The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 184

I reluctantly accepted his explanation. "Alright, then."

Zane let out a light laugh.

…

Steven opened his eyes and immediately noticed the absence of Jessica, who had always been beside him just days ago. His mood lifted at the sudden emptiness.

He got up and walked to Zachary's bedroom door, knocking lightly. "Time to get up! I'll take you to school today."

There was no answer.

Steven casually opened the door, only to find the room empty.

It was then he remembered that Zachary had spent the night at Chloe's house.

Steven made his way to the living room and sat down. It felt like everything had changed since he and Annalise had separated. The house no longer felt warm. Instead, it was cold and distant, the silence more suffocating than comforting.

…

Today, the little girl arrived earlier than usual. When we dropped Willow off, we saw her standing at the door, waving at Willow.

Willow didn't even say goodbye to us before she ran over to the little girl. The little girl took Willow's hand, chatting as they walked forward together.

As Willow had done the other day, she listened patiently and focused entirely on her new friend.

I felt a surge of relief. Though Willow still couldn't speak with others, it was reassuring to see her make a friend. I turned to Zane and said, "Let's go."

Zane nodded. "Okay."

…

Even though he didn't need to drop Zachary off, Steven still found himself at the kindergarten. He leaned against his car, watching Annalise from a distance.

He instinctively wanted to tell her that Jessica had moved out of the house, but he hesitated as he took a step forward.