Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I pushed open the door and immediately saw Vivian's photo. My head buzzed, and I couldn't even hear my phone ringing. I walked in like a zombie.

A huge wedding photo of Vivian and Arthur dominated the living room wall. Vivian was clinging to Arthur, smiling brightly, but it just made me feel worse. The photo wasn't recent; Arthur's hair was much longer in it. He'd cut his hair at least two months ago.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

Thinking about what I found in the study earlier, a bold guess hit me, and my heart raced.

The apartment's layout matched Arthur's, so I easily found the study and pushed the door open.

The study was massive, big enough for a party. It was more like a combo of a study and a master bedroom.

The bed was huge and looked super comfy. The pink sheets and duvet were pretty tempting.

The bookshelf that used to be against the wall was turned ninety degrees, connecting this room with Arthur's study. It wasn't just a bookshelf; it was a hidden door. How did I never notice? Was I really that clueless? I couldn't believe Arthur went to such lengths to cheat.

The design was clever. When they got tired of reading, they could just roll onto the bed.

Arthur kept calling me. I finally answered after stepping into his study through the hidden door.

"Emily, I took the wrong key. It's not the right one. Maybe you can come another day to get your things," Arthur sounded nervous.

"Arthur, this door design is really brilliant!" I mocked.

"You went in?" Arthur sounded shocked.

"I may be stupid, fooled by you for so long, but at least I can read numbers on a key." I angrily hung up.

Even though we were done, the anger still burned. I didn't hate being deceived; I hated myself for being so blind to their affair happening right under my nose. Arthur used to mean a lot to me. I believed everything he said. He told me not to enter the study, so I never did.

I was so naive and stupid. While he was off having fun, I was cooking and doing laundry for him, playing the nanny. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

Stepping out of the study into what used to be my home, I saw the furnishings had changed completely. No trace of me was left.

A cat's meow came from the balcony. I followed the sound and found a dirty, thin cat in a pile of clutter. It looked up at me pitifully.

I guess Arthur and Vivian hadn't taken care of it while I was gone.

The cat's name was Scruffy. It used to be very close to me. As soon as I squatted down, it struggled to walk towards me, moving slowly and weakly.

I didn't mind its dirtiness and held it in my arms. Then I heard the door lock turn, and soon Arthur was standing in front of me.

"You came back quickly. Afraid I'd steal your things?" I mocked, glancing at him.

Arthur looked uneasy and stayed silent.

I couldn't help but say, "How long has Scruffy been hungry? You two are really heartless, leaving it to fend for itself."

Arthur said, "Vivian doesn't like cats."

I sneered, "Of course, she likes you, not cats."

"If you can't leave it, take it with you. Vivian's been nagging me to get rid of it anyway. Also, I've gathered all your things." He dragged a big bag out of the clutter on the balcony. "Everything's in here."

I opened the bag and found it was just a bag of trash. It had broken pieces of our wedding photo and some of my toiletries, most of which were already broken. This bag of trash was the only memento of my marriage with Arthur. I laughed in anger. "So I should be grateful you didn't throw these away, right?"

Arthur said, "I was going to call you to come get them. If you don't want them, I'll throw them away."

I mainly wanted to get some clothes. I had many nice ones I couldn't bear to throw away. But now, they were mixed with trash in the bag, dirty as if pulled from a garbage can. Besides the dirty Scruffy, there was nothing else I could take. "That place is Vivian's apartment," Arthur stammered after a long pause.

I was stunned, then laughed. "I can see that. She really loves you, breaking down walls to be with you. You two have worked so hard to have an affair; if I didn't let you be together, I'd almost be a sinner. But I don't want to know about your affairs or any of the details. I don't care at all."

With that, I walked out holding Scruffy. Arthur called after me, "Did you really marry Ethan?"

I turned around and looked at him like he was an idiot. "Are you blind? Didn't you see it yesterday?"

Arthur frowned, like he had something he couldn't say.

I laughed. "Arthur, are you upset that I married a good guy? That I didn't fall apart after leaving you, didn't beg you to take me back? Are you disappointed?"

Arthur suddenly stared at me and said, "Emily, do you really think Ethan will fall for you?"

His words made me uneasy. I knew Ethan had reasons beyond love for marrying me. But Arthur's tone was full of disdain. He didn't think highly of me, so he thought Ethan wouldn't either. Maybe in his mind, I was just a woman no one would want, deserving to be abandoned by him.

"Is my business any of your concern? From now on, we'll live our own lives. You don't need to worry about me."

I rushed towards the door with the cat in my arms. The home that once felt warm now made me feel sick to stay in for even a second longer.

"Wait a minute," Arthur called out again.

He went back into the room and came out with two pairs of knitted slippers. "These slippers were made by my mom for you. You know that. Take them."

Arthur's mom made these slippers for me while doing farm work. I was touched. Although I hadn't interacted much with her, I believed she was a simple and genuine person. So when I got the slippers, I couldn't bear to wear them. They were still new.

"Arthur, these slippers were a gift from your mom to her daughter-in-law. Now that we have nothing to do with each other, it's not appropriate for me to keep them." I tried to keep my tone calm, but I couldn't hide a trace of sadness. Arthur wanted to say something, but my phone rang. It was Ethan.

Ethan asked where I was. I hesitated but told him the truth. He said he would come to pick me up right away. So I left with the cat.

I didn't expect Ethan to arrive so quickly. When I left the neighborhood, he was already there.

As I got into the car, Ethan glanced at the cat in my arms, his eyebrows furrowing.

I was a bit worried he'd dislike the dirty cat, so I quickly said, "It's actually very cute. It's just been neglected for a while, so it's dirty. It's quite pitiful."

Ethan's eyebrows relaxed, and he gave a faint smile. "Then take it home and give it a good wash."

On the way, Ethan asked, "What were you doing there?"

I said I was planning to retrieve some things but ended up taking nothing but this abandoned cat.

Ethan probably noticed my low spirits and reached over to pat my head. "Did you get hurt?"

My eyes welled up, and I softly said, "No."

After that, he focused on driving and didn't say anything more. But I noticed he kept smoking, one cigarette after another, as if he was a bit agitated.

"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?" I asked cautiously, thinking he might be upset about my interaction with Arthur.

Ethan took a deep drag on his cigarette, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue. "Nothing, I had a social engagement at noon. I'm a bit tired."

"Did someone try to set you up with a girlfriend again?" When he mentioned a social engagement, I naturally thought of the last time at the bar when people tried to introduce girls to him. But after asking, I immediately regretted it. I shouldn't have asked that. It made me seem nosy. I didn't want him to think I wanted to control him, especially since I had no right to.

Ethan glanced at me, a smile curling his lips. "No, if anyone tries to set me up again, I'll show them our marriage certificate and photos."

I looked down, playing with my fingers, and softly said, "Can we retake the photos? I looked too ugly in the last ones."

Ethan's smile deepened, and he glanced at me. "You look beautiful. Besides, who would dare say my wife isn't beautiful?" His words carried a hint of affection, easily stirring my emotions.

When we got home, I gave Scruffy a bath, and it immediately looked different. Then I prepared a bed for it and poured some milk.

In the afternoon, Ethan insisted on taking me to the mall, buying a bunch of clothes and shoes. The prices were frighteningly high, but he didn't hesitate at all when paying.

As we left the mall, I said uneasily, "These clothes are so expensive. I feel uneasy wearing them."

Ethan crossed his arms and looked at me, a doting smile on his face. "My wife should wear expensive clothes."

"You're right. I need to present myself well so I don't embarrass you," I said even more softly.

Ethan suddenly lifted my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. "I don't think you embarrass me. I want to boost your confidence."

I was still lost in his handsome smile when he suddenly kissed me in public.