Following more commotion, Holden managed to carry the nearly unconscious Ariana inside.

Gently placing her on the bed, he proceeded to tenderly wipe her face with a warm towel and applied ointment to her injured arm.

After he had finished attending to her, he perched himself on the edge of the bed, watching as Ariana drifted into a dazed state.

In the tranquil night, he found himself reluctant to leave.

Holden's eyes remained fixated on Ariana, and without thinking, his fingers traced the contours of her eyebrows and eyes as if drawn by an invisible force.

His heart was filled with joy just by looking at her in this manner.

He knew he should keep his distance from Ariana, but no matter how resolute his efforts to remain composed, she possessed an irresistible allure that tugged at his emotions. Her mere presence could effortlessly stir his feelings, even during his professional pursuits.

Of all the people he had crossed paths with, she alone possessed the capacity to evoke such sensations in him.

Holden gazed at Ariana with pure adoration, a palpable desire compelling him to lean in for a kiss.

He inched closer and stopped mere inches away, his heart galloping like a wild stallion. Yet, reason admonished him that this was taking things too far.

Thus, summoning sheer force of will, Holden put an end to his wayward intentions. He straightened up and, unable to bear the sight of the figure lying on the bed any longer, fled the room like a man escaping a maelstrom.

Descending from upstairs to the living room, the gentle night breeze offered some solace to his restless soul. He glanced toward the door and noticed that when he had carried her inside, he had left it a bit open.

Contemplating the door's peculiar security code, he couldn't help but wonder at the uncertainty of it all. How could such an unlikely occurrence be? He began to suspect that the code lock had malfunctioned. Stepping over, he shut the door and made another attempt with the code.

To his astonishment, the code lock functioned flawlessly, and only one particular date had the power to open that door — his birthday!

He stared at the now locked door, lost in reverie. He couldn't fathom the mystique behind why Ariana's house had his birthday as its passcode.

The following day, Ariana stirred from her hangover-induced slumber, and the clock's hands pointed close to noon. Her head pulsed with a painful rhythm, and as she gingerly propped herself up, she noticed that her clothes had been changed. It appeared that someone, likely Sonia, had escorted her back home and done it.

Recollection trickled back to her, reminding her that she had sent a message to Sonia, imploring her to come to get her at the bar when she had felt the first hints of inebriation. But beyond that, her memory was a labyrinth shrouded in fog.

She clambered out of bed, holding her throbbing head, and ventured toward the bathroom. Leaving her room, she heard sounds emanating from the kitchen. As she approached, she found Sonia adorned in an apron, frying eggs.

Sonia glanced over as Ariana drew near, her expression a mix of exasperation and relief.

"At long last, you've awaken. Do you have any clue that you contacted me last night? But when I arrived, you had vanished into thin air. I was beside myself with worry, fearing the worst. It was only through inquiries that I discovered that you left, and upon returning home, I found you fast asleep as if bewitched."