The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Hearing my voice, Steven turned to me with a complicated gaze. "Annalise... You... You're back. He didn't hurt you, d-did he?"

How fake was he? Now that he thought I had done it with another man, he no longer called me "honey" anymore.

"Oh, he didn't do anything to me. We just chatted," I casually told them the truth.

"I'm sorry, Annalise. I didn't have a choice." He didn't seem to believe me yet pretentiously apologized to me.

I shrugged, expecting this exact reaction. Casper might be a key figure in helping me expose Jessica in the future, so I naturally wouldn't disclose everything to Steven.

Ignoring him, I headed straight to the storage room, pulled out my suitcase, and said, "Let's go."

Once we finalized our divorce, I would continue collecting evidence and only expose the truth while Steven and Zachary indulged themselves in this illusion.

By then, it would be hard for them to continue being a happy family.

Steven was particularly cooperative this time. We received our divorce certificate with ease, and I dragged my suitcase, ready to leave. Yet, he rushed up to me. "Annalise, I know I'm the one at fault. You left with nothing after the divorce, and with your lack of work experien "Why don't you work at my house as a nanny? I'll pay you."

Was he nuts, or did he think I had a humiliation kink? Why should I go back to that hellhole and serve them?

I glared at him. "You're quite shameless, aren't you? But please, save your worry for me, Mr. Pelham."

Steven seemed frustrated that I refused his kind gesture. "I was just looking out for you!"

"Let's see-the last time you claimed to look out for me, you sent me to a rapist's den." I barely had the energy to argue with him. And the time before that, you made me lose my baby." His expression froze.

I asked, "What do you have in store for me this time?"

Perhaps he was surprised by how openly I called out all his wrongdoings that he froze.

I didn't want to waste another second on him. I took a cab, told the driver my destination, and let the car take me away.

In the villa district of the city center where Zane lived, I stood outside his villa and called him.

He seemed rather surprised to receive my call. "What's up?"

I desperately needed a job and a place to stay. "Does the offer still stand?"

"Of course." Zane remained calm. "Have you resolved your

matter?"

I replied, "Yeah. I'm standing right outside your villa now."

Within a minute, a security guard came informing me that I could enter.

I walked in and immediately saw Zane in the yard. Logically, he should be at the office at his hour. However, he appeared to be taking an off day instead.

Zane asked hesitatingly, "Could you please do something about Willow?"

"What happened to her?" I asked.

He explained, "Since the last time we parted at the hospital, she assumed you'd come to our house the next day. You were still occupied at that time. So, you couldn't come. "She was mad and kept crying. She ignored me and even refused to eat."

Worried that she might cry so much that it could lead to trouble, Zane left his work behind and stayed home to accompany her.

I quickly asked, "No problem. Where is she?"

Without hesitation, he led the wa