“Sure!”
After dropping Sonia off at home, Ariana checked the time. The afternoon interview was still a few hours away. Deciding to take
Melon back home briefly to tidy up, Ariana began her tasks.
Once back home, Ariana helped Melon get cleaned up and changed, and then headed to the bathroom for her own shower.
She slowly peeled off her wrinkled clothing, catching her reflection in the mirror and pausing. Angry red marks littered her body,
some darkening into bruises that would take time to fade.
These marks triggered hazy memories of the passion from the previous night, but the details remained elusive. She strained to
remember the mystery man’s face, but only Theodore’s features came to her mind.
She questioned her sanity. How could that man be Theodore? She couldn’t recall the stranger’s identity, not a single feature.
Deep shame washed over her along with disbelief that she had pictured
Theodore’s face during intimacy with another.
The more she dwelled on it, the more agitated she became. She stepped into the shower. The hot water calmed her skin and
cleared her head.
Part of her was relieved that the man had left before she woke.
Being spared from seeing him allowed her to hold onto her fantasies a little longer.
Since she couldn’t identify him, Ariana tried to convince herself it was just a dream, a way to ease her guilty conscience.
Then she realized, the man had awoken first. He must have seen her face already.
Ariana splashed water on her face and stared at her reflection.
Desperation filled her, hoping the stranger’s path would never cross hers again. Praying that if he recognized her, he would
pretend not to know.
Her gaze shifted to her bare wrist, the loss of the pendant still stinging. Searching for it on the massive cruise ship seemed futile
now. She had seen the crew cleaning as she disembarked. The tiny pendant would be lost among all the clutter.
Lost in thought, Ariana traced the spot on the bracelet where the pendant used to reside. Its absence left an ache inside her that
deepened as thoughts of Theodore emerged.
Overwhelmed by sorrow, she sought refuge under the shower’s spray, tears mingling with the water as they streamed down her
cheeks.
Ariana swiftly dried her face, attempting to regain composure.
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