I was a bit surprised.

It turned out Zane had already considered how to deal with Jessica's lack of cooperation.

Willow said softly, "But Daddy, being isolated by the whole class isn't fun."

Zane looked somewhat taken aback. Had Willow softened up? Did she not want him to use the same tactics to retaliate against Cody? He hesitated before speaking. "So, Willow..."

Willow continued, "I think Daddy's solution is great. Only by making him feel the same pain I felt will he learn to change."

Zane felt a sense of relief. Although Willow was very young, she understood right from wrong. She wasn't blindly kind.

He gently patted Willow's arm. "Trust me. Daddy will give you a satisfactory end."

"Mm." Willow turned to look out the window. "But Daddy, where are we going?"

She remembered they didn't take this route to go home.

Zane smiled as he explained, "We're going to see your grandparents."

Willow immediately dove into my embrace.

I could feel her body trembling.

It was strange. Didn't Willow's grandparents dote on her? So, what was she afraid of?

"Could you please catch up with them?"

Zachary asked Harry as he saw Annalise leaving.

"Sure." Harry stepped on the accelerator and followed behind.

He glanced at Zachary through the rearview mirror and asked, "But it's so late. Aren't you worried your family will be concerned?" "Mm," Zachary replied listlessly.

Steven might still care for him right now, but it wouldn't be long before the former became Jessica's husband. By then, he would become Cody's father.

Slowly, Zachary would turn into a child that nobody wanted.

...Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Jessica returned home with Cody, still feeling pleased with herself. "Cody, did you see that?

"Even if you did something wrong, you don't need to be afraid because you're just a child. Adults won't stoop so low as to argue with you. So you can boldly cause trouble. No matter how big of a mess you make, Mommy will help you sort it out." Cody felt touched. "Thank you, Mommy."

Jessica's heart softened as she looked into Cody's eyes, which glistened with tears. "Can you tell Mommy why you picked on Willow?"

Cody confessed honestly, "I thought as long as Willow and Zachary disliked each other... Then, Zachary's dad and Willow's mom will surely also resent each other.

"This way, Mommy won't have to worry that Daddy will regret divorcing Willow's mom and get back together with her."

Hearing that Cody's actions were out of consideration for her left Jessica feeling very conflicted. She cupped Cody's face and kissed him several times before saying, "Thank you."

Cody smiled bashfully. "You're welcome."

Steven pushed the door open and walked into the living room.

Jessica immediately stood up to greet him. "Steven, you're back?"

"Mm." Steven was surprised that he didn't see Zachary around.

For the past few days, Zachary preferred to hide in his room whenever he came home. Unless Steven sought out Zachary, he would hardly see him at all.

Steven brought forth a large bouquet he had been hiding behind his back and presented it to Jessica. "These are for you," he said.

Jessica's eyes widened in surprise.

Just a few days ago, Annalise was all Steven could think about. What was going on today? He actually thought to give her flowers? She eagerly accepted the bouquet, holding it close. "I love them!"

"There's also a gift inside," Steven said, sitting down on the couch with a smile.

Jessica looked down and saw a card and a red velvet box hidden among the flowers.