Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph
Chapter 175 Everyone Around Me Is Gone

After Zachary handled that big chunk of cash, I had my doubts. But man, I never thought the truth would be this wild.

Leonard showed me an online wanted poster. Turns out, all of Zachary's money came from deals that were always skirting the edge of the law, like walking a tightrope.

Leonard sighed. "I've noticed lately that Zachary's been really good to Bella. If I knew he was fixing my problems this way, I'd rather go to jail myself. I'm just an old guy with nothing much to lose." This time, two of Zachary's guys got nabbed first.

The day before they got caught, Zachary must've sensed something was up, so he took Bella and bolted from Starlight City.

Even though those guys usually respected Zachary and seemed super loyal, there was no guarantee they'd keep quiet under pressure.

Sure enough, that night, the cops put out a wanted notice.

After Leonard told me all this, I just sat there, stunned, not wanting to believe it.

Why was it that every time happiness seemed within reach, reality smacked us down?

Thinking about Bella now, pregnant and on the run, not knowing where she and Zachary were hiding, broke my heart.

Back home, I plopped on the couch, still in a daze.

I really wished this was just a bad dream. That I'd wake up and none of this had happened, that they had just gone on a trip. Soon, she'd come back, give me a big hug, and excitedly tell me about their adventures. But deep down, I knew that was impossible.

I was torn. The more I wanted to see her again, the more I hoped she'd go far away.

Never come back!

In the evening, Ethan came home.

He sat next to me, stroking my hair, and asked, "What's up? Why are you sitting here all zoned out?"

I grabbed his hand. "What are we gonna do?"

"What do you mean?" He looked confused.

I pulled out the wanted notice and showed it to him.

"We don't know where Bella and Zachary are now. If Zachary gets caught, what'll happen to Bella? She's still pregnant."

Ethan said calmly, "He broke the law, so he'll face the consequences. No one gets a free pass."

I was a bit stunned and suddenly felt calmer, looking at him. "You're not shocked by this at all? Why are you so calm? Did you know something beforehand?"

Ethan stayed cool. "When have you ever seen me not calm? Except when it comes to you, I'm always calm."

Ethan had a point.

I lowered my head sadly, my heart aching for Bella.

"Alright, don't overthink it. Let's go out for dinner." Ethan patted my shoulder.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat and then Ethan drove us to a bar.

I'd been to this midnight spot before, the night before I divorced Arthur.

It was Frank's bar.

As soon as we walked in, Frank came right over and led us to a reserved booth in the corner.

"Order whatever you want," Frank said.

Ethan lit a cigarette and asked, "Did you call me here for something?"

Frank scratched his head and laughed. "Can't we just hang out? It's been ages since we got together."

Just as he finished talking, I saw Oliver walk in.

When he spotted us, he paused, biting the cigarette in his mouth with an arrogant look, ready to turn around and leave. Frank quickly went over and pulled him back. "If you had told me earlier that someone I don't like was here, I wouldn't have come," Oliver said loudly.

We all knew who he meant.

Ethan stayed silent.

Oliver still seemed to hold a grudge and was acting a bit immature. Ethan, being more mature and rational, naturally wouldn't argue with him.

Frank made Oliver sit on the couch and had the waiter bring over drinks and fruit.

I could tell Frank was trying to play peacemaker tonight.

Frank had just poured a few drinks and hadn't said a word when Oliver sarcastically said, "What? Now that your new buddy is in trouble, you think of your old buddies?" "Can you speak properly?" Frank slammed the bottle on the coffee table.

Oliver pursed his lips and finally shut up, but his face was still full of hostility.

Without saying a word, Frank downed a glass of alcohol in one go. When he put down the glass, the liquid dripped from the corner of his mouth, and he wiped it off with his hand.

"I don't get it. We've been friends for so many years. How did it come to this? What can't be resolved? I don't care what's between you two. Tonight, for my sake, let's not bring up any bad stuff and just have a drink." After he finished speaking, he glanced at the glass in front of Ethan. "Can you drink?"

I was about to say something, but Ethan had already said, "Yeah."

In this situation, it wasn't appropriate for me to strongly object, so I just said, "In moderation."

He nodded, his hand covering mine, gently patting it.

For the most part, Frank was doing the talking, while Ethan and Oliver said very little.

At one point, I went to the restroom. When I came out, I saw Oliver standing outside.

"Where is Bella?" he asked bluntly.

I shook my head. "I don't know."

Oliver licked his lips and sneered. "Are you afraid I'll report him? You're her best friend, and she wouldn't tell you where she went?"

I sighed helplessly and had no choice but to show him the text message Bella sent me that day.

Oliver stared at the few lines of the text message for what felt like forever, like he was frozen in place.

I knew the message hit him hard. It mentioned Bella being pregnant and her saying she was committed to Zachary for life. That was a lot for Oliver to take in.

He finally handed the phone back to me, smiling bitterly. "I was being stupid. We agreed to be strangers. Where she goes, whether she lives or dies, what does it have to do with me?"

Back at the booth, Oliver suddenly seemed desperate for alcohol, pouring drinks like there was no tomorrow. In no time, several bottles were emptied.

Frank tried to get him to slow down, but with a flushed face and slurred speech, Oliver said, "Is it so stingy to buy me a drink? I'll pay if that's the issue."

At this point, Frank couldn't stop him anymore and just let him drink.

Ethan had another drink. I tugged on his arm, signaling him to stop.

He glanced at me, got the message, and put down his glass. "You guys keep drinking. We're heading out. It's fine for men to stay up late, but not for women."

Just as Ethan stood up, Oliver grabbed his arm.

Oliver seemed to suddenly break down, one hand holding Ethan, the other supporting his own forehead, his shoulders shaking.

Ethan just stood there, letting him hold on, not moving.

After a while, Oliver looked up, his drunken, flushed face now wet with tears, and he spoke with a sobbing tone, "I've lost my bro and my woman. I'm worse off than a homeless man." None of us said anything; we all understood his pain.

"Everyone keeps telling me to get back on my feet. But how can I when everyone around me is gone?"

At this moment, Oliver seemed to be letting out all the emotions he had been bottling up. He didn't care how embarrassing it was for a grown man to cry, and he never let go of Ethan's hand.

Frank seemed unable to bear seeing him like this and just kept his head down. After a while, he looked up and snorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea. You don't have to focus on just one person. Your bros are still here; you're the one who went crazy and cut them off."

Frank's words hit home.

Oliver's lips quivered, his expression pained. Suddenly, he grabbed a bottle of alcohol and chugged it, then collapsed on the couch, crying like a child.

Seeing Oliver like this, I suddenly understood.

He wasn't heartless; he was emotional. He had feelings for both women and his bros. It was because he had feelings that he was in so much pain.

Oliver no longer held onto Ethan, and Ethan didn't rush to leave.

One lay down, the other sat, not speaking but silently being there for each other.

It wasn't until Oliver cried himself to sleep that Ethan and I left the bar.

As Frank saw us out, he kept trying to smooth things over. "Ethan, you saw it too. Oliver doesn't disregard us. He's just heartbroken and in a bad mood, acting crazy. Don't hold it against him."

Ethan pulled his coat tighter and said calmly, "I know."

In the car, I suggested going back to Broadway Alley.

Back at the old house, I stood in front of my parents' portraits for a while, then took out a feather duster to clean the dust off them.

After that, I went to my old bedroom and pulled out a box from under the bed.

The box was covered in dust, and touching it left a handprint.

Inside the box were some small items. I found a bag and carefully packed them up.

"What are these?" Ethan asked, sitting on the bed.

As I packed, I said, "These are all the gifts Bella has given me over the years-birthday gifts, New Year gifts, all sorts."

I picked up a kaleidoscope from the box, and my thoughts drifted away.

"This was the first gift Bella gave me. I took her in when she ran away from home, and we became good friends. Leonard bought this kaleidoscope abroad and gave it to her, and she gave it to me. As a kid, I loved new toys and treasures like this. I carried it everywhere and never got tired of its few patterns."

I told Ethan the story behind each item. Each gift had a story, witnessing the growth of my friendship with Bella.

I took these things back to the villa and carefully stored them.

Because I was really afraid I might never see her again, these little things became my only mementos, the only reminders of our friendship.

Lying in bed, my mind was in turmoil, constantly worrying about Bella's whereabouts.

This worry weighed on my heart, almost suffocating me.

I didn't know when I fell asleep. But when I woke up, I found Ethan wasn't beside me.

I went downstairs and didn't see him. Opening the door, I found his car was gone too.

I hadn't heard a sound when he left.

I didn't go back to bed but sat in the living room.

I turned on the TV, not really watching, but the sound made the villa feel less empty.

At dawn, I heard a car outside. He was back.

When he came in and saw me sitting on the couch, he was slightly surprised. "Why are you up so early?"

"When did you leave? Where did you go?" I asked instead of answering.

He sat down on the couch, leaned back, and closed his eyes, looking very tired. "I had some things to take care of."

He didn't say what specifically, and I didn't press further.

When I finished making breakfast, there was a loud knock on the door.

Clearly, the person was angry, as they didn't use the doorbell.

Ethan had fallen asleep on the couch and was startled awake by the noise.

"I'll get it," I said.

As soon as I opened the door, Richard stormed in without a word.

Wasn't he supposed to be in the hospital?

Ethan had just stood up when Richard landed a heavy punch on him. "Ethan, fuck!"