Summoning his courage, Melon shot back, "I'm my dad's cherished child."

"Cherished?" Sadie scoffed. “You're nothing but an unwanted child, shamelessly audacious at such a tender age. You must take after that slut of a mother of yours!"

Clutching his hands into tight fists, Melon let out a furious cry, “Don't you dare talk about my mommy like that! She's an angel!

You're the homewrecker, not her!"

Sadie's laughter echoed once more, grating against Melon's ears. "Oh, you poor, naive child. Allow me to clarify. I am the only wife of the owner of this phone number. Your mommy, on the other hand, is nothing more than a cheap, reckless homewrecking slut. And you know what? My husband and I already have a beautiful daughter. A little bastard like you will never be a part of my family."

Tears streamed down Melon's flushed cheeks. Amidst his tears, he cried out, “You're lying! Mom would never do such a thing! Take it back! Take it all back!"

Sadie's voice turned harsh and unkind.

“Let's be clear, you little piece of shit. Your mother seduced my husband, fully aware he was married. She's a first-class slut, and you're the unfortunate, worthless brat spawned from her."

Melon's small body trembled with anger and sorrow. "My mom isn't Like that! She's my dad's real wife! You're wicked, and I hate you!" he yelled.

Downstairs, Ariana had been calling Melon for dinner, but he hadn't responded. Growing concerned, she rushed upstairs and opened his bedroom door. Her heart clenched as she saw the scene: Melon, his face red and tearful, shouting in the call.

“Sweetie, what's troubling you?" Ariana inquired, promptly embracing him.

Melon's emotions surged upon seeing Ariana. Tears coursed down his cheeks as he choked. "A bad woman is saying that she's Daddy's wife.

But it's all lies! She says you're the other woman who took Daddy away. But I know you'd never do that!" He let Ariana handle the call, breaking into uncontrollable sobs. "Tell her it's not true! Please, tell her!"

Ariana was also startled, her heart pounding like a drum. She swiftly peered at Melon's smartwatch, confirming that it was indeed Holden on the line. An annoyingly familiar voice on the other end cursed vehemently, "Give your phone to that shameless mother of yours. I want to know who that bitch is!"

Ariana's immediate concern was protecting Melon from Sadie's wrath, fearing the fiery woman might unleash her anger on him.

Ariana faked a different voice, saying, “I'm sorry, but you must've dialed the wrong number."

And then, she abruptly hung up the phone, her heart racing as she contemplated the consequences.

Sadie, her fury unabated, glared at the caller ID on her phone. She wasn't buying the wrong number idea for a second. Clenching her teeth, she made a mental note of the number, determined to launch an investigation. Then, she erased the call history and blocked the number before leaving the study.

Meanwhile, Ariana sighed a long sigh of relief as the phone remained silent. She cast a sympathetic glance at Melon, who sat there with tears streaming down his face, his voice silenced by the moment's weight.

Ariana's heart was heavy, torn between the web of deceit and the looming truth, much like Mitchel had warned. She knew that sooner or later, falsehoods would unravel, and she couldn't perpetuate Holden's charade indefinitely. She and Holden had no place in each other's lives anymore.