Adele showed no resistance as Sonia bathed her, quietly following the bedtime routine.
As Sonia gently bathed her, she noticed a small red mark between Adele’s shoulder blades. She
worried that their play might have caused an injury. She softly prodded the spot and asked, “Does this
hurt?”
Adele, captivated by her rubber duck, didn’t reply. Sonia closely examined the mark and, finding no
reaction, concluded it was likely a normal birthmark. Relieved, she left it alone and finished Adele’s
bath.
After their baths, the two children eagerly joined the adults for playtime on the bed. The games were
uncomplicated, but Ariana and Sonia played with great excitement, bringing joy to Melon and
occasionally making Adele smile. She appeared pleased.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtFollowing the bedtime stories and lullabies, Sonia tucked the drowsy children into bed. However,
Ariana lay awake for a while, staring at the ceiling as troubling thoughts kept her from sleeping.
What link could Holden have to that online wealthy friend? Could they be the same person? She mulled
over the clues but couldn’t quite piece them together.
Restless in bed, Ariana was hit by a thought. The video platform she used might be able to trace IP
addresses.
Ariana instantly logged in to check the IP address of the account that had rewarded her.
As expected, the address was listed at the bottom of the homepage.
It was in Eleymond.
This discovery, along with recent events, led Ariana to believe that the online wealthy friend was indeed
Holden. Still, she knew she needed to find a way to confirm it further.
Ariana set her phone aside, but her mind kept on racing.
She couldn’t understand why Holden’s voice now resembled Theodore’s, even though it was entirely
different just five years ago.
Could he have secretly undergone vocal surgery? Ariana thought the idea was unlikely but couldn’t
come up with a more plausible explanation.
Despite her best efforts, the puzzle remained unsolved. With a deep sigh, she wondered if it was all
just a series of coincidences. Then, the eerie apparition she had seen earlier that day returned to haunt
her thoughts.
Was it real, or simply a creation of her imagination?
Shawn showed up in the afternoon to fetch Adele. Thanks to Ariana’s pep talk, Adele went along
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmwithout a fuss instead of clinging to her friend.
Adele and Melon exchanged their farewells, the latter a bit downhearted about watching his buddy
leave. Off to the side, Ariana and Shawn chatted about setting up therapy sessions.
“Considering how Adele’s feeling, I think once a week is plenty,”
Ariana said.
Shawn gave her a nod.
“You just tell me when, and I’ll get everything sorted.”
Once they’d hammered out the details, Shawn departed with Adele.
As they went on their way, Ariana dove straight back into plans for the upcoming talent show. Sonia
chimed in with a playful tone, “Slow down! You’re working too hard!”