Steven wondered why it was that his restless heart seemed to settle down when he felt Annalise's presence throughout every corner of the house. Why did he feel like this if he didn't like her? He took a seat in the living room.Content is © by .

He couldn't even understand what exactly love was anymore.

His friends all told him that he loved Jessica. She had become his, and he'd even had a child with her. However, the moment he imagined living out his future with her, he would feel as if he was suffocating.

It wasn't until Jessica moved out with Cody that he felt as if he could breathe easier. People would always say that it was the onlookers who could gauge a situation with the most clarity, but he couldn't help questioning his friends' opinions. Was his situation with Jessica really what love was supposed to look like?

...

Willow must have been really tired out yesterday. When I went to wake her, I had to call out to her several times before she finally responded drowsily.

After opening the door for me, she shuffled off into the bathroom to wash up, still half-asleep.

What followed next was her daily routine.

Practicing speech in front of the mirror, reciting phonics, going for a morning run, and finally, taking a shower.

After each task was completed just around mealtime, she hurriedly ran back into her bedroom. As if afraid that we would see what she was doing, she even closed the door behind her.

I looked toward Zane, who was sitting opposite me.

He didn't hide his smile as he said, "It seems we made the right decision."

Equally glad, I replied, "That's right."

After Willow finished speaking with her plush toys in the bedroom, she finally came running downstairs to sit at the table with us and started enjoying her food.

I stood up, telling her, "I'm done, so I'll be going upstairs for a bit."

Willow hummed agreeably, already very independent for a child. "You can go do your work, Mommy. No need to worry about me."

While she wasn't paying attention, I slipped into her bedroom and retrieved the small recorder pen we had planted inside, switching it out for a new one.

After all this was done, I finally returned to Willow's side with a straight face.

Willow didn't eat much for breakfast, so when she saw me approaching, she held my hand and asked, "Mommy, are you going to bring Penelope home as well when you fetch me in the afternoon? Remember to say hello to her family, or they'll definitely worry." Naturally, I wouldn't object when she was being considerate to her friend.

"Alright."

...

By the time we arrived at the kindergarten, Willow had already caught sight of Penelope and happily rushed up to her.

Seeing me still standing where I was, Willow, who used to glance back to make sure I was still there every few steps, started urging me to leave instead.

"I'm already in my final year of kindergarten, mommy!" she yelled from where she was, standing still and waving her hand at me. "You don't have to worry about me. Don't be afraid to just do your own thing! I exercise every day now and even take the time out to study." She clenched her little fists before continuing, "I have the brains and the brawn. Nobody would dare bully me."

Having said her piece, she walked into the school building hand-in-hand with Penelope.

I lamented, "Back when I just arrived at the Huxham residence, she was still really clingy with me. She would insist on following me no matter what I was doing, as if afraid that I would run away. It's barely been much time since then..."

Zane comforted me calmly, saying, "This just goes to show that you give her enough of a sense of security."

He added amusedly, "She understands that she can go off and do whatever she wants without worrying that you'll leave her."

"That's true," I replied, conceding his point. "Let's go and give Willow's recording to Milton and Dorothy."

"Let's go."

...

Zachary stood to the side, mouth open, but before he managed to utter a word, Annalise had brushed past him and gotten into the car.

He watched her leave, comforting himself over and over by mumbling, "It's alright. As long as I treat Mommy's daughter better, she'll be willing to talk to me one day."