This interruption recurred, but Ariana took it in stride.
âItâs alright,â she assured him, âAttend to your family.
Weâre fine here.
â
With a brief nod and an apologetic look, Mitchel dashed off.
Melon, in the meantime, sat engrossed in the grandeur around him.
When he tried to place his juice back on the table, a slight miscalculation resulted in it cascading over Arianaâs skirt.
âIâm so sorry, Mommy!â Melonâs eyes widened in alarm.
âItâs alright, darling,â Ariana consoled, patting her wet skirt.
âStay here and behave while I clean up, okay? No wandering off.
â
Promising to stay put, Melon watched his mother make her way to the restroom.
As Ariana exited, refreshed, she wandered close to the terrace.
And there, in a fleeting moment, a familiar silhouette caught her attention.
As Ariana caught sight of the recognizable silhouette, her astonishment bubbled forth.
âJudy?â she breathed out.
Judy, recognizing the voice, spun around.
A wave of astonishment washed over her features, quickly replaced by tears of emotion.
Without a second thought, she rushed to Ariana, wrapping her in a heartfelt embrace.
It had been half a decade since their last meeting, and Judyâs heart had ached for Ariana throughout.
Fate, however, had kept their paths separate until this serendipitous moment.
Ariana, equally moved, struggled to hold back her own tears.
âHow did you come to be with the Chadwicks?â she inquired.
Drying her tears, Judy replied, âAfter the Anderson mansion was sold, we, the staff, were all let go.
But fortune smiled on me when a friend introduced me to the Chadwicks.
Iâve been serving as their housekeeper since then.
Lifeâs been kind.
How about you? How have you been after.
.
after everything?â
Judy hesitated before touching upon the delicate subject of Theodore.
âFive years is a long time, Ariana.
Havenât you considered moving on?â
A shadow of sorrow clouded Arianaâs features.
âNo,â she whispered.
Holding back her own tears, Judy softly said, âI miss him too.
But we need to live for the present.
Life still has so much to offer.
â
Sensing Judyâs intention to offer her solace, Ariana steered the conversation to lighter topics.