The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

The thought of it made Gary boil with rage. None of this would've happened if Ruby hadn't lied to him and Julia.

Julia looked just as frustrated as she muttered, "I know."

Gary shot back, "So it's not about what I want. We've got no other choice now!"

"But we've already given in, and Jessica still won't forgive us. What do we do now?" Julia asked.

Gary scoffed, his voice dripping with malice. "The only reason she's not giving in is because Steven's backing her up. But what if we found someone who hates Jessica just as much as we do? If we can drive a wedge between her and Steven, she'll have nowhere to turn but back to us."

Julia's eyes lit up. "Yes! You're right. Do you know who Jessica's biggest enemy is?"

Gary smirked. "Of course. Steven's ex-wife. It was a huge scandal when Steven divorced Annalise and got together with Jessica. I followed every bit of gossip back then. It ended badly. I'm sure Annalise still hates Jessica."

Julia could hardly contain herself. "So we're going to see Annalise right now?"

"Exactly."

I was sitting alone in a cafe, leaning back on the couch after setting things up for Sage. My mind was a million miles away.

Right now, I was holding two big pieces of evidence-first, that Jessica was responsible for my child's death, and second, that the baby she was carrying didn't even belong to Steven.

The good part was Steven had a vasectomy. All I had to do now was wait. I'd spill everything once Jessica gave birth to the baby. That was when the real fireworks would start.

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Annalise Jamison?" I looked up and saw Gary sitting down across from me.

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you want?"

"You know who I am?" Gary asked.

I nodded. "Of course."

"You must be aware of the history between me and Jessica. I've gotten things wrong in the past, but right I care about is splitting up

Steven and Jessica.

"Since you're Steven's ex, I'm guessing you still have feelings for him, right? If that's the case, then we're on the same side. Why not work

Gary suggested, his

tone full of confidence.

I smiled at him. "You've done all this digging, but didn't it ever cross your mind to find out who I'm married to now?"

Gary didn't flinch. "Are you saying there's someone out there better than Steven?"

"Turns out there is," I said with a sweet smile. "My husband now is Zane Huxham. He's lightyears ahead of Steven. So trust me, I couldn't care less about Steven."

Gary leaned back, squinting at me as he sized me up. I held his gaze, not backing down.

He said, "Sure, Zane's probably a big upgrade from Steven, but moving on doesn't mean your old feelings just vanish. Steven was your first love, right? That had to count for

something. Are you really telling me

you got over him that easily?"

Cóntent

I nodded. "I stuck around because I loved him. But once I let go, that love was gone. I can't keep loving a guy who only hurts me."

The truth was, there was nothing Gary could say to make me trust him. We barely knew each other, and his sudden push to team up felt way too shady.

"You might not love Steven anymore, but you've got to hate him, right? Don't you want to see him finally pay for what he did?" Gary asked.noveldrama