Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

Oliver had lost track of how many times Bella had pushed him away.

He always smiled at her indifference, but every time she did it, it hurt him deep down. "You're drunk!" Oliver said.

He looked at Bella's face, hidden behind her messy hair, feeling sorry for her.

When she heard him, Bella forced herself to lift her head. Her face and eyes were red, but she smiled and insisted she wasn't drunk. Yet, when she tried to pour more wine, most of it missed the glass.

Oliver grabbed her hand as she poured. She tried to pull away, but he held on tight, feeling the sweat on his palm.

"Bella, give me one year, okay?" Oliver said seriously. "Everything I've given, all my love for you, in exchange for one year of your company. For this year, don't be so cold to me, please? I just need one year. If after a year, you want to be with me, I'll treat you well for the rest of my life, and I'll treat Finn as my own child."

He paused, then continued sadly, "If after a year, you still haven't changed your mind, I'll leave. But at least give me a chance for one year, okay? Otherwise, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

Bella couldn't meet his intense gaze. She could imagine how much he must have struggled before saying this.

Oliver had already humbled himself so much in front of her.

For some reason, her heart suddenly ached with a sharp pain.

She pulled her hand back and used drinking to hide her emotions, but tears still slipped down from behind the wine glass, one after another, like a flood that couldn't be stopped.

She drank several more glasses in a row and was completely drunk, finally collapsing on the table.

Bella suppressed her sobs so well that only her occasionally trembling shoulders gave away her sadness.

In Oliver's memory, she had always been strong. He had even hoped to see her vulnerable side, but it was very difficult. Now that he saw it, it pained him.

He got up, walked over, and helped her up. She was so drunk that her limbs were limp, her consciousness unclear, unable to move a step. He had no choice but to carry her to the bedroom.

He was also a bit drunk, but his mind was clear, and he had the strength to carry her.

In the bedroom, Finn was sleeping soundly.

He placed her on the bed, his hand not leaving her waist.

At this moment, they were very close. Her face was still streaked with tears, her breath falling on his face, the scent of alcohol mixed with her own fragrance making him a bit intoxicated.

"Bella, what am I gonna do with you?" Oliver muttered, looking at her with a mix of helplessness and affection.

Bella, who seemed to be asleep, turned her head slightly and, in a daze, reached out to hook her arm around his neck.

Oliver's whole body went stiff, his willpower draining away like air from a punctured balloon.

He suddenly lowered his head and kissed her.

He had loved her for so long, but he had never had her. God knows how much he wanted her.

She must have been really drunk because she responded to his kiss, which only encouraged him more, and the last bit of his rationality vanished instantly.

He didn't know if she was aware of who he was at that moment, nor did he care if she would blame or hate him when she sobered up. He couldn't care about anything anymore.

He desperately wanted her.

If Finn hadn't suddenly started crying, things might have gone differently.noveldrama

But Finn's cry was like a bucket of cold water, snapping Oliver back to reality.

Bella was also brought back to some awareness by the child's cry. She slowly opened her eyes, looking at him so close, her intoxicated eyes still holding a trace of primal desire.

As she gradually sobered up, she reached out to push him away, her strength very weak, like pushing against cotton.

Oliver also came to his senses, got up from her, covered her disheveled body with a blanket, and then went to make formula for Finn. As soon as he put the bottle in Finn's mouth, Finn stopped crying.

After months of care, he had completely figured out Finn's patterns, so when Finn cried just now, he knew he was hungry.

The room fell silent again, and Bella seemed to have fallen asleep again.

That night's loss of control didn't change their relationship.

On New Year's morning, Oliver smiled and wished her a happy new year.

Bella looked at him seriously and said, "I hope after a year, you can keep your promise."

Oliver somewhat regretted his one-year proposal because he understood her stubbornness. There was a high chance that he wouldn't be able to change anything in a year.

If he hadn't personally promised a one-year commitment, he could have continued to

be shameless indefinitely, but the words were out, and there was no room for regret. "Okay." Oliver smiled bitterly at Bella.

Not long after, Jennifer had to go back to school, and Bella specifically told her not to

tell Emily about her situation or give her contact information.

In late spring and early summer, Bella saw Emily on the TV news.

Emily had now established her own brand and become a successful businesswoman.

On TV, Emily's every move and speech were so different from before.

She had changed, becoming braver and more confident.

Emily and Ethan seemed to be back together; fate was finally favoring her.

It was like they had swapped lives, and now Bella was experiencing the hardships Emily once faced.

A year flew by. During that time, Oliver did everything he could to win her over. But as time went on, he felt more and more hopeless.

When the news of Ethan's death came, it brought back the past they had tried to forget.

Ethan, the president of Skyline International Corporation, died in the line of duty and was buried in the Heroes' Cemetery. This confirmed Bella's suspicion that Ethan's identity was not ordinary.

Bella remembered that Oliver had fallen out with Ethan before, but upon hearing the news of his death, Oliver sat alone at the table, drinking in silence all night. She knew that the brotherly bond had never been forgotten.

Winter came early here, and the entire city was already covered in snow.

The countdown to the one-year promise began.

Since hearing about Ethan's death, Bella had been suffering from insomnia. Eventually,

she decided to return to Starlight City to take a look.

With only a few days left until the one-year mark, Oliver refused to leave with her,

insisting on staying to take care of Finn until she returned.

It was Bella's first time returning to Starlight City since she left.

Bella went to see Emily.

Regarding Zachary, Bella still couldn't blame Emily, and Ethan wasn't at fault either. The one to blame was Zachary himself.

In just a year or two, they both seemed to have experienced the biggest turning points

in their lives. Though the friendship remained, it was never quite as carefree and easygoing as it used to be.

Bella also went to see Leonard, the man responsible for all her suffering.

She might hate him for the rest of her life, but he was her father, a deeply conflicting feeling.

Maybe she owed him from a past life.

She didn't stay long, just two or three days.

"Go back. Spend this New Year with your family. Staying a few more days won't make a difference," Bella said to Oliver.

Oliver sat on the couch with his back to her, playing with Finn. He didn't respond when he heard her.

He had long known that staying a few more days, even a year, wouldn't change Bella.

That night, Oliver braved the wind and snow to buy a bunch of things: food, clothes for Bella, formula, clothes, and toys for Finn.

The next day, she took Finn to see him off at the station.

Oliver kept his hand in his pocket, clutching a card, sweating, but in the end, he didn't take it out.

He knew her well; she wouldn't accept it.

While waiting for the train, he held Finn again, kissing him repeatedly. People are emotional beings. Even though Finn wasn't his child, they had spent so much time together. Oliver couldn't bear to part with Finn, nor with Bella.

But a year ago, Oliver had promised to be more carefree.

He should have anticipated this outcome; the one-year promise was just a way to convince himself to retreat and let go.

As the time to board approached, Oliver handed Finn back to Bella.

"Take care of yourself and forget everything," Bella said lightly, but if you listened closely, you could hear a slight tremble in her voice.

Oliver gazed intently at her lowered eyelashes and said bitterly, "I won't forget, but I'll

try to get used to life without you. From now on, I'll be a man without a heart."

Bella didn't look up, so she didn't see the tears in his eyes.

"Alright, go on. It's cold outside. I'll take Finn back now!" Bella said.

With that, Bella turned and left with Finn, not even giving him a final glance.

In the rush of people entering the station, Oliver stood still, watching her walk away

with Finn.

He received a text message from her.

[Let's say goodbye like this. Don't look back!]

She really didn't look back, step by step, steadily moving further away from him.

She didn't know that he had been watching her the whole time.

Oliver's eyes finally blurred with tears, and he could no longer see Bella clearly.

He cried all the way into the station, cried as he boarded the train, and cried as he found his seat.

Everyone who passed by looked at him with surprise and sympathy.

He was a grown man and shouldn't cry so miserably in public, but he couldn't care

about others' opinions because he couldn't stop the tears.

He had held on for so long, but in the end, nothing could change.

It was time to say goodbye, to her and to the past.

At this moment, the unstoppable tears were his way of saying goodbye.

With a roar, the train gradually left the station.

Leaving this city, Oliver would let go of everything. From now on, he would live heartlessly, never easily moved again, and never shed tears for any woman.