The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Chapter 5

What?

That short sentence left me in shock. I struggled to comprehend what I had just heard.

I stared at Steven in disbelief. Hadn't he said he took Zachary to his mom's place?

His mom knew about Zachary's health and would never let him eat something that could upset his stomach. So, why was Zachary in the hospital? And more importantly, how did Jessica know about his condition?

"Which hospital?" Steven hurriedly picked up the clothes he had dropped and quickly got dressed.

Jessica's voice trembled on the phone as she cried out the name of the hospital.

Worry for Zachary propelled me to follow Steven as he rushed out. Only then did he notice me.

I could sense my expression was dark, teetering on the brink of a meltdown, yet I managed to rein in my anger.

He opened the car door and got in, while I slid into the passenger seat beside him. We sat in silence for the entire 20-minute drive.

The chaotic thoughts flooding my mind gradually became clearer as the minutes passed.

So, Steven had been telling me he and Zachary would sever ties with Jessica while secretly taking Zachary to her. To distract me from noticing something was off, he had even used wanting another child as an excuse to keep me occupied. I turned to look out the window.

It seemed like I was the only one in our family who wanted to restore our lives and live well together. Their hearts had already tilted toward Jessica.

When we arrived at the hospital, I dashed straight to the IV room. In the vast space, I spotted Zachary all alone. He was leaning against the wall, clearly asleep.

I walked over to him. As I looked at his innocent sleeping face, a mix of anger and sympathy surged within me.

He was still so young and unaware of what was good and bad. Those so-called adults knew well enough about his sensitive stomach, yet they still indulged him, causing him to end up in the hospital repeatedly.

that the very person responsible for his hospitalization had left him here alone, indifferent to whether

sat beside Zachary. I gently propped his head up

care of Zachary, and this is how you do your

to see Steven's mother, Chloe Ashton,

your so-called meticulous care, Zachary's stomach

I didn't want to put him in an awkward position.

voice, though anger seeped through. "Chloe, you know who ruined Zachary's stomach

do," Chloe retorted with a scoff. "Zachary spends most of his time with you. If you took good care of

my head and

bottled up for the entire afternoon finally exploded, and I growled, "But when I took care of Zachary, he

was rendered

and asked Steven to drop him off at your place after

not to give him just anything

definitely had my grievances with the Pelhams. But I always thought it wasn't a big deal. Besides, they loved Zachary, so I figured a simple conversation

sent Zachary to Jessica! You let him

he was at Jessica's place,

alone in the hospital and felt a wave of sadness wash over me. "Jessica just

wanting to retort, but she couldn't find

"I know you look down on me. I understand you only accept Jessica as

you want to hate me or make my life miserable, that's one thing. But Zachary is your grandson, and he's still so young. He can't handle this kind of

that I, her usually gentle daughter-in-law, would

as she was about to teach me a lesson, Steven rushed in, cutting

with his family. This was one of the reasons I had loved him

Steven, Chloe's anger bubbled up. "You brat!

hardened as he stood beside me. "Did she say

was at a loss

with Jessica again, yet you still sent Zachary to her.

looked at him in

ultimately held her tongue.