Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Faye's face twisted with rage, eyes blazing with hatred. The once sweet angel had morphed into a bloodthirsty demon.

Gasping for air, I grabbed her wrist, trying to shove her away.

"What the hell are you doing?" I croaked out.

In the darkness, Faye suddenly laughed. It wasn't her usual sweet giggle but a sinister cackle, making her look even more terrifying.

"What am I doing? I'm gonna kill you."

Every word she spat out dripped with venom. I got why she was pissed after losing the competition, even though she kept calling me Emily. But nothing should've made her act like I'd done something unforgivable. I struggled, but her grip was iron. My head got fuzzy from lack of oxygen, and my vision started to blur.

"Ethan," I called out weakly.

Faye sneered, staring at me with triumph.

"I bet even if I killed you, Ethan wouldn't have the guts to send me to jail. He'd defend me. You believe that?"

I wasn't thinking anymore. I kicked her in the stomach. She fell back, and her grip loosened.

Gasping for breath, I rolled off the bed and lay on the floor before slowly sitting up, clutching my neck, and coughing.

Faye, now sitting on the bed, glared at me with undiminished hatred but seemed calmer and didn't attack again.

I stared at her like she was nuts.

"Faye, losing one competition isn't the end. You've got your whole life ahead.If you kill me, you'll ruin your own future. I've lived longer,, so I've already won. But what about you?"

Faye was breathing heavily like me, as if all her hatred was stuck in her chest and couldn't be expelled.

In the quiet room, the only sounds were our heavy breathing.

She stared at me and laughed coldly.

"My life? Emily, you ruined my life with your own hands. And now you're playing the good guy?"

I looked at her frankly. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Faye continued to laugh coldly, her frail shoulders trembling with her laughter.

Then her laughter abruptly stopped, and the hatred in her eyes pierced me like sharp knives.

"Nonsense? Emily, you made Aurora vote for my opponent. You made me lose this competition, and now you're pretending? Emily, you're so cruel."

I was taken aback. Her words felt like slander to me.

"I didn't. Besides, Aurora has her own opinions. How could she listen to me?"

Faye's hands, hanging by her sides, suddenly grabbed the bedsheet, trembling with force as if she were gripping my flesh.

"What? Are you afraid to admit it? Can you say she didn't ask for your opinion? People heard your conversation in the restroom. Afraid to own up? Hypocrite!"

When I opened the restroom door and saw that girl running away, I had a bad feeling. I didn't expect it to reach Faye's ears like this.

My breathing calmed, and I explained, "Yes, I did meet Aurora in the restroom. She did ask me who I thought should advance. But I swear I didn't tell her to vote for Connie. I didn't tell her to vote for you either. I just said she should follow her heart."

Faye grabbed a pillow and threw it at me. I didn't dodge in time, and it hit me square in the face.

Staring at the pillow on the floor, I got angry too.

"I told you I didn't give Aurora any advice. Believe it or not. To be honest, Connie is talented. Winning over you was expected. Did you switch her dress?"

Faye had been very aggressive, but now there was a fleeting look of guilt in her eyes.

She didn't answer, but I already understood the truth.

"Switching her dress didn't change her performance. Competitions require composure. Losing one doesn't mean you can't sing anymore. There are other ways to become famous besides competitions. If you can't stay calm, you're bound to lose. But you're so young and already have so many devious thoughts. Who taught you that? Sure, society can be tough, but in the end, good wins out. You've got to put in the effort to achieve things."

Faye seemed at a loss for words to refute me. After a long while, she nodded angrily.

"Yes, you're right. I suppose you put in a lot of effort to get Ethan, didn't you?" Why did this suddenly involve Ethan?

Faye slowly got up from the bed, glaring at me with pure malice from across the room. "You really don't get how much Ethan loves Fiona. I'll make you see."

With that, she started slapping herself, one smack after another, each one echoing like a gunshot.

Realizing her twisted plan, I lunged to stop her. She dodged back and grabbed a vase from the bedside table, smashing it to the ground.

The sound was sharp, and shards of porcelain flew everywhere.

She went on a rampage, smashing everything she could find, even her own makeup on the vanity.

The moment the door was pushed open, she ignored the shards on the floor and collapsed, crying loudly.

Ethan stood at the doorway and turned on the room light, illuminating the chaos.

Faye sat on the floor, crying with a swollen face, looking like the innocent victim, while I stood there looking like the villain.

Ethan walked in, stared at Faye, and helped her up without asking a single question. It seemed he had already judged me guilty; he hadn't looked at me once.

Faye didn't get up, wiping her tears and crying pitifully.

"I know, I'm just a burden. I shouldn't even be here."

With that, she suddenly got up and ran out of the room, crying.

Ethan stood up, watched Faye disappear through the door, and finally turned to look at me.

I couldn't read his expression, but Ethan didn't seem to blame me; he just looked tired.

I felt a headache coming on, my heart heavy. I wondered where Faye would go in the middle of the night. No matter what happened tonight, whose fault it was, or who had ulterior motives, she couldn't come to any trouble. "Aren't you gonna chase after her?" I said.

Ethan stared at me for a few seconds before turning and walking out quickly.

God, it hurt to watch his quickly disappearing back.

I was a woman too. I wasn't invincible, just a bit more rational than the impulsive Faye. I wanted to be impulsive, to act recklessly when angry.

Maybe one day, when pushed to the brink, I'd explode.

I gathered my emotions, stepped over the mess on the floor, and hurried downstairs without cleaning up.

Ethan was already in the car, making a phone call.

In the cold, moonlit yard, the car lights came on.

He held the steering wheel with one hand and the phone with the other, his furrowed brow full of worry.

The call probably didn't go through; he threw the phone onto the passenger seat and drove off.

He didn't even notice me standing at the villa's entrance.

I couldn't just wait at home, so I walked out, searching along the main road.

The road near the villa wasn't complicated; it was just a main road. Ethan's car had also driven along this road, but in the dead of night, I didn't see a single person or Ethan's car returning. Faye wasn't familiar with Starlight City and had nowhere to go.

My worry stemmed from concerns about my future with Ethan. If something happened to Faye, no matter who was right or wrong tonight, Ethan and I would probably be over.

I didn't know how far I had walked; my legs were numb.

The early winter night was bitterly cold. I had forgotten to wear an extra coat when I left. At first, I shivered from the cold. But as I walked, I warmed up and didn't feel cold anymore.

I also wondered what I would do if I found Faye. She had deeply misunderstood me, and I couldn't just forgive her for what she did tonight. We couldn't coexist peacefully anymore. By dawn, the breakfast shops were opening.

I couldn't calculate how far I had walked, but I still hadn't found Faye.

It didn't make sense. Ethan had chased after her quickly; how far could Faye have run? How could her legs outrun Ethan's car?

Maybe the situation was too urgent, and I hadn't considered it. Now I realized we might have gone in the wrong direction. Maybe Faye hadn't gone far; she was just hiding, deliberately avoiding us.

I wanted to call Ethan to ask if he had found her, but when I patted my pockets, I realized I had left my phone behind in my haste.

At an intersection, I stopped and looked around blankly.

There were a few early risers on the road, but I didn't see Faye.

Turning around, I saw car lights approaching in the distance. Ethan's car was coming back.