The Unveiled Rose
Chapter 325

Zachary unwrapped each package one by one, carefully placing the cartoon merchandise resembling his mom, Annalise, around his room. As he worked, he suddenly remembered that his mom had once taken a few photos and they were kept in this very room. He rummaged through drawers and shelves until he finally found them tucked away at the bottom of the wardrobe. Gently, he cleaned the pictures and arranged them in every corner of the room.

Lying in bed, clutching his blanket tightly, he inhaled deeply, surrounded by his mom's photos. For a fleeting moment, it felt as if she were still there, keeping him company. His heart lightened, the ache momentarily subdued.

Although his current life felt painful compared to the past, Zachary couldn't help but think of his dad. As compared to Steven, his own life didn't seem so unbearable after all.

Yet, not a shred of pity stirred in Zachary's heart for his father. Steven had made so many mistakes that the misery he endured now felt like well-deserved karma.

Closing his eyes, Zachary drifted into a light, hazy sleep, only to be disrupted by the shrill ringing of his phone. Groggy, he answered without looking at the screen. "Hello? What do you want?"

"I've been thinking," Steven said in a measured tone. "If I try to win your mom back on my own, it won't work."

Yawning, Zachary felt no enthusiasm for the conversation.

Steven continued, "If we want Annalise to come back to us, the best way is for us to team up."

"It's useless," Zachary replied bluntly, cutting him off. "I've already tried everything you can think of crying, apologizing, begging her to forgive me. None of it worked."

He thought back to all the ways he had tried to mend things with Annalise, each one failing miserably. Annalise had completely shut him out. She treated his apologies and his pain with the same cold indifference she had shown a stranger. Zachary didn't want to see that icy expression ever again, nor did he have any interest in Steven's naive schemes.

"I'm tired and I have school tomorrow," he said dismissively. "Good night."

As an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and didn't you say you wouldn't send me any more allowance? That's fine, but stop calling me too."

Before Steven could respond, Zachary ended the call, switched his phone to airplane mode, and fell back asleep.

...

Steven stared at his silent phone, but his thoughts were consumed by the image of Zane holding Annalise as they left together.

His chest tightened, his mind unable to rest. Even in moments of calm, he couldn't stop envisioning Annalise's smiling face, the love in her eyes as she looked at Zane.

The fiery pain in his heart was unbearable, consuming him entirely.

Desperate to escape the torment, Steven dialed a friend. "Let's go out for drinks."

Understanding his recent troubles, none of his friends refused.

Steven arrived at the bar first, booking a private room and ordered several bottles of liquor.

One by one, his friends trickled in. Gavin took a seat beside him and asked, "What happened?"

Perhaps it was the alcohol, or maybe the question struck too close to home, but Steven's emotions erupted. He broke down in tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Annalise has really given up on me!" he wailed.

"How could she be so heartless? How could she just stop loving me like that?"