The Unveiled Rose

Penelope stared at me, her eyes full of hope. "Can I?"

"Of course," I replied.

...

A car came to a stop not far from the villa.

Zachary was in the car. Hannah was also with him, seriously giving him a lesson.

Zachary glanced toward the villa, then returned his focus to the lesson.

For some reason, being near Annalise's house gave him a sense of peace. It felt as if she were close by, even if she wasn't.

He decided that from now on, he would learn whatever Willow learned. He convinced himself that this was part of the plan Annalise had made for him. As a well-behaved child, of course, he would study hard and not disappoint her.

The lesson covered a lot. Zachary was quick to grasp everything. Hannah was very pleased and wanted to continue teaching him.

Then, came the sound of knocking on the car window.

Zachary turned to see Steven standing outside. He opened the car door, stepped out, and told Harry, "Take Ms. Ludwig home."

Harry nodded, replying, "Okay."

Zachary added, "Don't forget to come back and pick me up."

"Sure."

Zachary watched as they drove off. He then turned and walked over to Steven. "Why are you here, Daddy?"

Steven didn't have the answer to that question, either. All he knew was that he had drunk a lot, and his mind was oddly clear. He felt as though his heart had been emptied out, and he was desperately lonely. He needed to be close to Annalise to feel better. As Steven leaned against the car, he said, "I want to ask you something."

"What is it?" Zachary asked.

"Do you think I love your mother?"

His friends said he didn't love Annalise. He didn't believe them.

Annalise herself said he didn't love her, but he couldn't accept that either.

The only person he trusted was Zachary.

Zachary hadn't expected Steven to ask him such a question. He lowered his head, not wanting Steven to see the mockery in his eyes.

He didn't plan to tell Steven the truth. "When you like someone, you should want to be with them all the time. But didn't you kick Mommy out of the house for Jessica?"

Zachary composed himself before lifting his head. "That's why I think you don't really love Mommy."

"Is that so?" Steven didn't like the answer. It left him feeling frustrated, yet he didn't know how to argue against Zachary's words.

All he knew was that he felt abandoned by everyone. He felt incredibly lonely and needed someone to be by his side-anyone at all.

Steven said, "Zach, I've been alone at home these past few days, and it's really quiet. Why don't you come home with me tonight?"

"I can't," Zachary rejected firmly. His youthful voice sounded ruthless. "I have to go to Grandma's house to study. You can always go to Jessica's house. There are lots of people there." Steven stared at Zachary, and the latter met his gaze.

...

By 9:00 pm, it was time for Penelope to go home.

She wanted to go to her mom's place, so I decided to call her mother.

"Hello?" The woman's voice sounded professional. "Who is this?"