The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 535

As I gazed at Suzy, I suddenly thought of how my marriage with Steven was similar to her previous job. Before I divorced and encountered a normal man, I thought Steven treated me very well. I kept telling myself that he was rich and handsome, which made him better than many other people.

If I hadn't met Zane after getting divorced, I might never have realized the truth—Steven wasn't great; I simply had low standards. Similarly, Suzy finally realized the precious things that she had been missing out on.

Suzy said, "When I joined Zane's company, I finally realized life wasn't supposed to be like that. Money is important, but so is life.

"We earn money so that we can enjoy life; we shouldn't pour everything we have into work, abandoning life in that process."

When I saw how emotional Suzy was, I felt happy for her. I said, "Yeah. If you overlook your child and miss out on her growth, what use would all that money be?

"When you look back and realize that your child has become somebody you don't know about, you might hate yourself. You would wish you had put your job away and spent more time with your child."

Suzy exclaimed, "Thankfully, before the situation escalated to what you described, I'd already taken my daughter in to live with me. Also, I found a more manageable job."

Our eyes met, and we smiled at each other. Thankfully, our terrible past was gone, and we found new jobs and started living out new lives. Everything got better.

…

After playing until 9:00 pm, Penelope finally came downstairs. She and Suzy then bid their farewells.

I watched them leave, only looking away after their car disappeared from my sight. Then, I brought Willow upstairs.

As we walked up, Willow excitedly told me how fun it was playing with Penelope. I listened to her intently, and I brought Willow to her closet.