The Unveiled Rose

Jessica was certain that only by convincing Steven that she was the one he loved would he be willing to keep spending money on her.

After much deliberation, she put on a considerate tone and said, "But this place is so far from your office. Commuting back and forth every day must be exhausting. I hate seeing you wear yourself out, Steven." She paused, as if hesitant, then added, "How about this? You come over on Friday nights and head back on Sundays."

This arrangement gave Jessica the best of both worlds. She could have a few days of freedom each week without the need to cater to anyone while still keeping Steven close enough to maintain her influence. It was a win-win situation for her. "Sounds good," Steven agreed. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed first."

He had thought that after talking to Jessica, he'd feel a weight lifted off his chest. But to his surprise, an overwhelming sense of suffocating despair washed over him instead.

Stumbling, he made his way to the bedroom.

Jessica watched him until he disappeared inside. Only then did she sink onto the couch, a faint smile playing on her lips.

...

Zachary lay alone in his dark bedroom. The room was silent. He suddenly missed Annalise.

Back when she was here, she would read him stories and sing lullabies to help him sleep. When something upset him, she'd patiently coax him into opening up.

Unlike now, every day felt miserable, and there was no one he could turn to.

Tears soaked his pillow.

He blamed Steven for everything that had happened. As an adult, he couldn't figure out what he wanted. As if that wasn't bad enough, he had to mess around with someone else despite being married, which ended up costing Zachary his mother. He hated Steven.

...

Weekends were Howard's designated rest days for Willow. During these two days, she didn't have to train and could fully relax.

I woke up and glanced at the clock. It was barely past 6:00 am, but I didn't feel like going back to bed. Quietly, I got some work done until 8:00 am, then went to wake Willow.

Still groggy, she dragged herself out of bed, freshened up, and practiced speaking in front of the mirror. By the time she was done, she was much more awake.

She quickly changed into the pink sportswear she'd carefully picked out the day before and ran over to her two dolls. She explained she'd be out all day and that they shouldn't miss her too much.

Finally, she grabbed my hand. "Let's go, Mommy!"

"Alright."

Just as we finished getting ready, Zane announced he'd given the entire household staff the day off, so he'd be driving us himself.

I didn't mind, but Willow was thrilled. She ran over and hugged him. "Does that mean it's just us? Like, a family outing with Penelope, too?"

Zane nodded. "Exactly."

Willow's face lit up. "That's awesome! It's been forever since it was just us!"

Her excitement was contagious, and I couldn't help but feel a little lighter, too.

When we arrived at Suzy's house to pick up Penelope, Suzy opened the door. She looked a little surprised to see us. But something urgent had come up at work, so she had no choice but to hand Penelope over. After that, Suzy left in a rush. Her face was filled with apologies.

Penelope, however, seemed to have already gotten used to it. She quietly climbed into the car. Willow sat beside her. Though she couldn't speak, her eyes sparkled as she looked at Penelope.

It was like Penelope could read her mind because she asked tentatively, "Do you think I'm cool?"