Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Fiona figured it out from my silence. She gave a bitter smile, the neon lights flickering in her eyes, casting shadows of sadness.

"So, you think what we had wasn't love either, huh?" Fiona said. "Let's not waste each other's time. There are plenty of great girls chasing after you, and I can find someone more suited for me." "So, you're breaking up with me?" I asked.

"Actually, I've fallen for someone else," she replied.

My pride wouldn't let me beg her to stay. I just downed a glass of liquor and agreed.

For the first time, I wanted something serious. I thought we had mutual feelings, shared interests, and were really compatible. I even planned our future in my mind. But it ended like this, and of course, I felt terrible.

But I acted nonchalant, quickly moving on to a new girl, and Fiona got a new boyfriend. Seeing her smile at her new guy, Arthur, made me sneer inside. It turned out she could be gentle with anyone. The funny thing was, I thought I had found true love.

I thought I didn't care, but for some reason, I was in a funk. Was it the breakup or realizing I had misjudged her? I wasn't sure. I deliberately took my new girlfriend to the bar where Fiona was. I couldn't remember my initial intention, only that I felt blocked up inside, like some emotion couldn't be released.

Coincidentally, Arthur was there too. When Fiona saw me with another woman, her face stiffened slightly, then she leaned into Arthur's arms in front of me. We just kept hurting each other like that.

At that age, we were so immature, doing things to hurt each other. I laughed indifferently and even walked over to provoke Arthur. "You've got guts, playing with a woman I've been with. As long as you're happy." Actually, I never even slept with her.

Under the neon lights, Fiona's face turned pale, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. She bit her lip hard as if she was stimulated, but she didn't say anything, nor did she let go of Arthur's hand.

I turned away gracefully and went to drink with some friends. I didn't know that this turn would be our final goodbye. I drank a lot that night, so much that I didn't notice Fiona's calls and messages. Maybe it was fate, destined that I would spend my life repaying this debt.

When I woke up in the middle of the night, I saw countless missed calls and messages.

Fiona: [We've grown too far apart. Now, I'm even less worthy of you. I just wanted to say goodbye. Let's end where we started.]

Reading this message sobered me up halfway. I grabbed my coat and rushed out of the bar. I understood what Fiona meant and headed straight to the hilltop where we first met. I called her countless times on the way, but no one answered, which only increased my anxiety. The hilltop was pitch black, with nothing but the sound of the wind.

The next news I got was the tragic news of Fiona falling off the cliff. The police concluded it was suicide. Even though I was mentally prepared, I still went crazy and couldn't accept it. We broke up, but I never wanted her to die. Having been with her for so long, I thought I understood Fiona's character. I never thought she was so fragile. It was just a breakup, and she was the one who initiated it.

Someone told me that Fiona got drunk that night, and Arthur had sex with her. Connecting this with Fiona's message, I understood why she couldn't take it.

I went straight to the dormitory, dragged Arthur out of his bed, and beat him up. Afterward, I thought if I hadn't said those hurtful words that day, would Fiona not have gotten drunk? Would that incident not have happened? Would she not have lost hope?

I felt like a sinner. I didn't know what dreams I was chasing or what right I had to love or receive warmth from others.

Because I beat up Arthur, I was expelled from school. After Fiona left, I never picked up the guitar again, and The Thorn Birds Band disbanded. During those days, I drank and fought all the time, truly becoming a delinquent. It was during this period that I noticed Drew and his group. There were several of them, and I recognized one as the person who did business with Victor, and another as the one who was in the van at the foot of the mountain resort that day. Later, I found out that the guy in the van was named Drew, and he had a younger brother who was also in the gang with him, named Wyatt O'Neill. After a fight, we got to know each other, and I infiltrated their group.

Even though they were nice to me, they still kept their guard up. They never talked about their shady deals in front of me, but I knew they were up to no good.

That winter, it snowed like crazy, and they were acting all secretive, like they were planning something big. I spent some cash to take a few of their guys out for drinks. Once they were good and drunk, I managed to get some info about their upcoming deal from one of them. I always felt there was a big shot behind them, but I had never seen him.

That day, it was snowing heavily, and we went to a Mexican restaurant to eat. If the info was right, the deal was supposed to go down there. But I hadn't seen Drew, which was weird. I pretended to drink and play games with them, all the while keeping an eye on the place.

Halfway through the meal, a bunch of cops burst in. The underlings tangled with the cops for a bit, and most of them got caught, but Wyatt ran out the back door. I didn't think twice and chased after him.

I tackled Wyatt into the snow, holding him down with all my strength while he struggled like crazy. We rolled around in the snow, and Wyatt picked up a brick and hit me on the forehead. Blood started flowing down my face, but I held on tight and didn't let go.

Blood got in my eyes, and my vision turned red. I saw Drew coming from the end of the alley, looking like he was ready to rescue Wyatt. But soon, a bunch of cops poured out from the back door. Drew realized he couldn't save Wyatt and turned to run.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

As Drew turned, he gave me a look so fierce it felt like he wanted to tear me apart. The cops subdued Wyatt, and I finally passed out. When I woke up, I found myself in an unfamiliar room, with two men in police uniformsstanding by the bed. Seeing me awake, they both smiled with relief.

"Did you catch him?" I asked.

Ever since drugs destroyed Victor and my family, I had wanted to bring these drug dealers to justice every single day.

One of the cops nodded and said, "We caught Wyatt. Drew got away, but we've issued a warrant. The long arm of the law will catch him eventually; he won't get far."

A cop said approvingly, "Good job, young man."

I stared at their police uniforms for a long time, unable to look away. I felt that the uniform gave them an aura of righteousness, commanding respect. The cop seemed to read my thoughts and patted his uniform with a smile. "Do you want to be a police officer?"

"Yes."

I disappeared for a whole year. During that year, I underwent the most secretive and brutal undercover training. In just one year, I shed my naivety and recklessness. When I returned a year later, I didn't tell anyone where I had been. When I saw my old friends again, they just said I had changed, become more mature and steady.

I knew very well that after a year of training, I had changed inside and out. My values, my dreams, and my ambitions had all become different.

I started a business, which grew rapidly, and I became a successful person in everyone's eyes. Businessmen often hid some dark dealings, and no one was wary of me because I was a legitimate rogue, an illegitimate businessman.

The business world was my best hiding place, and my identity as a businessman was my best cover. Victor quickly realized I had a knack for business and began to take pride in me. The old quarry was transformed into Silent Grove Village, and we ventured into the tourism industry.

My life seemed smooth on the surface, but it had already taken a completely different path. I had wronged many people in my life. I wronged Fiona. Even if I took care of her sister and family, she died in her prime, and I could never make it up to her.

I also wronged Emily because Victor's debt became my responsibility. I want to make it right. So, I decided to spend the rest of my life making amends, by bringing happiness to more families to atone for my sins.

This path was dangerous and lonely, but I had no regrets. I saw Emily again on a rainy day. I was driving past the medical school and saw her coming out. She was already in college.

Time really flew! Just like when she was a kid, she held her backpack over her head to shield herself from the rain, tiptoeing carefully with each step to avoid getting her white sneakers wet. She was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and white sneakers. She was so youthful. And such youth seemed like a distant memory to me.