As he recalled how she had repeatedly mistaken him for Theodore, Holden’s expression turned sour with resentment, almost a
hint of jealousy towards this man.
But then he paused and scolded himself for feeling jealous of a man who was no longer alive. Still, his curiosity lingered. An idea
crossed his mind, and he reached into a drawer, retrieving a bracelet he had stumbled upon years ago at the hospital.
Comparing the pendant and the bracelet, he was taken aback to discover that the engraved initials on them were exactly the
same.
Holden held both objects in his palm, still somewhat amazed at how strangely they matched.
Many years ago, acting upon Devin’s advice, Holden had left the bracelet at the lost and found desk in the hospital, hoping its
owner would reclaim it. Surprisingly, even after his own discharge three months later, the bracelet hadn’t been claimed.
Just as Holden was about to leave the hospital, he saw a nurse about to discard the bracelet into the trash, alongside other
unclaimed items that had been laying around for over three months.
Angela’s Library
Driven by an inexplicable urge, Holden saved the bracelet from its imminent disposal. He discreetly tucked it away and had kept
it safe all these years.
As Holden looked at the two objects resting in his hand, he recalled that Ariana’s husband had tragically lost his life in a car
accident five years earlier.
Though reluctant to accept such a coincidence, Holden couldn’t help but wonder if Ariana’s late husband had been involved in
the very same fateful incident.
After contemplating for a while, Holden carefully stowed away the bracelet, planning to broach the subject with Ariana at the
appropriate time.
If his conjecture were correct, it seemed likely that this special bracelet had once belonged to her late husband. If that were the
case, then Holden felt he should return it to its rightful owner.
Ariana woke up the next morning, feeling rejuvenated and renewed. The TV show’s producers had decided to delay the
recording for a day following the traumatic events of their kidnapping and Rollingrock Media’s abrupt withdrawal from the
competition.
With this unexpected break, Ariana took the chance to send her son, Melon, off to a summer camp she had previously enrolled
him in.
As he prepared to leave, Melon gave his mother some careful instructions. He stood with his hands on his hips, imitating a
grown-up’s authority.
“You must eat properly while I’m away and not skip meals because you’re busy,” he advised.
“And be careful not to get your wounded arm wet, or it’ll hurt a Lot. When I come back, I’ll examine you closely and weigh you on
the scale to make sure you haven’t lost a lot of weight.”
Seeing her son take on such a serious demeanor as the little man of the house moved Ariana deeply.
“Right, right, I’ll allow you to examine me thoroughly when you get back, my dear,” Ariana reassured and squatted down to ruffle
Melon’s silky hair affectionately. With arms wide open, Melon embraced her tightly and promised, “I’ll be well-behaved at summer
camp, so you must take good care of yourself, Mommy.”
“I will, my darling.” Ariana planted a kiss on his chubby cheek and sent him off to board the waiting camp bus.
She watched as Melon boarded the bus with his little backpack, feeling her heart grow heavier with each step he took away from
her.
Melon kept turning to eagerly wave through the bus window until a cheerful. camp counselor directed him to his seat. He pressed
his small face against the glass, offering a final goodbye to Ariana.
With a brave smile, Ariana waved back until the bus rumbled down the street and vanished from sight. Only then did she get into
her car, determined to check on preparations for the upcoming show rehearsals.
The third episode was scheduled to be filmed live the next day in the evening, with a full rehearsal set for this afternoon. She
needed to make sure everything went as planned.
Upon arriving at the studio, she saw it was Tom’s turn to rehearse on stage. Ariana observed from below and was confident that
Tom wouldn’t encounter any issues.