The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

"Steven!" Chloe yelled into the phone when she heard the line go dead.

Desperate, she redialed, only to discover she was blocked again. Switching to other phones didn't help- Steven had blocked those, too.

Shocked, Chloe slumped onto the couch. She couldn't wrap her head around how Steven could cut her off completely over something she thought was so minor.

...

Shane woke up at home, his thoughts drifting to everything that had happened recently. After a moment's hesitation, he opened his chat with Yvonne and typed out a message.

"Thank you for offering to lend me money and letting me stay at your place. Also, I really appreciate you cooking for me. But I found a good job yesterday and made some decent money, so I won't be staying with you anymore."

He transferred the five thousand dollars she had lent him. Then he paused, remembering that he had spent the night at her place, even though it wasn't a full night.

Yvonne had gone to the trouble of cooking for Shane, and he didn't want to leave without offering something in return. He did a quick calculation and sent another five thousand dollars.

"The first transfer is the amount I owe you. The second one is for the trouble I caused and as thanks for cooking for me." Shane texted.

When Yvonne read Shane's messages, she was taken aback. The day before, she'd picked up on his feelings for her.

She'd intentionally acted sweetly with her boyfriend, hoping it would stir something in Shane. What surprised her was how easily Shane decided to move on after seeing her with her boyfriend.

That quick retreat annoyed her a little. Couldn't he have at least tried a bit harder? She would've turned him down anyway, but she still wanted to feel like she mattered enough for him to put in some effort. Yvonne typed back, "Weren't you short on money? If you move out, where are you planning to stay?" "That's not your concern. I'll sort it out," Shane responded without really paying attention.

Feeling a touch of disappointment, Yvonne replied, "Alright, then. If you run into any trouble, you can still contact me."

Shane couldn't quite explain it, but everything she did had seemed perfect when he'd feelings for her. Now, free from those emotions, he saw her actions for what they really were.

detnoveldrama

Yvonne's exaggerated displays of affection with her boyfriend had been a calculated effort to distance him. But now that he had moved on, she wished for him to remain close and win her over again.

He sneered. How long could a love that was based on pretense really last? It was only a matter of time before the truth was revealed.

Just then, Shane's phone rang, and Sasha's name lit up the screen.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"You sound different," Sasha said. "Did something happen?"

"This is all your fault," Shane

snapped. "You kept dropping hints that Yvonne had feelings for me, so I started to develop feelings for

her only to find out she's already in a serious relationship!"

Sasha caught on quickly. "Oh, so you got rejected?"

Then, as if something else clicked, she asked, "Wait, was this last night?"

Shane let out a dry chuckle in response.

Sasha finally understood why he had said those words last night. She touched her chin and murmured,

"So that's what happened."