The moment Ariana saw the landline phone in Melonâs hand, her heart skipped a beat.
Realization washed over her.
Her son had discovered something amiss, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.
As she had feared, Melon broke into tears upon seeing her.
âMommy, you lied to me.
You gave me a fake number,â he accused.
Ariana found herself unable to speak.
She opened her mouth, but her throat felt parched and constricted.
An unspoken bitterness lingered there.
The number wasnât fake; it had simply been disconnected.
And the man who once owned that number, Melonâs father, had indeed been real.
Tears streaming down his face, Melon gasped for breath, looking utterly heartbroken.
From the moment the call failed to connect, heâd sensed that something was wrong.
Choking back sobs, he questioned Ariana, âDoes Daddy not want me? Did you lie to protect me from the truth?â
Ariana was devastated.
Melon had always been mature for his age and had never broken down like this before.
Pulling him into a comforting embrace, she took a moment to compose herself.
Finally, her voice quivering, she assured him, âDaddy does want you, Melon.
â
Still clinging to Ariana, Melon managed to ask through hiccups, âThen why hasnât he come back? Why doesnât he call me?â
Ariana felt at a loss for words.
Thoughts of Theodore weighed her down Like a massive boulder, making it difficult even to breathe.
Her eyes reddened as tears began to well up, and she fought to suppress a torrent of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.
âMommy promises you, Daddy does want you.
Heâll call you very soon, alright?â Ariana managed to say, her voice tinged with tenderness.
Despite her reassurances, Melonâs tears flowed unabated.
Finally, exhaustion won out, and he fell asleep in her arms, his cheeks still wet.
After putting Melon to bed, Ariana found herself alone in the dark living room.
Sitting in a daze on the couch, she felt the emotions sheâd worked so hard to suppress come flooding back with even greater intensity.
Her emotional defenses crumbled.
She covered her mouth to stifle her sobs as her body shook uncontrollably.
Sliding off the couch onto the floor, she gave in to her tears.
Memories of her time with Theodore morphed into sharp thorns, each thought pricking at her heart and causing such agony that even breathing became a struggle.
Ariana cried for an extended period before finally regaining her composure.
She wiped away her tears and slowly rose to her feet.
The phone issue still needed to be addressed.
After some thought, she realized that her male friends, already familiar to Melon, wouldnât serve as convincing substitutes for a call from his father.
Picking up her phone, Ariana had an idea.
She would hire a male voice actor from a gig platform that offered same-day payment to make the call.
She quickly found a reputable platform online and posted her request.
To maintain her privacy, she offered only a basic description of the task at hand and specified that the actor needed to be available for work immediately the next day.