trip the next day, I decided to spend the day at home with her.

Lately, Emily had been working hard on her adult education programs and her startup. She had a lot of questions, and I couldn't always help. But Jason always seemed to have the answers she needed.

For the first time, I regretted not taking my studies seriously back then.

During dinner, Jason said he wanted to drink, and of course, I joined him. That night, he finally opened up about his true feelings.