Rodney sighed heavily, his eyes filled with grief as he stared at the photograph in his hands.
“She’s my granddaughter,” he said, his voice heavy with sorrow.
“Years ago, my son, his wife, and their 2-year-old daughter fell victim to an ambush by my enemies seeking revenge. My son and his wife were killed on the spot, and their little girl disappeared in the chaos. For years, I searched tirelessly for her, even confronting the culprits and asking for any information about her. But they callously claimed they had taken my granddaughter’s life with their own hands.”
Rodney’s voice trembled with anguish as he recounted the tragic events.
Judy, moved by his heart-wrenching story, offered words of comfort and refrained from probing further.
In the dimly lit room, Ariana lay awake, restlessly shifting in her bed.
The vast room felt unfamiliar and lonely. The fear from earlier still lingered within her.
Exhausted but unable to find sleep, Ariana tossed and turned. Her frustration grew as she pulled the blanket over her head in resignation. She squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to will herself to sleep, but her efforts only made her feel more awake.
With a resigned sigh, she reached for her phone.
She scrolled aimlessly, hoping to find someone else who might be awake for a chat. Almost instinctively, her fingers moved toward her chat box with Holden.
Ariana hesitated briefly, reminding herself not to contact him again.
However, just before she could close the chat box, a new message from Holden appeared.
“Are you asleep?”
Ariana contemplated ignoring it. But after a moment’s thought, she replied with a simple emoji.
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To her surprise, Holden immediately called her. Ariana hesitated briefly before accepting the call.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Holden’s voice, both comforting and familiar, held a note of concern.
“Insomnia,” Ariana replied briefly. An awkward silence settled between them.
Attempting to break the silence, Ariana asked, “And you?”
“Insomnia,” Holden echoed. Then, without hesitation, he added, “Hey, I want to show you something. Can you do video?”
Ariana murmured yes. Holden switched to video mode, revealing a starry night sky before panning to a cityscape at night.