But Holden stayed silent, sending shivers down her spine. In a panic, she blurted out, "Holden, the child is yours, really. Don't freak me out. You're the only one I care about!"

Watching Sadie's frantic babbling, Holden let out a chuckle and moved closer, his cigarette perilously close to igniting her hair.

But Sadie was too petrified to react. She awkwardly toyed with a strand of her hair.

Holden's gaze lingered on the birthmark on her ear, his expression unreadable as he said, “Why not fix your ears, too? If you're going to change your identity, you might as well go all the way."

Frozen with fear, Sadie couldn't move or utter a word.