All Chapters of The Reclaimed Rose: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Shayne turned his head toward my voice. He stared at me with a conflicted look in his eyes."Aralyn… you… you're back. He didn't… hurt you, right?"I scoffed inwardly at how pretentious he was. He stopped calling me "honey" like a loving husband would since he thought I had slept with another man."Oh. He didn't do anything to me. We just sat and spoke for a while." I told them the truth nonchalantly."I'm sorry… Aralyn, I didn't have a choice." It was obvious Shayne did not believe what I said. He went on apologizing as though he was truly sorry.I gave a shrug. I knew he would not believe me. I had expected that much.Besides, Rowan might serve as the key witness who could help me expose Luna's plots and secrets soon. Naturally, I saw no need to explain further to Shayne.I ignored him and fetched my suitcase from the storeroom. "Let's go."I would continue to gather more evidence after the divorce. When Shayne and Zach had fallen completely for the illusions of their newfoun

I looked at him.Julian went on saying, "The two of them are even in the same class."Willow commented proudly, "I observed everyone in our class and noticed that Zach had received the best care! I had imagined how great it would be if Zach's mommy was my mommy at the time."She smiled sweetly. "Now, my dream has come true."Willow was so cute and endearing. Her words warmed the frozen corners of my heart.I smiled faintly as I looked at her adorable face. "Congratulations."Willow let out a chuckle and continued eating."I've agreed to be Willow's mother. Then, I should fulfill my duties as a real mother and drop her off at her kindergarten. Isn't that right?"I turned my eyes to Julian. "I'll go regardless of who I'll run into at the kindergarten."Julian gave a slight nod. "I'll be counting on you, then."I responded, "I should be doing that much, of course."…I thought Willow's condition had improved since she spoke to me quite a lot. However…She still ignored everyo

Many patients were staying in the hospital wards. A lot of them were even forced to rest on hospital beds placed along the corridors since the wards were fully occupied.A majority of these patients faced serious health issues and had to stay at the hospital for an extended period. Most of them were already staying here when I got admitted to the hospital previously, and they were still here even after I got discharged.I saw a few familiar faces the instant I came near a ward.An elderly man asked, "Didn't you get discharged the other day? Why are you visiting the hospital again?""I fell down the stairs a few days ago, right?" I did not hide from them the reason why I was here. Ultimately, I also wanted to find out if anyone saw or took photos of what happened that day.Still, I could not divulge all of the details of the incident to them. "I noticed the floor was really slippery back then. It was as if someone made it that way on purpose."So, I'm thinking of checking if there

After saying that, the person introduced themselves. "I'm Zach's teacher. Classes are already over for today, but no one's here to pick him up yet."So, I was wondering if something had happened at home to have held you up?" The teacher asked politely.Before Shayne and I separated, had Luna not picked Zach up from school every day diligently? Yet, she started neglecting Zach as soon as Shayne and I had gotten divorced?I was quite surprised to hear that. Still…These people and their familial matters had nothing to do with me now. I had no intention of poking my nose in their business either."I'm actually one of your students, Willow Hughes' mother. I'm not related to Zach Pearce." I smiled and replied, "I think you've called the wrong number."The teacher apologized immediately. "I'm sorry for the mix-up.""It's alright." I ended the call right away.When I entered the elevator, I could hear my phone ringing again. This time, it was a call from Shayne.I answered the phone.

Shayne shouted furiously down the line.I checked who the caller was and realized I had not blocked Shayne's number yet. "Why should I?"Shayne was infuriated by the hint of nonchalance in my tone. He said through gritted teeth, "Did you know that Zach had to wait all by himself outside the kindergarten and only got home after 9:00 pm just because you didn't go and pick him up?"I replied calmly, "Mr. Pearce, I think you're blaming the wrong person. Luna Sider is his mother now. As for me…"I got up, walked over to the balcony, and looked into the distance.It was dark outside. I could only see the stars in the sky and the lights coming from faraway houses. I continued, "I'm just a stranger to you and your family now."Shayne took a deep breath. "Are you still blaming us?""No." I said unhurriedly, "It's simply because I have a new life now. I don't see the need to be overly involved with people and things that are in the past now. Don't you think so?"Without allowing Shayne