Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

In the prison, Oliver and Zachary sat across from each other, a glass partition between them.

In the past, every time they met, it always ended in a fight. This was probably the first time they actually sat down to talk, and it had to be in prison.

Zachary said, "Still not giving up, huh?"

Oliver frowned, clearly annoyed and impatient.

"Did you call me here just to ask that crap? What does my business have to do with you? You've dragged her down for a lifetime, do you even realize that?" Oliver snapped, slapping the table in frustration. The guard nearby stepped forward, reminding him to calm down, and he reluctantly sat back.

Zachary, on the other hand, was calm. After a moment, he gave a bitter smile and said, "Yeah, I know I dragged her down."

He looked straight into Oliver's eyes and asked seriously, "Will you love her for a lifetime?"

Oliver didn't answer out loud, but he knew the answer in his heart. He had already given all his love to Bella. If he couldn't get her love in return, he feared he'd never be able to love again.

"If you can promise to be good to her and the child for a lifetime, then take her away," Zachary sighed.

Oliver looked up, shocked. Zachary's gaze was unfocused, staring at some point, his expression calm, as if he had made this decision after a lot of thought.

Zachary continued, "I've figured out a lot of things lately. Life is short, and wealth and power aren't that important. Peace and safety are what matter. Take her away, take her back to Starlight City. It's hard for her to stay in a strange city. Starlight City is where she was born and raised, where everything is familiar to her."

After leaving the prison, Oliver didn't rush back. He went to a supermarket first.

He remembered Bella's belly was getting bigger, and her old clothes didn't fit anymore. So, guessing her size, he bought her two maternity dresses. The sales assistant said they were even radiation-proof.

Maybe it was just a marketing gimmick, but whatever, Oliver bought them for peace of mind.

Besides clothes, Oliver also bought a lot of daily necessities. He couldn't resist buying some baby items and clothes when he saw them.

He ended up with several large bags, and by the time he left the supermarket, it was already dark.

When he got to the stall, Bella wasn't there.

According to the people around, the commercial enforcement department had come by in the afternoon, so everyone had hurriedly packed up their stalls.

Back at the rented courtyard, Oliver immediately spotted Bella's barbecue cart in the yard and felt a wave of relief.

Her door was slightly open. He pushed it open, set the bags on the sofa, and found Bella in the bedroom.noveldrama

She had already fallen asleep on the bed, her hair still wet. She must have been too tired after her shower to dry it.

Oliver grabbed a hairdryer and a towel, sat by the bed, and started drying her hair. He set the dryer to low speed, trying to keep the noise down, but she still woke up.

Seeing him with the hairdryer, she understood and tried to sit up.

Oliver gently pressed her shoulder back down.

"Don't move," he said with a soft smile. "It's not good to sleep with wet hair. I'll dry it for you."

Bella must have been really exhausted because she relaxed and lay back down. Oliver's fingers ran through her wet hair, gently drying it. As he continued, she couldn't resist the sleepiness and drifted off again.

Oliver watched her hair slip through his fingers, his mind wandering back to the past.

He remembered telling Bella he liked her with long hair. It wasn't that she didn't look good with short hair; he just thought she'd look even more beautiful with long hair.

Back then, to make him happy, she had tried to grow her hair out. But later, everything, including her hair, was cut off in one fell swoop.

Now, he finally saw her with long hair, but even though they were so close, it felt like they were worlds apart.

Bella was a strong woman, but asleep, with her brows lightly furrowed and her long hair covering her cheeks, she looked fragile.

His gaze fell on her slightly parted lips, and Oliver suddenly wanted to kiss her.

Once the thought entered his mind, he couldn't shake it, and it quickly grew stronger.

He gently put down the hairdryer, leaned in slowly, and tenderly touched her nose with his.

It was just a brief, light touch, but Bella suddenly woke up. Her first reaction was to raise her hand and slap him.

After the slap, she snapped awake, feeling a mix of shock, anger, pain, and sadness she couldn't even put into words.

Oliver looked at her, slowly reaching up to touch his cheek where she had slapped him. Instead of anger, he gave a bitter smile.

"Your hair is beautiful," he said, "I got impulsive."

Bella turned over, got out of bed, and left the bedroom.

He actually hoped she would be like before, fighting when unhappy, hitting him hard with each punch.

He liked seeing her fierce. He was happy for her to be fierce with him.

Instead of being like now, where Bella had restrained her temper and learned to suppress her emotions, which made Oliver even more heartbreaking.

The next morning, Oliver got up and opened the door to find that Bella had already prepared the ingredients, but she wasn't there, and the door was locked.

Just as he was puzzled, he saw her coming back from outside.

At the first glance at her, Oliver was shocked.

She had cut her hair, back to the short style she used to have.

Bella pushed the cart out the door, and Oliver stood stunned for a few seconds before following her.

Oliver said helplessly, "You're beautiful with long or short hair. Remember I told you before, even if you were bald, I'd still like you."

Bella didn't respond, maintaining her silence.

Actually, Bella's belly was already very big now, and the due date was getting closer, making everything she did seem very strenuous.

"Let me do it," Oliver said as he pulled her aside and pushed the cart forward.

In the afternoon, when it wasn't too busy, he said to her, "Let's close up the stall early today."

Bella asked, "For what?"

"I want to take you out for dinner."

Oliver watched Bella's expression as he spoke, seeing that she seemed about to refuse,

he quickly added, "Today is my birthday."

Bella rolled her eyes at him, saying, "Your birthday is in October."

Oliver wasn't upset; instead, he felt a bit of comfort.

Bella still remembered his birthday.

Oliver said with a smile, "Even if we're just ordinary friends, having a meal together isn't

a big deal, right?"

Actually, Bella saw all that Oliver had done. She didn't want to give him hope, and she didn't want to be too cruel either. She thought she had already been cruel enough. That evening, just as it was getting dark, they closed up the stall and went home to change clothes.

Oliver took her to a restaurant.

Walking into the restaurant, Bella felt a bit dazed by the luxurious decor.

In the past, she often frequented such places and didn't think it was extravagant. It was

just about six months ago, but in that short time, she had experienced so much.

Looking back now, it seemed like a distant memory.

"Am I seeing things? Isn't that Bella?"

Just as they sat down, a sarcastic voice sounded not far away.

Bella looked in the direction of the voice and met the face of a despicable woman.

Bella didn't want to pay her any attention, but the woman insisted on making her presence known.

"Bella, I heard you're selling barbecue after leaving the company. I never would have guessed you were so versatile. But making money must be hard for you now. How can you afford to eat here? You probably can't afford this place, right?"

The woman sitting not far away was the same one who had mocked her when she left

the company.

In the past, Bella couldn't stand such sarcastic tones. With her old fiery temper, she would have fired back with some sharp words, and it wouldn't have been surprising if Bella had thrown a few punches.

But now, she had become more composed, or rather, she no longer cared to argue with petty people.

Oliver, however, shot a sideways glance at the woman who was deliberately causing trouble.

"Having bad breath isn't your fault, but if you know you have it and still go out without brushing your teeth, that's on you for polluting the air."

The woman was left speechless by Oliver's retort. She had never been spoken to like

that, especially not by a handsome guy.

Oliver ignored her and called the waiter, asking Bella to order.

Bella didn't take the menu from the waiter. She looked lightly at the woman who had

just provoked her and spoke calmly.

"Filet Mignon with Béarnaise Sauce, Lobster Bisque, Seared Scallops with Lemon Butter."

The woman looked at her as if she had seen a ghost, her eyes wide open.

Bella had always been low-key at the company, barely noticeable. After she was fired and started selling barbecue, everyone thought she had always been poor.

But seeing Bella order food without looking at the menu, so skillfully, how could it not be surprising?

Though Bella only glanced at her lightly during the ordering process, her presence was imposing.

In the past, frequenting such places was Bella's daily routine. But she didn't miss that kind of extravagance. Now, even though life was hard, she felt it was real.

Life was like that, with its ups and downs. What Bella had now was earned through her own hard work. She no longer spent money carelessly because every penny was hard- earned, and she cherished it more.

Bella's movements while eating food were incredibly skilled, and with Oliver's attentive care throughout the meal, it infuriated those who wanted to mock her.

In the end, the woman left angrily with her friends after paying the bill.

With less than a month to go before the due date, Bella went to see Zachary once

more.

As she entered, she happened to see a young man helping a middle-aged woman out.

The woman looked quite sad, but as she brushed past Bella, her expression suddenly changed, her eyes turning fierce.