The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Steven shot up. "No way!"

"So much has happened these past few days." I held his gaze. "First, Zachary is adamant about being with Jessica."Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Steven, usually so calm and composed, now spoke with a tremor of fear in his voice, "He's just being foolish, honey. I've never crossed any lines. You can hate Zachary, and you can blame me, but you can't leave me."

His voice became almost pleading at the end.

Yet he was still shifting the responsibility onto Zachary, completely oblivious to the fact that my pain stemmed from his complicity and indulgence. He couldn't tell that the love I had for him over the years vanished at that moment when I fell down the stairs.

I continued, "And then I realized that even after you promised me you wouldn't contact her anymore, you two were still in close contact."

Steven opened his mouth, then closed it again. He was clearly caught off guard by the fact that I already knew done in secret.

His fists were clenched, and his expression was filled with pain.

out the things he had

I turned to look out the window. "At that point, I thought maybe I should just get a divorce to make things easier for you. But I was worried about Zachary.

"Since he started spending time with Jessica, his stomach problems have worsened, and now, he's even learned to hurt himself. If I give in and let Jessica be his mother, his life will be hell."

Steven thought I was about to compromise and nodded eagerly. "Yeah, honey, so we can't get divorced."

I gently stroked my belly. "And then I found out I was pregnant. To give this baby a complete home, I've been desperately convincing myself to forgive everything you two have done."

My emotions spilled over when I mentioned the baby.

Steven suddenly fell silent.

"But what did Zachary do? He knew there was oil on the stairs and knew I would be seriously hurt if I went over."

Jessica had meticulously planned every detail behind the scenes. And Zachary had known everything from the start but had chosen not to intervene. Instead...

What a joke! This was the child I had raised so carefully.

And what about Steven? Was he innocent?

No! He was one of the instigators!

I looked into his eyes. "The baby is gone, and I've lost all hope for Zachary. There's nothing left in this home that I want to hold onto." All I wanted now was to escape this suffocating home.

For years, I had tried to be a good wife and a responsible mother. From now on, I would simply be Annalise Jamison. I didn't need any more burdensome labels. But I wouldn't spare those who had hurt me. "What about me?" Steven asked.

I replied seriously, "Didn't you say you liked Jessica? I'm stepping aside to make room for you two. You should be happy about that."

I could never forget the day in the stairwell when Zachary told me Jessica wanted to harm me, but sadly, I had no proof.

If Steven was blind enough to love that viper, then I would grant his wish and let them be together.

"Daddy!" Zachary had no idea what my decision truly meant for him. He only knew his dream was finally coming true. Soon, Jessica would become his mom.

Zachary was so excited that he grabbed Steven's sleeve and gently shook it. "Just say you agree."

"Shut up!" Steven snapped coldly.

11

Zachary felt wronged by Steven's harsh tone and began to cry.

Normally, hearing his cries would tug at my heartstrings, and I would rush to hold him and ask what was wrong before comforting him. But today, I found his cries annoying and intolerable. Chapter 11

I turned my gaze back to the window. "Think it over. Also, I'm exhausted. Please take him out."

Steven seemed to want to say something else, but when he saw the exhaustion on my face, he held back.