Ariana glanced at it and touched her locks.

"Isn't it normal to lose hair? No biggie.”

Just then, Theodore walked into the ward. Sarah and Sonia exchanged glances, tacitly excused themselves, grabbed their bags, and made a hasty retreat.

Dinner time had arrived, and Theodore brought a meal for Ariana, spoon-feeding her directly.

Ariana was taken aback and said, "My hand isn't hurt! I can eat on my own."

She tried to take the spoon, but Theodore deftly evaded her attempts “Rest is crucial now, trust me. Let me take care of you," he coaxed.

Ariana was charmed by his words, so she obediently eased, allowing Theodore to feed her.

While eating, Ariana felt a warm trickle from her nose. She reached up in confusion, and her hand was smeared with blood!

Ariana was shocked as she saw her hands smeared in her own blood. A nosebleed?

She stared at them in disbelief, fear creeping up her spine. Turning to Theodore, her voice wavered, "Theodore, what's going on with me? I'm not dying, am 1?"

“No, no, you're not," Theodore swiftly assured her, cradling her in his arms as he stemmed the bleeding.

Once it had stopped, he gently cleaned her hands.

“Don't worry, this is a reaction to the residual medication in your system. It'll pass after the surgery."

The fear didn't quite leave Ariana, and she clutched onto Theodore, her voice fragile, "The surgery won't harm the baby, will it?"

“Absolutely not," he reassured her softly.

Only when Ariana was convinced, a sigh of relief escaping her Lips, did she seem to relax. Unbeknownst to her, Theodore's expression was heavy with concern.

Later that evening, Ariana's mood had improved. She decided to watch the movie "Deep Burial", a movie that Sonia and Sarah had talked about earlier.

Although Theodore was uninterested, he stuck by her side, opting to read a book instead.

As they settled into the evening, Ariana grew increasingly frustrated with the movie. Nestled against Theodore, she critiqued aloud, "What a wasted opportunity. A perfectly good suspense thriller reduced to a corny romance. Even the suspenseful elements are copied from ‘The Missing Body' - almost word for word, even the name of the corpse!"

Her fury was mounting, and despite Theodore's attempts to soothe her she continued her tirade.