Ariana was aware of this since she often looked at the manufacturing codes on stuffed toys. She took out her phone and wrote down the code.

She now gave her phone to Theodore, explaining, “Look, the manufacturing batch of this teddy bear is from six years ago, which means it was made after Marley's death. It's impossible for her to be the one who left it behind."

In the wake of Ariana's words, Theodore's suspicion took root, and his brow knitted Like a puzzle waiting to be solved.

“Why would Helen give me a fake one? Could she have hidden the real teddy bear?" he wondered aloud.

"You could say that," Ariana mused, her thoughts tangled, “Though the true reasons elude me, there's an undercurrent of hidden motives behind her actions."