Yes, there was no turning back. She and Zayden were in this together now.

She muttered, "Holden, how can you be so heartless? Since you decided to forget all our memories and chose to be my enemy, don't blame me for fighting back."

On their way home, Ariana was silent the whole time. Her face was expressionless, and she did not even look at the others inside the car.

Melon was so scared that he tried to speak several times but didn't dare to make a sound.

Eventually, he mustered up the courage to try to call Ariana. But Holden quickly stopped him with a gesture.

Under the current circumstances, even Holden was cautious about speaking.

Melon glanced at Holden, then at Ariana. He withdrew his hand that had started to reach out and sat without saying a word.

When they arrived at the house, Ariana got out of the car first. She walked straight to the door without looking back. Only Adele dared to run up to her and hold her hand.

Adele seemed unaffected by the tension around them. She held Ariana's fingers and walked with her.

Ariana looked down at Adele. Then, she knelt, gently stroked her head, and asked patiently, "Adele, are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

Adele stared at Ariana for a while, then nodded.

Ariana picked up Adele and walked through the front door. Melon and Holden could only watch her.

Ariana hadn't said a word to Melon on their way home. Melon was so sad that he tugged at Holden's trousers and said, "What should I do? Mommy is really angry at me. It's so scary."

Melon fought back his tears. Holden crouched down beside him and gently explained, “Your mom is very worried about you, especially after you and Adele vanished at the kindergarten. Think about it. What if you suddenly can't find your mom? Won't you get scared? You will also worry, right?"

Melon sniffled and nodded.

"So make sure this won't happen again, okay? Your mom and I will be very worried about you if there's a next time. And if you run around without telling us again, I'll be angry, too," Holden said.

Melon tried to hold back his tears, swiftly wiping his reddening eyes.

Sniffling, he murmured, "I get it now."

With a gentle touch, Holden asked in a soothing tone, “Could you explain to Daddy why you followed that lady?"

Melon looked down and explained, “I didn't mean to. She was crying, saying she missed Adele. I know she is Adele's mother. I thought if Mommy couldn't see me, she'd be sad, too. But I was afraid she might not treat Adele well, so I went with the woman to protect Adele."