Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph
Chapter 125 Three Things a Qualified Husband Must Do

He held me tight, his chin rubbing against my hair, and his hand sneaking into my pajamas like he owned the place.

When he cupped my breast, I shivered, and all my tough-girl act crumbled.

"Why you shaking? You cold?" he asked, all smug, his lips right by my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

"In this weather? If I ain't cold, what else would I be?" I snapped back.

Ethan chuckled, straightened my shoulders, propped his head up with one hand, and gave me that deep, amused look of his.

"Babe, if you're cold, that's on me."

Before I could even roll my eyes, he kept going.

"As a top-notch husband, there are three things I gotta do right now."

"What three things?" I asked, curious despite myself.

Ethan's hand wandered over my body, a wicked grin on his face.

"First, I gotta warm you up with my body. Second, I gotta warm your heart with sweet talk. And last, we gotta do some exercise to get you feeling warm and fuzzy inside and out."

He was just looking for an excuse to be a rogue, but he made it sound like some noble mission. Classic Ethan!

"I'm not cold anymore."

I tried to move away, but he grabbed my waist and flipped me over, pinning me beneath him.

"Exercise ain't just for when you're cold. Gotta stay fit, you know?"

I was both laughing and annoyed.

When his tongue slipped in, I tasted a hint of booze.

"You've been drinking?" I pushed him away.

I'd been keeping an eye on him all evening, and he couldn't have had a drink unless he snuck one while I was in the restroom.

He leaned in to kiss me again, but I pressed my hands against his chest, staring him down.

He smiled, a bit sheepish. "Just a little. My buddy got engaged, and it would've been rude not to drink at all."

"What's rude about it? Oliver knows your situation. Don't blame others for your choices," I said, irritated.

His fingers gently stroked my cheek, his gaze softening, and his Adam's apple bobbed a few times. In a low, sexy voice, he said, "Babe, when you care about me, it feels so warm. Being cared for feels really good." My heart ached, like a knife had gone through it.

I said, "I care about you, but I can't watch you 24/7. Your body's yours, so you gotta take care of it. Replacing parts is tough, expensive, and they're often out of stock. Sometimes, even money can't help."

He laughed at my words, the warm bedside lamp casting a deep, charming light over him as he leaned in suggestively.

"My parts are fine, performing well, and always ready for inspection."

He always had a knack for steering the convo towards sex. Gotta give him props for that!

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"I made some desserts. Want some?" Faye called from outside.

I knew the desserts were just a cover; Faye just didn't want me to have a good time.

Ethan was about to get off me to open the door.

Panicking, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him hard.

"Ethan, are you guys asleep?" Faye kept knocking.

I kissed him even more passionately, not letting him leave, not giving him a chance to speak.

My actions got him all riled up, and he finally kissed me back, deeper this time.

We rolled around on the big bed, tangled up in each other.

Faye was relentless; the more we ignored her, the harder she knocked, determined to get a response.

It was both thrilling and annoying as hell.

"No need. You should go to bed early," he panted, his voice all husky with restraint.

Finally, the knocking stopped.

"I'll put it in the fridge. You can have it for breakfast tomorrow," Faye said, sounding all disappointed.

Outside, her footsteps faded away.

Faye left three days later. The film crew was starting in a month, and Ethan had set her up with some courses at an art institute before she joined them.

The institute wasn't in Starlight City, so she had to stay on campus. Of course, Ethan had arranged everything and even had Ivan drive her there.

When she left, I walked her out of the villa, giving her all sorts of advice like a caring sister.

The hypocrisy made me feel sick. But I figured, since she was finally leaving, I might as well fake it one last time.

Faye wasn't easy to deal with either. She was polite on the surface, but when Ethan wasn't looking, she whispered provocatively to me, "I'll be back." My feelings were all over the place.

After Faye left, I cleaned the villa top to bottom, erasing all traces of her and restoring everything to how it was before she came.

The only thing that couldn't be restored was that Scruffy was gone.

Thinking of Scruffy still made me a bit resentful, but resentment couldn't change anything.

After cleaning, I collapsed on the sofa, exhausted. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was Sophie.

She usually didn't call unless something was up, so I immediately thought of Abby and quickly answered.

"Sophie."

"Emily, Richard's case is going to court this afternoon. I want to take Abby to let Richard see her, but I'm a bit scared. Can you come with me?"

I wondered why Ethan hadn't mentioned Richard's case going to court.

After hanging up, I immediately called Ethan, but his phone was off.

His phone was always on 24/7, and he had a spare battery so it couldn't be out of power. Why was it off?

He had put a lot of effort into Richard's case, so he had no reason not to go to court. Maybe he was already there.

I didn't waste any time, quickly changed clothes, and headed out.

The temperature had dropped like crazy today, so I threw on a black and white checkered wool coat. As soon as I stepped outside, the dry, cold wind hit me, making me hunch my shoulders against the chill.

I grabbed a cab to Sophie's place. She was all packed and ready to go, just waiting for me.

She held Abby while I lugged the baby supplies.

Taking a little one out was no joke; she had to bring a big bag everywhere. Bottles, formula, diapers, change of clothes-you name it, we had it.

In the taxi, I tried calling Ethan again, but his phone was still off.

"What should I do, Emily? I'm so nervous," Sophie said, looking like a bundle of nerves.

I squeezed her hand. "Don't stress. Abby is Richard's daughter; he'll love her. And for the case, there's a lot of people working hard on it, so there's still hope."

When we got to the courthouse, we hopped out of the cab. Just as it drove off, a small car suddenly screeched to a stop in front of us, sending a gust of wind our way. Sophie, holding Abby, took a few steps back in fright. The car door opened, and out stepped Faris.

He was rocking a black trench coat, unbuttoned, and casually closed the car door with one hand while holding a cigarette in the other.

We stood there, stunned. He looked at me, smiled, and sauntered over with the cigarette still in his mouth. "Faris."

I heard Sophie's timid voice beside me and looked at her, surprised.

She actually knew Faris.

Faris stopped in front of us, looking down at Abby in Sophie's arms for a moment before curling his lips. "She looks like Richard."

Abby did look like Richard, no need for a paternity test to confirm she was his kid.

Just then, another black car pulled up not far away.

I immediately recognized it as Victor's car.

After it stopped, Victor and Linda got out, followed by Lacey from the back seat.

They must've seen us from the car, and it seemed they already knew about Sophie.

Victor squinted, his gaze landing on me with a judgmental look.

I knew he wasn't surprised to see me; it was Faris standing with us that threw him off and made him wary.

After he tailed me last time, he was convinced that I was in cahoots with Faris. Today's scene would just confirm his suspicions. Sophie, holding Abby, kept her head down, not even daring to look up.

Lacey nodded at me without saying a word, her expression serious.

Today's trial was like a showdown, a crucial moment to determine the outcome, and no one dared to be careless.

After a quick exchange of glances, the tension was thick.

They headed towards the courthouse first, and we followed.

Faris walked quickly. I held onto Sophie, deliberately keeping some distance from him, not wanting to walk together.

I expected to see Ethan in the courtroom, but he wasn't there. He hadn't shown up.

Thinking about his phone being off, I started to worry.

It was only after the trial began that I realized today was the simultaneous trial of Richard and Yanis, which explained Faris's presence.

Both were brought in. It was my second time seeing Richard and my first time seeing Yanis.

Yanis looked about the same age as Richard, both having that rebellious air of young men from the streets.

Linda was visibly emotional, constantly murmuring "son" under her breath as she looked at Richard.

Richard's gaze remained cold towards everyone, but when he glanced at Yanis, there was a faint, almost imperceptible smile, as if he considered Yanis a kindred spirit.

The lawyers began presenting evidence and making their defense.

Midway through, the quiet courtroom was suddenly interrupted by a baby's cry.

Abby, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up.

Richard, who hadn't looked at the audience once, finally turned his gaze towards us.

I knew that even a glance from Richard was a luxury for Sophie, so she was both nervous and excited. She was also worried that the baby's crying would get them kicked out, so she quickly took out a bottle to feed Abby. Abby must have been hungry because she quieted down as soon as Sophie started feeding her.

The trial concluded with the judge announcing that Richard's verdict would be delivered at a later date, while Yanis's case was dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

I immediately looked at Faris. He sat there with a faint smile as if he had expected this outcome.

A delayed verdict meant no resolution, a situation fraught with uncertainty. Linda was agitated upon hearing the result, crying out. "Richard is being framed. It's unjust!" After the trial, no one paid attention to her pleas. Richard and Yanis were taken away.

Richard didn't spare a glance for Linda but did look back at the baby in Sophie's arms.

"Richard, she doesn't have a name yet. Can you name her?" Sophie mustered the courage to shout just as Richard was being led away.

Richard stopped, looked at Sophie, half-squinting his eyes, and curled his lips into a cold, rebellious smile.

"Then call her Mistake."

I could see Sophie shudder. Even after Richard's figure disappeared, she remained frozen.

"Sophie, let's go," I said softly.

Walking down the hallway from the courtroom, Sophie's tears kept falling, her shoulders shaking with sorrow.

"Abby's existence was a mistake from the start," she said quietly.

I was about to comfort her when a sudden hand grabbed my wrist. I only caught a glimpse of a trench coat before I was pinned against the wall.