The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Steven had given and done everything for Chloe, and what did he get in return? Her betrayal. She had knowingly sided with Jessica and threatened to jump off a building if he did not cave into her demands. It wasn't until now that Steven realized how blind and foolish he had been. He stared at the ceiling, then called Jessica after some time.

Jessica was pleased to know her plan had worked. She grinned as she put Steven's call through.

He said stonily, "I've got to hand it to you for manipulating Chloe after you failed to convince me to get a vasectomy. It's a pretty smart move."

She thought she was rather brilliant, too. However, she feigned innocence as she said, "I only wanted my baby to have a happy and stable family. Is it so wrong for me to take measures to ensure you won't abandon my baby?"

Steven drawled icily, "If you weren't wrong, would that make me the villain instead?"

She fell silent.

A sudden thought crossed Steven's mind, and he said, "Then again, if I hadn't left Annalise to be with you, I might not be forced into such dire circumstances.

After a long pause, Jessica pointed out, "You can regret the way things turned out, but it's not like you can turn back time."

"I know that," Steven said. Denial was futile at this point, and so were the what-ifs and what-could-have- beens.

He could say he'd work hard to prove himself to Annalise and persuade her to come back to him, but what difference would it make? They were a lost cause.

With that in mind, he continued, "I just don't understand why my mother would take your side instead of mine."

"It just goes to show that she likes me better," Jessica said arrogantly.

"Which is why I've decided to cut her off for good. Steven closed his eyes. "The same goes for you. She have to come to you if she needs money because I don't want

anything to do with her one

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The blood drained from Jessica's face. She thought she must have misheard Steven. "What did you just say?"

She thought he would cherish her baby now that he'd gotten the vasectomy and could no longer

reproduce with any other woman. She didn't think he would be even angrier with her.

In the past, Steven wouldn't have given up on her or the baby, no matter how unreasonable she was. What made him cut them off out of the blue this time?

She couldn't help the mirthless chuckle that escaped her.

Jessica had believed Annalise

meant something to Steven, but as it turned out, he probably didn't care about Annalise any more than he did her. At the end of the day, Steven didn't love her or Annalise. He only cared about himself.

He couldn't care less if Annalise or Jessica got hurt. He was only disgruntled because he was inconvenienced.

As the realization set in, Jessica began to feel sorry for Annalise. The latter had wasted years on a selfish man like Steven.

"Aren't you worried I'd abort the baby?" Jessica asked.

"Be my guest," Steven said coolly. "I still have Zachary. I'll find a way to make it up to him and earn his forgiveness."

"Fine, then Don't say I didn't warn you," Jessica ground out, then hung up on him. She lowered her gaze on her baby bump. She decided to keep the child while it still had some value.

She narrowed her eyes and gave Chloe a call.

Chloe hadn't expected Jessica to call her. "What is it? Did something happen?"noveldrama