Rolling her eyes, Ariana put her phone away. She glanced towards her villa, muttering to herself, “If he wants me home early, he should leave first."

She remained squatting in the bushes, enduring Holden's messages popping up every ten minutes like clockwork, asking, “Have you made it home yet?"

“Not yet," Ariana responded sporadically, deliberately ignoring some of his messages. Her replies were intermittent until her phone finally powered off due to a low battery, forcing her to put it away.

She lingered a bit longer, and by around nine in the evening, she finally saw Holden emerging from the villa, driving to leave.

With a sigh of relief, Ariana steadied herself against a tree, her legs protesting from the prolonged crouching. She limped out of the bushes, one step at a time.

Standing in the yard, she watched Holden's car disappear from view, her heart in disarray.

Despite her efforts to avoid him, seeing him depart left an odd twinge of disappointment in her heart.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Ariana trudged back indoors, her legs peppered with mosquito bites.

Inside, Melon was in the Living room, absorbed in his model toys. He looked up, pleasantly surprised to see his mother return. "Mom, you're back so quickly!" he exclaimed.

Worry creased his brow as he spotted the mosquito bites dotting Ariana's arms, legs, and neck. Hastily, he set aside his toys and scurried to fetch some ointment.

Melon took a seat next to Ariana as she slumped into the couch. He considered how difficult it had to be for his mother to endure all the mosquito bites.

"Mom, you've got to resist the urge to scratch," he said.

Ariana managed a smile, tousling her son's hair affectionately as he tended to her bites.

As Melon tended to her, they heard movement near the entrance, followed by two knocks on the door.

"Mom, I forgot to tell you Mr. Mask is here! He just went out to get some snacks for me. I think he's back now," Melon said cheerfully, rushing towards the door.

Ariana's heart skipped a beat.

What? Holden hadn't left?

Panic surged within Ariana. She scrambled for a place to hide. But scanning the room, she found no suitable spot. Her instinct urged her towards the bathroom. However, in her haste, she hadn't properly worn her slippers. As she flung open the bathroom door, she lost her balance and crashed to the floor with a loud thud. Her half-worn slipper flew off and, unfortunately, struck Holden square in the chest!

Melon and Holden were both shocked and hurried over to see if Ariana had been hurt.

Ariana was deeply embarrassed. She had assumed Holden had already left, but to her astonishment, he had come back, even ending up getting hit by her slipper. In that instant, she was so embarrassed that she wished for a place to hide. Her cheeks turned red.