Unveiled: The Survivor's Triumph

I remember the day I lost my USB drive; Ethan said it was no big deal. But later, he secretly took apart the sink to look for it. That made me even more curious about what was on that USB drive.

"Did Ethan find it?" I asked Oliver, staring at him.

Oliver snorted, lifting one corner of his mouth in a defiant smirk. "Why don't you ask him?"

He glanced at me sideways, his drunken eyes filled with intense hostility.

"Think you can see through him? I've been his friend for years, and I still can't figure him out."

As he finished speaking, Oliver's hand rose and fell, smashing the beer bottle on the coffee table.

The beer bottle shattered with a loud explosion-like sound.

Shards of glass mixed with beer foam flew towards me. But a broad chest wrapped around me, shielding me from everything.

I looked up and, for a moment, felt like I was dreaming when I saw the familiar handsome face.

Wasn't he supposed to be at the party?

Ethan had already let go of me, stood up straight, and gently brushed the glass shards off his clothes.

"Are you crazy?" His calm voice carried no emotion. After cleaning his clothes, he pulled me up from the sofa. "Let's go."

I hadn't even taken a step when Oliver kicked the coffee table. "Explain yourself before you leave."

He had placed the drunken Bella on the sofa and stood up, looking at Ethan with a challenging gaze as if ready to confront him. Sensing the tension, I anxiously looked at them. "What's going on with you two?"

As soon as I asked, Oliver swung his fist.

Ethan sidestepped to avoid it, but Oliver immediately threw a second punch.

Ethan caught his fist, suppressing his anger. "Are you drunk?"

"I am."

Oliver kicked, hitting Ethan's knee.

Ethan, now furious, threw Oliver onto the sofa.

Lying on the sofa, Oliver pointed at the ceiling and shouted, "Tell me the truth, were you involved in framing me? Were you?"

I was shocked and looked at Ethan.

Ethan stared at him calmly. "No."

"Then how do you explain being at the scene? Even if it wasn't you, you watched me get drunk and taken away without stopping it. Is that what a good dude does?"

I was terrified, unable to believe what I was hearing.

Ethan didn't explain, remaining composed.

Oliver got up again and grabbed Ethan by the collar.

"I watched that surveillance footage dozens of times, wishing I was blind. I must have been blind to consider you a friend, you son of a bitch!"

This time, Oliver's punch landed squarely on Ethan's face.

Ethan, reaching his limit, punched back.

In an instant, they were wrestling on the ground.

"Stop fighting." I was frantic, but my pleas were in vain.

"Stop it!" Bella, lying on the sofa, weakly called out.

Bella's words were more effective than mine. As soon as Oliver heard her voice, he stopped, pushed Ethan away, and crawled over to kneel by the sofa, holding Bella's hand. "Bella, I love you! I really love you!"

Oliver's voice was hoarse, and his eyes were wet.

Bella, eyes closed, spoke softly, "Love? What good does it do?"

At that moment, Bella's phone rang, but she didn't have the strength to reach for it.

I helped her take out the phone, and as soon as I saw Zachary's name, Oliver snatched it away.

I thought he was going to answer it, and I hurried to stop him. But he just hung up and tossed the phone aside.

"Who was it?"

Bella, lying weakly on the sofa with her eyes closed, asked groggily.

I said it was Zachary, and she murmured, "Zachary?"

As soon as she said his name, Oliver kissed her.

Bella, drunk and unable to resist, was kissed passionately by Oliver, who poured all his longing and frustration into that kiss. Suddenly, he stood up and carried Bella away.

I hurriedly grabbed him. "You can't take Bella."

Oliver faced me with a stubborn and determined look.

"She wants to come with me."

I held on tightly. "She's drunk and not in her right mind, Oliver. Don't forget Bella is married. You can't hurt her."

Oliver sneered. "Perfect. If Bella cheats, she can get a divorce. I don't believe she doesn't have feelings for me."

Oliver broke free from my grip and walked away with Bella in his arms.

Panicking, I rushed in front of him to block his way.

"Oliver, have you forgotten why Bella isn't with you? You were with the woman she hates the most. If you take advantage of her while she's drunk, she'll hate you when she wakes up." Oliver froze as if struck, the stubbornness in his eyes slowly turning into resentment.

I knew my words were harsh, but I couldn't just watch him take Bella away.

After standing still for a while, he put Bella down, and I quickly took her and steadied her.

He turned around and slumped onto the sofa, his eyes vacant, hollow, and desolate.

"Ethan, from now on, you're no longer my friend."

Whoa, that was harsh!

I glanced at Ethan. He had already straightened his clothes and stared at Oliver for a bit. All his emotions seemed to settle, and he said in a low voice, "It was bound to end sooner or later. No point in forcing it." Oliver sneered. "I must've been blind; otherwise, we would've ended long ago."

They were talking so casually, but it hurt to see them like this.

They were closer than brothers. How did it come to this overnight?

Was it really like Oliver said? I didn't want to believe it.

"Let's go," Ethan called to me.

I snapped out of it and helped him carry Bella out of the bar.

Standing at the bar's entrance, I hesitated about whether to call Zachary to pick her up. But then I remembered Bella and Zachary were married in name only; I couldn't hand her over to him while she was drunk. So, Ethan and I took her home.

Bella was really out of it, letting us carry and drag her all the way. We finally managed to put her on the guest room bed.

She was in a deep sleep and didn't react to her ringing phone. Seeing it was Zachary again, I answered and told him Bella was drunk but safe at my place so he could relax.

Once Bella was sound asleep, I went back to my room.

No one was there. But I heard the sound of a lighter on the balcony, so I walked over.

Ethan, wearing a robe, stood by the railing, a cigarette between his fingers. The smoke rose quietly into the silent night.

Standing on the balcony in this snowy weather wasn't pleasant, but he didn't seem to feel the cold.

"Is what Oliver said true?" I asked, staring at his seemingly frozen back.

He stayed still for a long time before saying, "It was all a coincidence."

Life wasn't a TV drama; I really didn't believe there could be so many coincidences.

But since he said it was a coincidence, I chose to believe him.

"Then explain it to him. You've been friends for so many years. Are you really going to fall out like this?"

Ethan took a drag of his cigarette, the white smoke slowly dispersing into the night like a slow-motion movie scene.

"He's already convicted me. He won't listen to any explanation."

He took only a few puffs before flicking the cigarette off the balcony.

He turned and walked towards me, putting an arm around my shoulder.

"Let's go inside; it's cold out here."

After going inside, he went to bed first. I stood by the bed, calmly watching him.

"Did you go looking for that USB drive?"

Ethan glanced up at me, then looked down again.

"Is there something important on it?" I asked again.

He coughed lightly and pulled me to sit on the bed.

"It's some important data. Losing it wouldn't matter much, but if it falls into the wrong hands, the consequences could be serious. That's why I wanted to find it."

I thought for a moment and said, "If it fell into the sink, the chances of it ending up in someone else's hands are slim."

He smirked slightly. "I never rely on luck."

"Did you find it?"

"No."

That night, I slept in the guest room with Bella. She woke up in the middle of the night wanting water, so I got up to get it for her.

Early the next morning, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find Zachary, unexpectedly early. I let him in, and he looked around. "Bella's not up yet," I said.

Zachary nodded, and at that moment, Ethan came out of the kitchen.

Seeing Zachary, he wasn't surprised at all. He invited him to sit and even offered him a cigarette.

Zachary accepted and thanked him.

I was the one surprised. They had fought before. But now, with their wives being best friends, they had to let go of past grudges.

Soon, I heard footsteps coming downstairs.

I looked up to see Bella coming down in her pajamas, her hair a mess.

Zachary stood up and walked to the stairs. Bella stopped on the first step.

She looked like she hadn't fully woken up, tapping her head, probably feeling a headache from the hangover.

Zachary naturally took her hand down. "You just had surgery not long ago; how could you drink?"

Bella gave him a silly smile. "I was just too happy to care."

Hearing her words, I felt a bit uneasy.

Bella wasn't happy; she was heartbroken, which was why she drank so much.

Zachary gently patted her head, and Bella nuzzled against his chest, a very feminine gesture. It seemed Bella only showed such tenderness in front of Zachary. I had never seen her like this with Oliver. I thought if Bella could forget Oliver and live well with Zachary, she might be happy too.

After Bella freshened up and changed, Zachary took her away.

Before heading to Skyline International Corporation, Ethan dropped me off at Aurora's beauty center.

Around noon, I received a text message.

After hesitating for a moment, I grabbed my bag and walked out.