Ariana found herself under the weight of a gaze she couldnât shake off, feeling like she was caught in the act of something she hadnât done.
The discomfort swirled inside her, leaving her unsure of her next move.
She couldnât bring herself to meet Holdenâs eyes.
Just when she was trying to muster up something to break the silence, a cold huff interrupted her thoughts.
Holden moved to sit on the sofa, his expression stormy.
With her heart pounding and a sense of guilt creeping up, Ariana cleared her throat and edged closer to Holden.
In a voice barely above a whisper, she asked, âWhatâs going on? Why the silence? Have you decided weâre not fighting anymore?â
Holden shot her a frosty look and kept his silence.
Ariana had initially brushed off the matter with the phone call as a product of Holdenâs baseless accusations and jealousy.
Yet, after the call, she felt guilty.
She approached Holden tentatively, tugging at his sleeve.
âAre you mad?â she asked.
âIâm not mad,â Holden replied, his voice icy, his face a mask of sullen jealousy.
Hearing this, Ariana hastened to explain, âThereâs truly nothing going on between Mitchel and me.
Heâs been a huge support.
I couldnât just ignore him.
If it werenât for his quick action to operate on me five years ago, I might have lost Melon or even my life.
And Melon hasnât been well.
All these years, Mitchel has been coordinating with the hospital, working on medication to stabilize Melon.
Heâs been a pillar for me for a long time.
â
Ariana kept speaking.
She didnât realize that she had praised Mitchel too much.
Initially, Holden felt a wave of gratitude towards Mitchel for his timely intervention five years ago.
Yet, as Ariana continued to elaborate on the role Mitchel had played in her life, Holdenâs emotions took a sharp turn into the realm of jealousy.
He was envious that Mitchel had been the one by Arianaâs side these years.
As Ariana continued to praise Mitchel, Holden reached a breaking point.
Overwhelmed by a mixture of feelings, he leaned forward and captured Arianaâs lips in a ki*s.
Ariana, caught off guard, attempted to push him away without success.
The warmth from his lips left her feeling both weakened and numb, and she found herself surrendering to the moment, her eyes closed.
Her clothing was removed with care as Holden peppered her skin with ki*ses.
Ariana felt his embrace tighten as he continued to ki*s her gently on her body.
Holdenâs eyes, burning with desire, watched her intently.
He then deepened their ki*s, causing Arianaâs face to flush and her body to soften under his touch.
This moment, so intense and familiar, transported Ariana back to a night on a cruise ship, jolting her back to reality.
She pushed Holden away a bit and said, âWait a minute.
â
At her interjection, Holden, puzzled, ceased his actions and looked at her, his curiosity piqued.
âWhatâs the matter?â
Ariana, now on the verge of tears, finally mustered the courage to reveal her past encounter.
âBefore⦠When I was at a dinner party on a cruise shipâ¦â
She hesitantly recounted the night she had been drugged and ended up in the wrong room, leading to a one night stand with a stranger.
Her voice faded to a whisper, and she could not bring herself to meet Holdenâs gaze.
To her surprise, Holden responded not with anger but with affection, sealing his understanding with a ki*s.
He gazed at her tenderly, saying, âActually⦠That man was me.
â
âWhat?â Ariana was left stunned by Holdenâs words.
Before she could process what he had said, Holden ki*sed her again.
She still harbored burning questions.
Why was Holden the man from that night? How had he come to know she was the woman in that room?