âFeeling better now?â Ariana asked, her cheeks flushed as she wiped a trace of moisture from Holdenâs Lips.
Holden caught her hand, his gaze intense with barely contained desire.
âIâd feel even better if you kissed me a little longer,â he said.
Before Ariana could respond, Holden captured her lips again, his hands roaming her body until she grew weak in his arms.
After a while, he finally released her.
.
.
Library
Seeing Arianaâs flushed face and improved spirits, Holden felt his own mood Lighten considerably.
Ariana, on the other hand, felt a twinge of regret.
She thought she shouldnât have tried to comfort Holden with a kiss; he had taken full advantage of the situation.
âYouâre still recovering,â Holden said, his tone shifting to one of concern.
âYou need to rest and keep your wound dry.
â
He launched into a list of precautions before adding, âAs for the scar, donât worry.
With todayâs advanced medical technology, Iâll find the best experts to minimize it.
â
Ariana appeared to be listening, but her mind had already drifted away.
She interrupted Holdenâs words with a question that had been nagging at her.
âIt has been so long.
Have you heard any news about Melon?â
Holden fell silent for a moment.
He shook his head, his voice tinged with frustration.
âWeâve combed through every building around Mercy Hospital.
Still no sign of Melon.
â
Arianaâs lips tightened.
She was not surprised by this.
Moss had orchestrated Melonâs kidnapping, after all.
If he could slip past the hospitalâs tight security, concealing the boy would not be hard for him.
Ariana was actually more scared of another thing.
Moss was unpredictable, while Melon was painfully honest.
Ariana feared the childâs innocence might provoke Moss into inflicting the same torment she had endured in the metal house.
The memory of that searing agony made her shudder.
If she, an adult, could barely withstand it, how could a child like Melon bear it?
The thought made Ariana shudder.
Her hands trembled as she clung to Holden.
âYou are a patient now.
What you need to do is rest instead of overthinking things.
â Holden looked at Ariana as he squeezed her hand reassuringly.
âIâll deploy more search teams.
Something tells me Moss wonât harm Melon.
â
Ariana pondered for a moment and then sighed.
âI hope youâre right.
â
Just then, their conversation was interrupted by Holdenâs phone.
An unknown number flashed on the screen.
Puzzled, Holden answered.
A young manâs voice rang out, âDaddy!â
Holden was stunned.
Why would someone this age call him âDaddyâ?