The Unveiled Rose

It was Saturday. Zachary didn't need to go to school. He was unsure of where Annalise was. In order to be closer to her, he had Harry follow her around. Just then, his phone rang.

He casually picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"They're at an indoor amusement park," Harry reported.

Upon hearing that, Zachary was excited. "Come pick me up at Grandma's place now!"

The amusement park was a public space and open to everyone, including him. Just the thought of being in the same place as Annalise made Zachary's heart flutter with excitement. In order to make a good impression on Annalise, he opened the closet door and picked out a sharp little suit.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he felt quite pleased with himself.

After finishing all that, he went downstairs to find Harry waiting at the door. He notified Chloe about going out and only got in the car once he was sure she had heard him.

Once at the amusement park, Zachary saw Annalise, but he acted as if he hadn't noticed her. Only after Harry helped him buy the tickets did he head in to play.

As he was having fun, he suddenly realized that although the suit made him look cool, it wasn't very convenient for running around.

Zachary glanced at Annalise, but she was completely focused on other things.

A pang of disappointment hit him, but he convinced himself that Annalise had come out to spend time with him.

He decided to keep playing with the toys.

Annalise had been taking care of Willow every day. Now that she had a chance to relax, he didn't want to interfere.

...

Steven made the decision to be a good husband. Despite the heavy feelings weighing on him, he woke up early to prepare a nutritious meal for Jessica, catering to her pregnancy cravings.

As he stood in the kitchen, watching the steam rise from the pot of soup, he couldn't help but think of Annalise.

When he was with Annalise, he never really did anything for her.

He shook his head, trying to push the thought away. He shouldn't be thinking about Annalise.

When Jessica woke up, Steven served her the meal he had prepared. "Eat first. I'll finish up here."

Jessica stared at the meal in surprise. "Okay." She hadn't expected Steven to cook for her.

Steven didn't pay attention to whether she was eating or not. He went on with his chores-sorting out the laundry that the family had changed out of the previous day and putting it into the washing machine. Finally, he moved on to mopping the floors.

Jessica watched him, puzzled. Why was he suddenly being so helpful?

By the time Steven finished all the housework, it was almost 10:00 am. He immediately left to buy groceries from the market, then came home to prepare a big meal.

When everything was ready, it was precisely noon.

Suddenly, Steven remembered how Annalise had done all the household chores back when they were together.

Was she always this busy?

Also, he realized that his own days were much less stressful than Annalise's. He didn't have to take care of kids, whereas Annalise had to look after Zachary every day.

It felt like a heavy ax had struck Steven's heart. The pain was unbearable.

Jessica said, "I never thought you'd actually cook for me. I'm so touched."

As Steven listened to Jessica's words of gratitude, the pain, which had already numbed him, began to stir again.

Annalise had silently done so much for him all those years. Steven wondered if he had ever properly thanked Annalise.