That woud be this part:
$html = $(this);
What you need is to change that from being a reference, to cloning a copy of it by using .clone()
For example:
$html = $(this.clone());
Thank you so much for your time and patience, it works just as intended now!
You have just experienced the process of development. It’s a step-by-step process where steadily, piece by piece, issue by issue, things are resolved until you end up with something that has been especially crafted to do the job well.