The Unveiled Rose

Zane pulled out his phone, switched to camera mode, and aimed it at Annalise and Willow. He quickly snapped a photo.

In the picture, Annalise looked serene and gentle, while Willow was adorable.

Zane stared at the photo for a long time before setting it as his wallpaper.

...

"Are you trying to take a picture of Willow?" I noticed Zane fiddling with his phone. I leaned back, giving him more space. "Go ahead."

Zane didn't want me to realize who he was actually photographing, so he quickly shifted his focus back to Willow. He snapped several more pictures of her in a row.

...

Harry returned, and Zachary left in his car.

On the dark street, Steven was left standing alone. He gazed at the brightly lit living room in the distance, his emotions incredibly conflicted.

Everyone insisted he didn't love Annalise. But when he was near her, his heart felt inexplicably calm.

Why was that?

In the car, Zachary watched Steven's shrinking figure in the rearview mirror.

He pulled out his tablet and sent Jessica a message. "Daddy's hanging around Mommy's place. Don't you think you should do something to bring him back?"

Jessica stared at her phone for a long time. Even though she was confident Annalise no longer wanted Steven, if she let him linger near Annalise, it was only a matter of time before he realized who he truly loved.

And when that day came, he'd take back the cards he'd given her and wouldn't give her any more money to spend.

Jessica took a deep breath and dialed Steven's number. "Steven, where are you?"

Steven didn't answer directly. "What's wrong?"

Jessica's voice softened to a delicate whimper. "I'm home alone, and I'm so scared. Can you come over?"

"Okay."

"Mommy." Willow, who hadn't finished her show, suddenly turned off the TV with the remote. "I'm going out with Penelope tomorrow. What should I wear?"

Upon seeing her worried expression, I replied with a smile, "I don't know, either. How about we go upstairs and pick something out?"

Excited, she grabbed my hand. "Okay!"

She pulled me into her walk-in closet. As she threw open the wardrobe doors, it revealed rows of clothes.

From fancy dresses to simple sportswear, she had it all.

Willow took down a dress and held it against herself. "What do you think of this one, Mommy?"

"It's beautiful," I said, helping her think it through. "But we're probably going to an amusement park. Do you think a dress is practical?" I didn't give her the answer directly. Willow pondered for a while before deciding. "Then, I'll wear sportswear instead."

She eventually chose a pink set, then moved on to pick shoes and a matching bag. After putting together the perfect outfit, she hopped downstairs and eagerly shared her excitement with her dolls. I felt a wave of contentment as I watched her.

When we first brought the dolls home, she had been too shy to talk to them in front of us. But today, she had already made so much progress. She brought them downstairs and chatted with them openly. Now, what was the next step?