Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph
Chapter 141 You Need to Comfort When You Argue

It was Richard.

"What? Shocked to see me?" Richard leaned back, arms crossed, giving me that smug look.

Yeah, I was shocked. Had no clue he was out.

Part of me was relieved, like, thank God all our efforts paid off. But another part of me was screaming, knowing Richard being free meant trouble for Ethan. "Give me my phone."

I reached out, but Richard just shoved it in his pocket and hopped on his bike. Two guys grabbed me and plopped me on the back of his ride.

I thought about jumping off, but we took off like a rocket. I almost flew off but managed to grab Richard's shirt just in time.

He was trying to freak me out, so I bit back my scream. The wind was slapping my face so hard it felt like my skin was peeling off. "Are you nuts?"

I clung to his shirt, trying not to fall. I barely got the words out before the wind shoved them back down my throat.

Richard rode like a maniac, not slowing down for anything. If I wasn't holding on for dear life, I'd have been roadkill. No clue how far we went, but I was frozen stiff.

Finally, the bike slowed at the base of a mountain. We started climbing up a narrow, snowy path, barely wide enough for the bike.

As we climbed, the front wheel lifted. I leaned back, gripping his shirt with one hand and the bike frame with the other. "Where the hell are you taking me?" I yelled, glaring at the back of his head.

Richard just laughed. "To see the snow."

The winding road was a nightmare, the bike slipping all over. A gang of bikers followed, engines roaring, laughing, and shouting. "Richard, let me off!" I yelled, but he ignored me. When we hit the top, the bike finally stopped.

My head was numb from the wind, my face totally frozen.

"Faris," Richard called out.

I squinted through the wind and saw Faris leaning against a bike, smoking. He looked surprised to see me.

Richard pointed his thumb at me. "Faris, meet my sister-in-law, Ethan's girl."

As soon as the bike stopped, I jumped off.

Faris stood up, tossed his cigarette, and walked to an open area without looking at me again. The place was packed with fireworks. Faris threw an arm around Richard and pointed at the fireworks. "Twelve fireworks for you, man. One for each month of a bright future." "Thanks, Faris," Richard said, grinning.

They lit the fireworks, and the noise was insane, shaking the ground like an earthquake.

The guys laughed, watching the sky, even though you couldn't see much in the daylight. They just wanted to party.

When the fireworks were done, they high-fived and cheered. Faris stood aside, hands in his pockets, smiling but with eyes as cold as the snow.

I figured if Yanis had been released with Richard, Faris might've smiled for real.

After a bit, the snow started coming down harder, and they got back on their bikes to head down.

I stayed put. This time, no one forced me on a bike. Richard glanced at me.

"Getting on or not? No? Alright, let's roll."

He didn't wait for an answer, just sped off.

He did it on purpose.

The others laughed and followed.

"Faris, hurry up," someone shouted.

Faris got on his bike, gave me a quick look, and took off.

I watched them disappear, the engine noise fading. The snow was coming down like crazy.

Rubbing my numb face, I started walking down, thinking it was safer than riding with Richard.

But of course, the snow turned to hail, pelting my head.

I spotted a pavilion nearby and decided to take cover there for a bit.

I wanted to call Ethan, but then I remembered Richard had swiped my phone.

Hailstones were hammering the pavilion roof, cracking the tiles. Watching the snow anxiously, I figured I'd wait out the storm, but the hail just got worse, with stones as big as my thumb.

As the temperature dropped, I started worrying about freezing to death without a phone or any way to tell time. Every minute felt like an eternity.

No clue how long I'd been there when I suddenly heard a motorcycle engine getting closer. Soon enough, Faris rolled into view.

He rode up, scanning the area until he spotted me.

He stopped the bike and walked briskly towards the pavilion.

I stared at him, dumbfounded. At that moment, I felt a surge of joy, like I'd just seen my savior.

He seemed amused by my expression, curling his lips into a smile. "Scared?"

I was scared, but no way I'd admit it. Felt like they'd left me behind on purpose and then came back just to see me freak out.

Just then, I noticed some blue figures in the distance. Squinting, I saw a few people in blue work uniforms with tool bags running towards us.

They were wearing raincoats and hard hats and rushed into the pavilion.

One of them pointed at Faris, speaking sternly, "Why don't you ever listen? The road's closed, and you're still riding up the mountain in this hail. It's slippery as hell; you got a death wish?" Faris responded with a faint smile, "With such heavy snow, how could I be at ease with my girlfriend alone on the mountain?"

I was taken aback and glared at him. But I knew the situation, so I didn't correct him.

The guy who had scolded Faris looked at me suspiciously and asked, "Miss, why are you here alone?"

I kept my head down and didn't speak. They seemed to get the hint, and an older man smiled and said, "You young people, even if you're messing around, you need to be safe."

The guy who had scolded Faris softened his tone, showing he meant well.

"Don't rush to leave; it's too dangerous. We're going up to repair the power lines. When we come back down, we'll take you to the forest lodge to wait it out."

After they left, it was just Faris and me in the pavilion.

He kept looking at me with a faint smile. I stood aside, refusing to engage with him.

When the workers returned, the hail had let up a bit. Faris put his motorcycle helmet on my head. I wanted to refuse, but then I thought, why make things harder for myself? Let him get pelted by the hail instead.

The forest lodge wasn't far, just a short walk to a row of red-brick houses.

The workers said this was where the forest rangers usually stayed. The ranger, Bobby Turner, also ran a small shop selling cigarettes, alcohol, and snacks. He said business was good in the summer when more people came to the mountain. But in winter, especially during snowstorms, hardly anyone came up.

As night fell, it became clear we couldn't leave and would have to stay the night.

I felt awkward about imposing, but Bobby was hospitable. He said he usually lived alone and welcomed the company on such a stormy night.

Faris handed Bobby a few hundred dollars to buy extra food, but Bobby declined, saying he didn't have much to offer and that we'd have to make do with what he had. So Faris used the money to buy some beer, snacks, and cigarettes from Bobby's shop and shared them with everyone.

The workers' attitudes towards us improved noticeably after receiving the cigarettes. The guy who had scolded Faris even joked with him.

"You're a man. When couples fight, you need to make up. I can see this young lady isn't unreasonable. Look at the trouble you've caused, getting stuck here."

After he spoke, Faris turned to me. "Miss, don't stay mad. He really cares about you. I saw him riding up the mountain like a madman, truly worried about you. We've all been there, done that."

I didn't respond, and Faris just smiled, pouring beer for everyone.

Bobby cooked several dishes, and a group of strangers sat together because of the snow and hail.

I had always thought of Faris as cold and distant, but now, chatting with these men, I realized he was quite sociable and could talk about anything.

Midway through the meal, the power went out. One of the men cursed, "I knew the lines would go down with this heavy snow."

Bobby found a flashlight, and we quickly finished our meal. He then arranged for us to rest, surprising me by putting Faris and me in the same room.