Ariana lay in a tight curl on her bed, eyes red from crying, fixated on her phone.
She drafted message after message, only to delete them tand again.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtPressing send would mean closing the chapter with Holden, something she wasn’t fully ready for despite knowing better.
Guilt consumed her, especially given Holden’s impending marriage.
How could she sustain her relationship with him? After what seemed like an eternity of an internal battle, she sent a simple message.
“Thank you.” Holden's heart caught in his throat as he read the message.
He quickly sent a puzzled emoji and replied, “Why are you thankingall of a sudden?” As the minutes stretched, a knot of worry tightened in his stomach.
After a while, he decided to call her, only to be met with a swift rejection.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe sting of it was palpable.
Before he could process it, another message appeared.
“Can't talk. Texting’s better for now.” A storm of emotions swirled in Holden, and after a few deep breaths, he responded, “What's going on?” Ariana’s response was rapid, almost as if she had been waiting.
“Thank you for stepping in pretending to be Melon’s dad. Your support during this period... It meant everything.” Holden's heart raced as he read Ariana’s messages.
Ariana’s messages were all words thanking him, and it felt Like she was saying goodbye, making anxiety bubble within him.
Just as Holden was about to reply, Ariana sent another message.