Chapter 538
“Where did you find this photo?” Ariana inquired, her gaze fixed firmly on Helen.
She couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger, knowing that Helen had gone as far as.
hiring a private detective to tail her and pry into her private life.
Regardless of her normally composed temperament, she felt a volcano of emotions ready to erupt.
“It’s of no importance where I found this photo.
Just tell me if Theodore saw it or not,” Helen retorted, her confidence evident as she waved the photo in front of Ariana.
“What does it matter now? It’s all in the past.
He doesn’t care,” Ariana replied, her voice tinged with frustration.
She distinctly remembered telling Theodore that he didn’t have to worry about her past with Jasper after he’d caught a glimpse of the picture through a crack in a book.
Helen’s smile took on a mysterious quality.
“Oh, really? Have you ever considered that perhaps what Theodore values differs from what you believe? If you don’t trust me, you can go to his study and find out for yourself.
”.
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Ariana kept reminding herself that Helen’s words couldn’t be trusted, yet she couldn’t resist the urge to enter the study on the third floor.
Two rooms in the Anderson house were off-limits without permission: Marley’s bedroom and Theodore’s study.
Under the gentle glow of warm yellow light, Ariana’s face was bathed in its halo, her mind lost in a whirlwind of confusion.
Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and her brain felt like a rusty machine, churning out pain with every turn.
Helen’s words and Theodore’s past continued to consume her thoughts.
Even though she knew it was a trap waiting for her, she couldn’t help but dive headfirst into it, desperate for the truth.
Slowly pushing open the study door, Ariana stepped inside and flicked on the light.
This marked her second venture into the study, still haunted by the memory of Theodore scolding her the first time she mistakenly entered.
She didn’t browse through the books and collections; instead, she followed a peculiar intuition that drew her closer to the desk.
Finally, her gaze fell upon a photo frame, likely the very thing Helen wanted her to discover.
In that moment, panic coursed through her veins.
With bated breath, Ariana approached the desk, her steps heavy, fixating on the photo before her.
The image portrayed a radiant girl, her smile as bright as a sunflower.
Dressed in white, she playfully contorted her face for the camera.
A sweet and innocent grin adomed her youthful countenance, possibly in her early teens.
Had she been a few years older, she would resemble the girl in the photo alongside Jasper.
How could this be? Was it all a mere coincidence?
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Ariana felt an overwhelming sense of frustration.
Just last night, she had embraced and ki*sed Theodore, like any ordinary couple.
Yet now, he felt like a distant stranger, as if she had never truly known him, and their love seemed nothing more than a cruel joke.
Weakened, Ariana leaned against the back of a chair, her strength ebbing away.
Tears welled up in Ariana’s eyes, yet not a single drop escaped.
She mustered a forced smile.
In the end, she seemed to have overestimated her own endurance.
Everything was unbearable for her.
She remained seated, lost in her thoughts for what felt like an eternity.
Was she truly just a replacement? Ariana refused to accept such a notion.
Initially, she had been against Theodore, but as they grew to know and trust each other, her feelings changed.
If he had only been kind to her because she resembled someone else, he could have shown that kindness from the start, allowing her to fall for him without hesitation.