His words confirmed her suspicion; whatever she wanted was on his phone. Her eyes reddened, and she locked her gaze with him, demanding answers.

"Where is it? Do you intend to keep it hidden from me?"

Theodore withdrew his hand, reluctantly answering, "It is in the hidden interface."

"I need to see it!" Uncertain of how to get to the hidden interface herself, she returned the phone to Theodore so that he could do that.

“I'd rather you don't see it," Theodore cautioned, his voice tinged with both concern and resignation as he averted his gaze.

“Theodore, I must see it! There is nothing left to hide." Ariana's voice trembled, her chest heaving.

Caught in a deadlock, their emotions entwined in a web of unspoken pain. Ariana's sobs resonated with heartache, her tears cascading down her face.

"Theodore, I'm lost. I don't know how to navigate this labyrinth of deceit. Why do you treat me like this? I never coerced you to reveal your past; I just wanted to believe you. Yet, even now, you continue to cloak yourself in secrecy!"

As Ariana's cries echoed, Theodore's chest constricted with an ache he could not ignore. Taking a deep breath, he took the phone and tapped twice on the upper left corner of the screen. In an instant, the interface transformed, revealing a single app with a blue windmill icon against the backdrop of darkness.

Tears streaked her face, and Ariana's eyes and nose turned red. With trembling fingers, she pressed the blue icon, and a satellite map materialized before her eyes.

The red dot and green dot on the map coincided, divulging the truth she sought.

Unbelieving, Ariana's breath quickened. She clutched the phone and moved it experimentally.

True to her imagination, the red dot began to rotate!

It was a tracking app, and she was the one being tracked. Theodore had been monitoring her every move!

A wave of weakness washed over Ariana, and in a hoarse voice, she managed to utter, "Since when have you monitored me?"

Theodore's demeanor remained composed as he responded, his voice a bit light, “Ever since Lynch caused the car accident that broke your previous phone. When I replaced it for you, I started monitoring you."

A shiver ran down Ariana's spine as she heard Theodore's response. It was no surprise that no matter where she was, Theodore could always locate her.

“Without Sarah's help, you already knew my address. You used her as a cover," she accused.

Ariana locked eyes with him, her voice calm.

"No wonder I sensed your uncanny ability to find me. I went to Tyler's dormitory to watch a variety show, and it tums out that you were already aware of my presence.”