Once he had vented his anger, Zayden leaped into another vehicle, slammed the door shut, and commanded, "Drive to the airport; book a flight back to Conata."

He could abandon his endeavors in Mistlyn; they were insignificant compared to his dominant presence in Conata.

Observing his pursuers in the rearview mirror, his expression turned grim.

"Holden, I'll retaliate for this," he muttered under his breath.

After resolving the matters with Sadie, Holden took Adele to Mercy Hospital for a regular check-up and some psychological evaluations.

He had observed earlier at the office that Adele had seemed slightly uneasy around Sadie, but he brushed it off, thinking it might just be due to them spending a lot of time together recently.

Following the check-up, Holden and Adele decided to go to see Ariana.

As it happened, Ariana had just packed up her things and was about to go home when Holden and Adele arrived at her ward. Ariana's face brightened at the sight of Adele.

Her smile wide, she exclaimed, "Adele!"

She opened her arms wide for a hug.

However, to her surprise, Adele didn't move and hid behind Holden with a frightened look.

Ariana stopped, taken aback, and slowly withdrew her arms. She then bent down to Adele's height and softly asked, “What's wrong, Adele? It's Aria; don't you want a hug from me? Come here, let me give you a big hug, okay?"

Ariana tried to reassure Adele, but Adele just peeked out from behind Holden, her fear still apparent.

Suddenly, Melon jumped off the sofa and dashed over, trying to take Adele's hand. "Let's go play with Mommy, Adele," he offered.

But Adele started crying at Melon's gesture, clinging to Holden's leg and sobbing. "No, I want my Mommy! I want my Mommy!"

Holden quickly lifted Adele into his arms, while Ariana wanted to rush over to help calm Adele.

However, as Ariana reached out, Adele shoved her hand away, crying loudly, her face full of terror.

Seeing Adele's response, Ariana felt her heart sink. She didn't understand why Adele was acting like this.

Trying to stay calm, Ariana gave a forced smile to both Holden and Adele and took Melon's hand. "We're going to head home now," she announced. Then, she left the ward with Melon.

Once outside the ward, Melon looked up at Ariana, his expression filled with concern. "Mom, Adele is acting really strange. What's wrong with her? Is she sick?"