Love’s Final Reveal

Sunlight pierced through the window at dawn.

After waking up, the man slowly stretched his sore neck. Instinctively, he looked towards the bed, and his heart skipped a beat. The blood–stained bed was empty, and the room’s door stood wide open.

“Eric!” He called out loudly, rushing out to a few people sleeping in their sleeping bags. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“She’s gone.

Everyone yawned and woke up, crawling out of their sleeping bags at the sound of his voice. At that moment, their concern wasn’t that Lola escaped, but that she would surely die outside.

The massive iron gate was slightly ajar. They hurried out. The factory was located in a remote area, surrounded by either mountains and forests or farmlands and rivers. Just as they were about to search the surroundings, they spotted a fragile figure coming out from the jungle in the distance, slowly approaching

Lola was still wearing a blood–stained blue–striped hospital gown. Her long hair draped over her shoulder in plaits, and she cradled a bundle of firewood in her arms.

“You all awake?”

Lola approached and greeted them with a smile.

The group silently observed the woman before them. Her face and hands were freshly washed, her hair combed with care, and her delicate features, though still pale, showed a hint of life. She was a far cry from the crazed woman they had encountered the previous night.

“You didn’t leave?” one of the men asked in surprise.

Lola slightly lowered her head before looking up at the group.

“I have nowhere to go. Would it be okay if I stayed here for a few days?”

The group was speechless.

It was their first time hearing a hostage ask their captors for shelter. This person was once the lady of the Mitchell family, now the lady of the Sinclair family, and the wife of the CEO of the Sinclair Group.

In the spacious factory, Brian and others were playing poker. Although it had rained, the weather was rather hot at the

moment.

Nearby, a fire crackled with the sound of burning wood. The high flames warmed the surroundings. Everyone else kept as much distance as they could from the fire, except for Lola. She hugged her knees, sitting quietly beside the fire pit.

Eric glanced over and walked towards her.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

Lola seemed to be puzzled by Eric’s question, so she threw a confused, blank look at him.

Eric hesitated for a moment before sitting next to Lola, enduring the heat as he turned to the woman beside him. “You are the Mitchells adopted daughter, aren’t you? How come you don’t have a place to go?”

“My foster mother accidentally lost her own child and was depressed all the time. So my foster father brought me

436 PM D

home to help her overcome her grief. But after they found their child, I had nowhere to go.”

Lola’s voice was soft, her words simple yet tinged with sadness.

Eric nodded and casually said, “So, they just used you as a crutch and then cast you aside?”

The word “Used” drained the color from Lola’s face, her body trembling as if chilled.

“What about your own family!”

Eric asked again, deliberately avoiding mentioning the Sinclair family.

“Family?” Lola looked at Eric blankly and then shook her head. “I don’t have any family. I woke up in Mitchell Villa, and that’s where my memories start. My foster father told me he found me unconscious on a country road.”

Eric actually wanted to ask why Lola became distraught at the sound of thunder and why she resisted going to the hospital, but he didn’t voice these questions.

In the afternoon, Brian handed Lola a phone.

“Call Dominick, tell him you’ve been abducted, and ask him to come get you.”

Lola looked at the phone in her hands, then lifted her head hesitantly. “Do I have to make the call? Dominick won’t pay any ransom for me. How about I sign a contract instead? I’ll pay you back once

I’ve earned the money.”

Brian sighed as he looked at Lola, took the phone himself, dialed a number, and put it on speaker before handing it back to Lola. The ringtone echoed from the phone, but it was quickly cut off as the call was disconnected. “Hello, the number you have dialed…

Lola looked up at Brian.

“Keep dialing.” Brian simply uttered.

Lola seemed hesitant, but eventually dialed the number again and put it on speakerphone. This time, the call wasn’t ended. After ringing for a while, it was answered, and a familiar voice came through, sending a pang in Lola’s heart.

“Hello?”

Lola bit her lower lip lightly, pausing before tentatively speaking.

“I’ve been abducted, can you come to get me?”

Seemingly surprised to hear Lola, the person on the other end, hesitated for a moment before responding with cold, detached words through the phone.

“Jessie just fell asleep. I can’t leave right now.”

Before Lola could utter another word, the call was abruptly ended.

Even though she knew it was the truth and had anticipated this outcome, Lola’s face turned pale in an instant. The fire nearby blazed, offering a fierce warmth, yet she felt as if she were plunged into an icy lake, a chill seeping deep into her bones.

Eventually, Brian and the others couldn’t bear to see her like this and took Lola to a bus station in the city. As she was leaving, Eric slipped 20 dollars into her hand.

Take a cab. Don’t wait for the bus”

4.35 PM

Lola looked at the 20 dollars in her hand, tears instantly blurring her vision. She hadn’t expected that in this cold summer, the person to offer her a glimmer of warmth would be the men who abducted her, and the place where she could catch a moment’s breath would be the factory where she was held captive.

Lola didn’t return to Sinclair Manor. She went to the Mitchells instead.

The Sinclairs now saw her as an outcast. Not just Frank or his wife, but even the servants looked at her with hatred and disgust as if they wanted to tear her apart.

As a noble household, the Mitchell family might not match the Sinclair family in wealth, but they held considerable prestige in Talondria.

Their villa was an understated luxury. Lola reached the front door and pressed several digits on the keypad based on her memory, but the door beeped in response, and a screen flashed “Incorrect“. She tried again and again, but nothing worked.

Left with no choice, Lola rang the doorbell.

After a while, the door finally opened. The housekeeper, Mary Brown was taken aback by Lola at the doorstep.

“Ms. Mitchell, what brings you here?”

Mary talked like Lola was a total stranger, nothing related to the Mitchells.

“I came to see my foster parents!”

Lola forced a smile, her mouth twisting awkwardly. The young lady of the Mitchell family, Brittany, had forbidden her from calling them mom and dad.

*Ms. Brittany Mitchell is performing at Helionova today, and both Mr. Mitchell and Mrs. Mitchell accompanied her

there.”

George Mitchell’s wife, Sarah Mitchell, was a renowned violinist, and their biological daughter, Brittany, naturally inherited her genes. At a young age, she had already shown remarkable talent, quickly making a name for herself. As a fresh graduate, she was already performing on the stage for high society.

“Ms. Mitchell, would you like to come in?” Mary asked, blocking the doorway.

Lola shook her head and decided to leave Mitchell Villa. She had only taken a few steps when the door behind her closed with a thud. Lola paused momentarily, then continued walking

Ever since Brittany returned, George and his wife have become cold and distant towards her. She had also lost the privilege to stay in their house. She either stayed at school or worked various jobs, rarely returning to the Mitchells. Yet, she would visit them during the holidays with some gifts as a token of gratitude for their years of kindness.

Having left the villa area, Lola paused under a large tree at the crossroads. The ground, wet from the rain, was covered with a layer of osmanthus flowers. A breeze stirred, and somehow, she could

see two children appear under the osmanthus tree on a similarly cold and rainy night…