Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph
Chapter 186 Since You Can't Make a Decision, I'll Help You

"What?" I was floored.

Later, I tagged along with Bella to the law firm and met the girl.

She had a ponytail and looked cute, though she was pretty thin, with that fair skin typical of her age.

She was rocking a white lightweight down jacket, jeans, and white sneakers-totally looked like a college student.

As soon as we walked into the law firm, the girl stood up. She and Bella were checking each other out.

"You don't look anything like Zachary," Bella said.

The girl quickly shot back, "You misunderstood."

We spent the whole afternoon at the law firm, listening to the girl talk about her connection with Zachary.

That's when I found out Zachary wasn't actually from Starlight City.

It reminded me of a chat at the vacation resort, where Ethan had casually mentioned that Zachary didn't seem like a Starlight City native. Guess men's intuition was sharper than women's.

The girl's name was Jennifer Murphy. She grew up in an orphanage and took the surname Murphy from Zachary later on.

Zachary had been sponsoring that orphanage since she was ten. Every kid there knew him and liked him because he always brought tons of gifts whenever he visited.

Jennifer was one of the older kids in the orphanage back then. Besides being a top student, she often helped take care of the younger kids and was super responsible. Zachary frequently bought her books and school supplies, encouraging her to study hard and become someone who could help society in the future.

But life threw a curveball. When Jennifer was thirteen, she was suddenly diagnosed with acute kidney failure, and the only solution was a kidney transplant.

When Zachary heard the news, he didn't hesitate to offer one of his kidneys to Jennifer. After hospital tests, they were a match.

However, the country's donation laws had gotten stricter, requiring certain conditions for living donations.

Jennifer was an orphan and couldn't find any relatives at that time. Should she just wait to die? To save Jennifer, the then 25-year-old Zachary went through the adoption process with her. Technically, Zachary was unmarried and only 25, so adoption was also against the rules. But given the life-and-death situation, the authorities made an exception.

Zachary donated his kidney to Jennifer, successfully saving her. Jennifer, through her own efforts, got into medical school, hoping to save more people with her own hands in the future and pass on this love.

After hearing Jennifer's story, Bella said, "I did see a surgical scar on his abdomen. When I asked him, he just said it was from an appendectomy. I've had one too, and the scar is nowhere near as long as his, but I didn't push it at the time." Jennifer also mentioned that after the kidney donation surgery, Zachary signed a body donation agreement, hoping to donate his body to save lives and support medical research in the future.

In that area, people weren't really aware of organ and body donation, so Zachary was the first person there to donate his body.

Hearing this, Leonn Little got really excited.

He said, "Even nationwide, body donations are rare. Making such a decision shows a great sense of contribution and social responsibility. These materials are very important and could potentially help reduce Mr. Murphy's sentence." Hearing Leon say this, we all felt a wave of relief.

Bella immediately grabbed Jennifer's hand, her eyes shining. "Jennifer, thank you!"

Jennifer shook her head and smiled. "No, I should be the one thanking him. Without him, I wouldn't be alive today. I was abandoned as a child and then fell ill. I was once very disheartened. He gave me a second chance at life and made me feel the warmth of this world again."

Leon added that this was just an ideal guess. After all, the law made no exceptions for anyone, but he would do his best to seek a reduced sentence for Zachary.

Leon spoke cautiously, but at least it gave everyone a glimmer of hope.

Bella hugged me excitedly, saying she could finally attend my wedding with a clear conscience.

"Oh, right!" She suddenly remembered something. "I can't be your bridesmaid, but my daughter can."

She quickly assumed her role as an adoptive mother.

Jennifer looked at me with wide eyes. Understanding Bella's words, she said very shyly but politely, "I would be honored."

As we left the law firm, Bella and I left first, while Jennifer stayed to talk with Leon.

I tugged on Bella's sleeve. "Bella, you hit the jackpot, getting such a grown-up daughter for free."

Bella was quite pleased. "That's right. I'll treat her well. Being a mom isn't for nothing."

Bella was happy, not just because of Jennifer, but because Zachary had secretly done many good deeds. Despite his faults, he always tried to make up for his sins.

I believed Zachary was good at heart, likely driven by circumstances. But Leon was right: the law didn't make exceptions. Every criminal had reasons, but breaking the law meant facing consequences. We could only hope for leniency for someone who wasn't entirely bad.

I thought Bella and Jennifer could attend my wedding, but the day before, Bella told me that they had to leave because Zachary was being transferred back to his hometown.

When they left, I went to see them off, with Dennis driving me to the airport.

In the departure hall, I held Bella's hand, feeling a deep sadness.

The last time Bella left without saying goodbye, I had prepared myself. But now, as she left again, I didn't know when we would meet again.

"Bella, I hope Zachary's verdict will have a good outcome," I said.

Bella was much more optimistic than I was. "I believe it will. One thing at a time. Zachary did wrong and should be punished, but the good deeds he did should also be recognized."

I nodded heavily. "If there's a good outcome, call me. You must come back to see me."

I felt extremely sad, my nose stinging unbearably. In fact, I saw tears in Bella's eyes too, but she smiled and hooked her arm around my neck.

"Don't worry. I still need you to be the godmother of my child."

But I knew our chances of meeting again were slim.

The boarding announcement had repeated many times, and Bella and I finally parted reluctantly. Jennifer politely said goodbye to me.

After Bella went through the security checkpoint, she turned back and waved at me. She smiled so brightly, while my smile was filled with sorrow.

I knew she wasn't as carefree as she appeared; she was also feeling sad. But we smiled and said goodbye, both tacitly saving our tears for after we turned away.

We met many people in a lifetime, but true confidants were often just one or two. No one accompanied anyone for a lifetime. Perhaps we walked through joy and hardship together, but eventually, we all got lost in the crowd. As I turned to leave, I saw Oliver standing not far away.

He had his hands in his pockets, biting his lip as he looked towards the security checkpoint, looking lost.

I walked up to him, and he suddenly gave a bitter smile.

"Now we are truly strangers at the ends of the earth."

His pain, like a rising tide, also engulfed me.

I was also very sad, but I knew my sadness was different from his. My sadness contained blessings and hope, while he was only despair.

I said nothing and walked past him.

He stood there, motionless.

I thought he didn't want to be disturbed and didn't need comfort. Some wounds could only be healed by time.

Leaving the airport, Dennis drove me again.

Passing by the Grand International Hotel, I saw that the entrance was almost fully decorated, everything ready for tomorrow's grand wedding.

The banner at the entrance read, "Congratulations to Ethan and Emily on their new wedding."

It was not really a new wedding anymore.

Bella and Zachary's situation suddenly made me understand many things. Life was full of disappointments. We couldn't hold onto yesterday's happiness, nor could we predict tomorrow's fate. The only thing we could grasp was the present. Passing by the store, I grabbed some groceries.

Since I started having morning sickness, I hadn't cooked a proper meal, and the home had lost its original warmth.

Life should be lived well.

Unable to cook greasy stir-fried dishes, I made two pots of soup and some cold dishes.

When I finished cooking, it was only four o'clock. I was really too proactive.

The cold dishes were on the table, and the soup was in the pot, ready to be reheated when Ethan came back.

Bored, I turned on the TV. Entertainment news was on, and just as I was about to change the channel, a photo caught my eye.

It was a photo of a man and a woman kissing, with a hotel-like background.

The news headline read #Skyline International Corporation President Dates New Starlet on the Eve of His Wedding.

Although the woman in the photo was only shown from the back, I still recognized her as Faye.

One was a famous entrepreneur, the other a budding starlet. The whole city knew Ethan was having a grand wedding tomorrow, making this news explosive.

Such news made tomorrow's wedding and me, the bride, the biggest joke.

My vision blurred as I stared at the TV.

Then, I received an audio message from an unknown number. With trembling hands, I opened it and heard Faye's voice.

"Ethan, do you love Emily?"

"No."

"You still love Fiona, don't you?"

"Yes, I love her very much."

His voice was rich and magnetic; I couldn't be mistaken. It was impossible to be mistaken.

Ethan answered two questions both very decisively. Each word was like a sharp knife stabbing my heart.

I admitted I was too greedy. I didn't know when it started, but I wanted his love, and wanted to possess him selfishly.

In the end, it was all my wishful thinking.

Ethan was right; love and marriage both required compromise. But my compromise with him was just a cycle of hurt and forgiveness. I was really tired of it, over and over again.

His "don't love" completely shattered my will. I had no reason to persist any longer.

Like a walking corpse, I went upstairs and packed the USB drive Aurora gave me, some simple clothes, and the tape Seagull gave me. Downstairs, I wrote a note and left it on the dining table: [I'm tired! Since you can't make a decision, I'll help you.]

Dragging my suitcase, I took one last look at this luxurious villa.

I had lived here for almost a year and had really started to consider it home.

But reality told me that none of this belonged to me.

I was an unremarkable Cinderella, never meant to long for a grand castle. Now, it was time to wake up from the dream.