The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

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.

so?" he asked

hesitation, "Yes. Why don't you

his hands and sat at the dining table. He looked at the spread of dishes,

his mouth

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

dishes. But ever since

and Mom divorced..."

Dad wasn't around, she wouldn't let me have any food. There were even times when she took her son

nothing to

the fridge. Eventually,

Dad it was my fault

Swney

first time this happened, Zachary felt it was unfair. He hadn't done anything wrong. How could

Zachary realized that Jessica could act this way and get away with it because Steven allowed her

did,

Initially, Zachary was heartbroken, frustrated, and unsure how to handle