“What happened? Why is it so sudden?” Holden’s tone softened as he gently inquired.

He couldn’t bring himself to believe the explanation Ariana had given him.

Had she genuinely experienced a change of heart, she would not have bothered concealing the identity
of Melon’s father before.

Something he was unaware of must have happened.

Ariana took a breath to steady her emotions and spoke.

“It’s nothing. I just feel that continuing like this isn’t the solution.”
novelbin

A moment of vulnerability slipped through as she choked up, yet she mustered a smile and continued,
“No one can live in the past forever, right? It’s been such a long time already. I think it’s time that I move
on as well. I have to start rebuilding my life. It’s better to tell Melon the truth sooner rather than later. It’s
a good thing for both Melon and me, a way to turn a new leaf and start anew.”

Holden listened in silence as she spoke.

For some reason, the weight of each sentence pressed on his heart like a heavy boulder, so much so
that he felt it difficult to breathe.

Attempting to lighten the mood, Ariana added, “On the bright side, I’m not going to be pestering you
anymore. Isn’t that great? Besides, now that I’m starting fresh, maybe I’ll fall in love again and start a
new life on my own. I also wish you well and hope you find happiness soon.”

The realization struck Holden that she sought to sever ties completely. His heart felt like it was being
squeezed, and a deafening scream echoed from deep within him. He wanted to reject the idea of

drawing a clear boundary with her. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t want their paths to diverge
completely.

Though it wrenched his heart, Holden understood that he couldn’t have a say in the matter. Sadie stood
as an insurmountable barrier between them.

A profound sense of powerlessness washed over Holden as he sat on the sofa with the phone to his
ear. His mouth opened, a feeble attempt to voice a rebuttal or plea, but ultimately, no words found their
way out. All he managed was a faint “okay” as a response before swiftly changing the subject.

A N G E L A ‘s L I B R A R Y

Ariana continued to chat with him for a while before hanging up.

As if he were numb, the hand in which Holden was holding the phone slowly lowered from his ear, and
he stared at the screen displaying the call had ended. He sat there for quite some time as a lingering
daze enveloped him.

Despite the situation, Holden clung to a resolve. He firmly decided that he wouldn’t completely cut ties
with Ariana like this. He didn’t want her to completely vanish from his life as if they never knew each
other.

He couldn’t even fathom what would happen if Ariana and he were complete strangers.

Holden sat there, caught in a daze, reminiscing about every Little detail related to Ariana. From their
one-night stand to the time they shared up until now, he thought about everything concerning her.

Amidst his thoughts, Holden suddenly recalled the photo of Theodore and Ariana that Melon had
shown him before. When he came to his senses, he already found himself looking at the photo on his
phone, his fingers impulsively brushing against it.

Holden looked at the photo and saw the warmth and happiness emanating from the moment it was
captured. He gazed Lingered on Ariana’s bright smile in the picture for a long time before slowly
shifting to the person who had captured Ariana’s heart: Theodore.