Chapter 1251: Chapter 1259

“Could this be a dream? Will you vanish when I wake up?”

Holden’s heart trembled, and he gripped Ariana’s hand firmly.

He responded earnestly, “I won’t leave.

I’m here, and I won’t go away.

”

Convinced that he was real and not a figment, Ariana could no longer suppress her tears.

She buried herself in his embrace, crying as if deeply wronged.

“I missed you terribly, so much! I always believed you wouldn’t abandon me.

But people thought I was daft, and even I questioned my sanity.

I couldn’t tell longing from reality.

I yearned for you deeply!”

Holden held her tightly, his heart constricting, breaths coming harder.

“I’m sorry.

I’m really sorry!” he murmured repeatedly, eyes reddening, his voice choking.

Bowing his head, he gently ki*sed Ariana’s head, cradling her delicately, as though holding a fragile, invaluable treasure.

At that moment, he felt the missing shard of his soul slot back in, the emptiness in his heart being filled.

After a prolonged bout of tears, Ariana gradually composed herself.

She disentangled herself from Holden’s embrace, tears still blurring her gaze, staring at him with mixed emotions.

“But you’ve seen me before.

Why didn’t you recognize me? It’s been five years, and you’ve never tried to find me,” she said, a sob hitching in her voice, her reddened eyes fixed on him.

“And now, what should I call you, Holden or Theodore?” she asked.

Holden clung to Ariana’s hand, his gaze locked onto her as if he aimed to imprint every detail of her being into his memory.

“I am Holden, and I am also Theodore,” he said, placing a gentle ki*s on the back of her hand before exhaling deeply.

“Five years ago, after that car accident, I lost my memory.

I woke up with no recollection, and my grandfather was the only one by my side.

”

Ariana was stunned, hit by his revelation.

For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

Holden continued, “When I came to, I was Holden.

My grandfather, Devin, and the whole family painted a picture that I was the crown jewel of the Fredrick family.

They conveniently didn’t mention anything about my past and just fed me the narrative that I’d been groomed as the Fredrick scion since the get-go.

”

With a self-deprecating chuckle, Holden added, “Everything I saw and heard was a stage play they had orchestrated.

But deep down, I sensed something missing.

Those Lost memories? They Left a hole in my soul.

I tried to dig them up, but it was like chasing a ghost.

For five years, I’ve felt like I’m stuck in a vacuum, hearing nothing.

I’m really sorry.

”

Ariana’s heart twinged at his words.

She reached out, fingers grazing his hair as she asked, “But why the transformation into Holden? Why keep me a secret? What’s the deal?”

As Ariana posed these questions, she recollected those moments with Holden five years ago, noting the peculiarities.

A suspicion brewed in her mind.

Was Theodore playing a trick on her?