Despite her efforts to convince herself that the voice could not be Theodore's, hearing it continually disrupted her focus.

Her attention wandered several times, to the extent that the man on the other end sensed something was off.

Setting down the ingredients he was handling, he directly asked, “Is everything alright? You seem distracted."

Ariana paused before softly saying, "It's nothing, it's just. Your voice sounds very similar to that of my late husband."

After speaking those words, Ariana sensed they might not have been the most appropriate. Realizing her comment could make the situation awkward, she quickly added, “I didn't mean anything by it; there are subtle differences between your voice and his."

The person on the other end didn't say much, seemingly unbothered by her remark. He continued to follow her cooking instructions and casually said, "Maybe it's because I have a cold and my voice hasn't fully recovered. It could be a coincidence."

Shortly afterward, the camera angle changed, indicating that he had moved to the living room and sat down on a sofa.

Following some intermittent noise, silence fell once more.

The rear-facing camera remained active, leaving Ariana clueless about his actions. Soon, she heard him ask, "How long has it been since your husband passed away?"

With a wistful smile, Ariana answered slowly, "He died in a car accident five years ago."

The simple sentence weighed heavily on her heart. Considering recent events, her emotional state was fragile. Unable to hold back, her voice tinged with emotion, she confessed, "I can't move on. I miss him every day.”

After a pause to regain her composure, she continued, “I apologize for losing my cool when I heard a voice similar to his. I must seem quite foolish."

“It's okay," the man responded gently.

“We all have things that are hard to let go of. I do too."

The conversation took a turn, becoming more casual.

Ariana found herself surprisingly at ease talking to him. Perhaps the resemblance of their voices eased her into an effortless flow of dialogue.

On the other end, Holden savored every word Ariana spoke. Regardless of the topic, her voice seemed to wash away his fatigue.

As Ariana carried on her conversation while also checking her app for any responses to her request, she noticed that no one had replied yet, likely due to the short notice.

Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she quickly said, “By the way, could I ask you for a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" Holden inquired.