The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 194

Zane asked calmly, "Hmm?"

I was a bit confused. "Didn't I mention it? I put a small recorder inside the dolls."

It was clear that Willow didn't want us to hear what she was saying to Dorothy and Milton.

Naturally, I respected her privacy. I had no intention of listening to the recording myself. When the time was right, I would just have Zane pass it on to Dorothy and Milton for Willow.

Zane was surprised to learn I had prepared so much in advance. "When did you do this?"

I replied, "Just earlier, when Willow was upstairs talking to herself in the mirror."

He asked again, "When did you buy the recorder?"

"Quite a while ago," I answered calmly. "Before I divorced Steven, they did too many awful things. I just wanted to record everything they said and did. One day, I'll release all the recordings and videos. It'll be my way of getting back at them."

Zane looked at me with admiration. "Not bad."

"Would you mind if I did this?" I hadn't considered Zane's feelings, as I was focused on what was best for Willow. "If you think kids need privacy, and I shouldn't have recorded it, I'll remove the recorder."

"No need," Zane replied, clearly on my side. "Right now, our goal is to help Willow get better. Besides, she's only five years old—she doesn't have any real privacy yet. When she gets older and needs space, we can respect that then."

…

Willow carefully placed the two dolls at the head of her bed and stared at them. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to speak when she thought of the dolls as Dorothy and Milton. She even avoided looking into their eyes and instead focused on her small, chubby hands.

She took a deep breath, reminding herself over and over that they were just ordinary stuffed toys, not real people. Gradually, her tense emotions began to ease.