Withered Yet Freed

Lucy pressed her hands together and made a wish over the candles on the cake. "I hope that every year from now on, Nelson will celebrate my birthday with me."

After saying this, she gazed at Nelson with tender affection and asked softly, "Nelson, is that possible?"

Nelson looked at her adoringly and agreed without hesitation. People around them started chanting, "Kiss, kiss..."

After watching the video, Sarah let out a small laugh.

So this was why he had rushed to leave the hospital early and blocked all messages—to celebrate Lucy's birthday?

Sarah wanted to laugh at herself. Even though she had seen through everything, she still couldn't help considering his feelings when problems arose.

How ironic.

The next day, Sarah woke up very early.

Nelson came through the door and seemed surprised to see her sitting up in bed, playing with her phone. "You're up early today?"

Sarah made a small sound of agreement and silently got out of bed, heading to the bathroom.

Nelson watched her go, somehow feeling that her gaze toward him was unusually detached.

He found it strange.

Following Sarah to the bathroom door, he hugged her from behind, resting his head on the back of her neck. He pulled an elegant box from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Open it," he said with a smile.

Sarah didn't look at the box. After washing up, she slipped out of his embrace and left the bathroom.

Seeing her indifferent expression, Nelson paused, then opened the jewelry box himself and placed it in front of her. "That bracelet you kept mentioning—I had it custom-made. Do you like it?"

Sarah, drying her face, glanced at it and nodded. "It's nice."

Her response was so perfunctory that Nelson was momentarily stunned. Taking her hand, he asked, "Why aren't you happy? Is it because I didn't tell you about my discharge yesterday? The company suddenly had something urgent, so..."

"Yes, I understand," Sarah interrupted, pulling her hand away.

Her behavior was so unusual that Nelson suddenly felt uneasy. He suggested, "You've been running back and forth taking care of me while I was in the hospital. Let me take you out for a while."

Sarah wanted to refuse—she needed to go to the hospital to reschedule her procedure and had no time to go out with him. But Nelson didn't give her a chance to speak. He simply found some clothes for her to wear and took her out.

All day long, he accompanied her shopping, bought her jewelry, specifically took her to see the most popular movie, and even made reservations at her favorite restaurant.

Sarah's feelings were complex. She couldn't understand what he was thinking.

Wasn't Lucy the only one in his heart and mind? Why was he suddenly treating her this way?

After shopping, Nelson took her to the Golden Pavilion Club.

In the past, he had only called her to pick him up when he was drunk—he had never brought her along to meet his friends.

Today, however, he brought her with him. In the private room, he even made a point of introducing her to his friends.

"Well, look at that! Nelson has finally decided to bring his little girlfriend out for us to meet. How rare!"

Someone else chimed in teasingly, "Such a formal introduction—could wedding bells be in the air?"

Nelson, with his arm half around Sarah, replied, "Cut the chatter. Get your wedding gifts ready. You guys will be the first to know when I tie the knot..."

Halfway through his sentence, the door to the private room opened. It was Lucy.

Nelson's words caught in his throat, and his expression suddenly changed.

Lucy looked at the two of them, smiled, and walked in. Looking at Nelson, she said, "Nelson, you're getting married? When? Make sure to send me an invitation. Don't forget."

Her unexpected appearance seemed to catch Nelson off guard. He removed his arm from around Sarah and replied awkwardly, "Marriage is still a long way off. No rush."

Sarah wasn't oblivious. She noticed Nelson's strange reaction when he saw Lucy.

She glanced briefly at his withdrawn arm, then calmly looked away.

Sarah wasn't familiar with Nelson's friends and sat by herself, out of place with everything around her.

As everyone drank and played games, getting into the spirit of things, someone suddenly brought the conversation back to Sarah. "Since this is the first time Nelson's ever brought his girlfriend to hang out with us, why don't we all drink a toast with her?"

His suggestion was met with enthusiasm. Everyone raised their glasses toward Sarah.

Sarah's first instinct was to refuse—after all, she was pregnant. But seeing everyone looking at her, she pressed her lips together, picked up the glass with its modest amount of alcohol, and prepared to take just a small sip.

Unexpectedly, Lucy filled her glass to the brim and looked at her with a gentle smile. "We're all Nelson's best friends. What's the point of drinking together like that? Why don't each of us toast to Miss Paterson individually?"

"That's right. This is the first time Nelson's brought you here. To show our sincerity, I'll toast to you first," George said, raising his glass and approaching Sarah.

Sarah pressed her lips together. She hadn't expected Lucy and George to put her in this position. Her eyes instinctively sought out Nelson.

Nelson smiled lightly and raised his glass. "I'll drink with you."

Her heart sank. Her hand unconsciously moved to her stomach as she frowned and said, "I'm not feeling well today. I shouldn't be drinking. I'll use water instead to toast with everyone."

Nelson frowned and was about to speak when Lucy suddenly said with a smile, "Since Miss Paterson can't drink, I'll drink for her. Come on, it's been a long time since I've seen you all. Let me drink a round with you."

As she said this, she filled her glass and was about to drink when suddenly, the glass was snatched away. Nelson frowned, his tone dissatisfied. "You can't drink during your period, Lucy. Don't you have any common sense?"

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the room heard him. All eyes turned to him.