This adorable accessory was the only embellishment on the austere black phone, and it seemed entirely out of character for Theodore.

Ariana was behind this cute addition, no doubt.

And the fact that Theodore allowed it to adorn his phone and hadn't removed it irked Helen even more.

In that moment, Helen yearned to rip the charm off and crush it beneath her heel.

Yet, she held herself back, aware that Theodore would soon return to retrieve his phone.

Theodore hadn't visited her since her fall down the stairs.

It was only today, using the pretext of her recurring heart condition and Marley's keepsake, that she had managed to coax him into coming.

She couldn't risk driving him away over a trinket.

Wearing an intense expression, Helen traced the scar on her face, her resentment for Ariana growing exponentially.

Why was it that she had to pay such a high price while Ariana was able to be with Theodore effortlessly?

She refused to accept it. Why could Ariana be with him?

Her face contorted with rage. She wished that fucking Ariana could go to the hell!

No, Ariana shouldn't get off that easily. She must suffer first.

Helen tightened her grip on the pendant, staring down at it. A moment of lucidity came over her and she hastily unclasped the rabbit charm, inserting a small, black chip into it.

After securing the charm, Helen moved to sit by the window, cradling the phone in one hand and a blue teddy bear in the other. It was akin to the one in Theodore's car, but it bore the scars of time and knife marks.

Resting her head against the cool glass, Helen gazed outside and pressed a button on the teddy bear's belly.

A sweet, female voice resonated from within the toy.

“Theodore, you never expected I would hide the words I longed to share with you within this teddy bear, did you?"

Helen's lips twisted into a sly grin at the sound of Marley's voice

She stared blankly into space, perfectly echoing the words issuing from the teddy bear's hidden recorder.