Chapter 1771
In the hospital ward, Rodney clasped Ariana’s hand, and they delved into conversation for what seemed like hours.
Rodney had spent over two decades longing to reconnect with his granddaughter.
Now that he was finally reunited with her, he was eager to make up for lost time.
Ariana, too, felt a deep yearning to bond with her grandfather, having missed many years with him.
She happily indulged in the long discussions with the elderly man.
Eventually, Mitchel intervened, gently reminding Rodney to rest for his health.
Reluctantly, Rodney and Ariana wrapped up their conversation.
Ariana left Rodney’s room to check on Adele.
Adele had been inconsolable ever since Melon had been taken by Moss.
She had cried relentlessly, worried about her brother.
No amount of comforting seemed to calm her until exhaustion finally claimed her, and she fell asleep.
Tiptoeing to Adele’s bedside, Ariana let out a relieved sigh upon seeing her daughter still asleep.
Noticing how angelic Adele Looked in her sleep, she couldn’t resist caressing Adele’s cheek and gently planting a kiss on her forehead.
The kiss, however, stirred Adele.
She wriggled slightly and blinked open her eyes, confused.
Ariana hadn’t expected that the kiss would wake Adele up.
She quickly said, “Oh, did Mommy wake you? I’m so sorry, sweetheart.
You can go back to sleep now.
I’ll make sure not to disturb you again.
”
As soon as Ariana finished speaking, Adele pouted, and tears welled up in her eyes.
This sight alarmed Ariana, who mistakenly thought Adele’s tears were out of anger.
She quickly pulled out a tissue to dab at the tears.
Before she could utter her apology, Adele’s voice, thick with emotion, came, calling for her brother.
Ariana paused.
“Mommy… I want Melon to be back,” Adele said, her voice quivering.
The edges of her eyes glistened with tears as she clung to Ariana’s hand, pleading.novelbin
A wave of agony washed over Ariana.
The pain made her want to curl up.
She, too, longed to see Melon.
“Adele, please don’t cry,” Ariana said as she lifted Adele into her arms to comfort her.
Fighting back her own tears, she reassured Adele, “Don’t worry.
Your father and I will bring your brother back.
”
Adele was nestled against Ariana’s shoulder, her eyelids and nose visibly red and swollen from crying.
She hiccupped softly because of her crying, her expression one of sorrow and distress.
It took a long time, but Ariana eventually managed to soothe Adele’s distress.
Only then did it dawn on Ariana that Adele, despite appearing slow to grasp the world around her, actually understood more than most realized.
Adele felt a deep sorrow for Melon and possibly carried a hint of regret because she had been with Melon when Melon had been abducted by Moss.
The dilemma had left the adults overwhelmed with sadness and a sense of helplessness.
It had more impact on Adele, who was still young and autistic.
She was unable to comprehend all of this, so her only means of expressing herself was through her emotions.
A sharp pain gripped Ariana’s heart, and her lips whitened as she pressed them together tightly.
It wasn’t until a drop of sweat from Adele’s forehead fell onto the back of her hand that Ariana was jolted back to reality.
Releasing Adele, Ariana stood up.
At that, Adele’s eyes widened in panic, seemingly terrified that Ariana might leave her just like her brother had.