The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 9

Steven replied with a hint of helplessness, "Because we have a child."

"That's why you had Jessica secretly contact Zachary, right?" someone asked excitedly. "As long as Zachary accepts Jessica as his mom, you can reunite with her and raise Zachary together."

Steven's friends tease him, "You really are smart for planning this out!"

So Steven had orchestrated for Jessica to approach Zachary?

No wonder when he sent Zachary to Chloe's place, she immediately took him to Jessica's house to build that connection. No wonder the kindergarten teachers called Jessica Zachary's mom.

And here I was, foolishly trying to convince myself to forgive him.

I was shaking all over, desperately trying to calm myself down, but everything felt hopeless.

Before Steven could reply, his phone rang. He answered immediately, "Yes, Jessica?

"What? Zachary cut his wrist? Hold on. I'll be right there!"

Upon hearing that, I felt like I'd been struck by lightning.

Zachary chose Jessica right there at the school. Logically, he should've been happy after going home with Jessica. So why did he suddenly fall into despair?

I couldn't figure it out.

The blows kept coming, sapping all my strength. I leaned against the wall to stay upright, but my body threatened to collapse. "Zachary..."

Steven rushed into the office. When he saw me, he froze at once.

I wanted to show some strength in front of his friends, but my tears kept flowing.

His friends were stunned as well. They exchanged glances with each other, unsure of what to say.

Seeing how distraught I was, Steven quickly came over and lifted me into his arms. "Zachary's going to be okay, honey. You don't need to worry too much."

I covered my face with my hands, as I didn't want to feel more embarrassed in front of everyone.

He practically sprinted to the elevator, leaving his friends behind.

"Is that Annalise?" one of them asked. "She's hotter than I expected."

"No wonder Steven doesn't want to divorce her. If I had such a beautiful wife who loves me, I'd definitely treat her well."

"I envy Steven now."

…

Steven opened the car door and helped me into the passenger seat. At this point, I had no strength to resist. I just sat there, letting him fasten my seatbelt.

"Honey." He stood beside me and gently wiped away my tears, but it felt like he couldn't clean them away.

He wanted to explain, but I didn't want to hear it. "Let's just go to the hospital and see what's going on with Zachary."

Worried about Zachary's safety, Steven quickly shut the door, started the car, and sped off toward the hospital.

He focused on the road. His left hand gripped the wheel while his right reached out to hold mine.

Yet, I flinched away and turned to look out the window. "Just drive."

Steven seemed afraid I'd misunderstand him. "Please let me explain, honey."

I leaned against the seat and closed my eyes.

"I admit that the person I loved at first wasn't you," he said as he watched my reflection in the rearview mirror.

When he saw my frown, he quickly added, "But after all these years together and raising a child together—"

At this point, I opened my eyes and looked at him. "But when Jessica came back, you realized you still loved her."

As soon as I said that, I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.