The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 456

Steven felt suffocated.

Tears started to roll down his cheeks and onto the floor, causing his vision to turn blurred. He wiped the tears off his face so that he could see Annalise clearly.

…

Portia heard the door opening when Zachary returned home. She smiled and hurried to the door to greet him.

"Are you back?" she asked.

Zachary looked at Portia's beaming face, and a strange feeling surged in his heart. Ever since his parents' divorce, no one had greeted him with this much warmth.

He felt deeply moved. Not wanting to disappoint his grandmother, he responded, "Yeah."

Portia took Zachary's backpack and said, "I made the soup today, while Ms. Ludwig made the rest of the dishes. Her culinary skill is really good. I watched her cook the whole time."

Portia sighed and continued, "I don't know why, but even with the same dishes, hers always looks more delicious."

Zachary enjoyed this kind of interaction. Even if there weren't many topics to talk about while living with a family, there were always opportunities for casual chatter.

"Is that so?" he asked in surprise.

Portia replied without hesitation, "Yes. Why don't you try it yourself?"

Zachary immediately rushed to the bathroom to wash his hands and sat at the dining table. He looked at the spread of dishes, all beautifully presented and flavorful.

Zachary opened his mouth in awe. "It's been so long since I've had such a hearty meal! When Mom was still around, she doted on me. Every day, she would ask what I liked to eat, and when I got home from school, the table was always full of my favorite dishes. But ever since Dad and Mom divorced…"

He paused before continuing, "When Jessica cooked while Dad wasn't around, she wouldn't let me have any food. There were even times when she took her son out to eat and left me home alone.

"I had nothing to eat except leftovers from the fridge. Eventually, I got food poisoning and had to be hospitalized. Jessica even told Dad it was my fault for being greedy, and Dad scolded me because of it."

The first time this happened, Zachary felt it was unfair. He hadn't done anything wrong. How could Jessica lie like that?

Over time, Zachary realized that Jessica could act this way and get away with it because Steven allowed her to.

No matter what Jessica did, Steven would always forgive her.

Steven didn't care about how Jessica treated Zachary. Initially, Zachary was heartbroken, frustrated, and unsure how to handle these situations. No matter what he tried, nothing worked.

He tried explaining, but Steven refused to listen. Even when he showed him evidence, Steven didn't want to look.

Zachary was frustrated for a long time. Eventually, he moved out and cut ties with them. Only then did he realize that his life gradually started to improve.

He no longer had to worry about being accused of baseless things when he returned home. He no longer had to worry about having no food to eat.

That was why Zachary cherished his current life so much.

Portia asked with a pained expression, "Why didn't you tell me about all this earlier?"

Zachary felt a warmth in his heart when he saw her worried face. He explained, "At the time, Dad didn't believe me when I told him about it. I felt that Dad was supposed to be one of the closest people to me in the world. If even he didn't take my side, then no one else would believe me either."