While still contemplating her response, Ariana hesitated momentarily before saying, âBut Adele is just a kid.
She doesnât grasp the ins and outs.
Even if adults make errors, we shouldnât toss the blame on the little ones.
Sheâs innocent.
And letâs be real.
Adeleâs already got the short end of the stick with Sadie as a mom, hasnât she?â
Soniaâs expression softened at the recollection of Sadieâs maltreatment towards Adele.
âSonia, please let me go! Itâs risky for Adele to be out there alone, and she called me.
I canât just turn a blind eye,â Ariana pleaded, tugging at Soniaâs sleeve.
Sonia let out a sigh, mulling over the innocent voice on the phone and Arianaâs heartfelt plea.
Finally, she relented, saying, âHave the nurse pull out your needle, and Iâll get the car.
â
They quickly arrived at the cake shopâs location.
While heading there, Ariana texted Holden the address and asked him to come get Adele.
Arriving at the cake shop, Sonia parked the car.
Ariana, still anxious, decided to venture inside alone.
She saw Adele sitting quietly by the window as soon as she walked in.
In front of her was a small, exquisite cake on a table.
Adele didnât eat the cake, but she was gazing at it.
Ariana went over to Adele, but before she could even call her, a cake store employee stopped her, crossing her arms and giving Ariana a wary look.
âWho are you?â she questioned.
Adele looked over before Ariana could explain herself and called out, âAria!â
Then, she sprung off the chair and began to wrap her arms around Arianaâs waist.
The employee relaxed and smiled at Ariana upon seeing that.
âOh, so youâre the childâs mother,â she said.
âIâ¦â Ariana wanted to explain to the employee in the cake shop that she had misunderstood her.
But before she could say anything, the employee interrupted her.
âs
âI saw the little girl standing in front of the store all day.
She was just looking at the cakes in the window.
After a while, I went out to ask her where she lived, but she didnât answer.
I couldnât bring myself to leave such a young child outside alone, so I took her in first,â the employee explained.
Ariana nodded her head in thanks and didnât give any further explanations.
Seeing how comfortable and familiar Adele seemed with her, she believed that trying to clarify the misunderstanding would probably only create more confusion.
With a warm smile on her face, the employee waved her hand dismissively.
âThis little girl is very sweet, just not very talkative.
I asked her several questions, which she did not answer.
It was after much effort that she finally told me that today was her birthday.
So I gave her a little cake to celebrate her birthday.
I just canât understand why she didnât touch it at all.
She just held that cake the whole time, staring at it without saying a word.
â
âI could see in her eyes that she wanted to eat this cake, yet she didnât take a single bite.
When I asked her, she kept saying she was expecting âAriaâ.
I didnât really understand what she meant and honestly, I was a little overwhelmed by the situation.
Finally, I asked her if she knew any phone numbers I could call,â she added.
Hearing this brought tears to Arianaâs eyes.
She was so moved to know that Adele had been thinking of her all this time.
Ariana had also become very attached to Adele, and she even found herself wishing that Adele was her daughter.