The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Chloe said all of that with a smile, but Jessica caught the threat in her voice immediately. "A few days ago, I might have listened to what you had to say. But Steven has already told me he's leaving me."

Now that things were over with Steven, Jessica saw no need to play nice. "He wants to get back together with Annalise."

"That's impossible!" Chloe shot back without hesitation.

Jessica smirked. "He told me himself. If you don't believe me, you should call and ask him."

With that, she turned to go back inside. Chloe stood there frozen before finally pulling out her phone to call Steven. "Jessica said you're going to remarry Annalise. Is that true?"

Steven struggled to find the right words.

"Answer me!" Chloe demanded, her voice rising.

Steven mumbled a half-hearted "yeah".

Chloe immediately hung up and dialed Annalise's number.

...

I was sitting in the living room, watching Willow chat with Milton and Dorothy, when my phone rang. Perhaps because they had not seen each other in ages, they were especially gentle and patient when they were with Willow. They spoke to her in soft tones. Willow was chattering away nonstop, and the whole scene felt so warm and homey. I sat back contentedly while just taking it all in.

When I picked up my phone, Chloe's voice cut through, "Even if my son wants to remarry you, I want to make one thing clear. You're not welcome in this family! You're not good enough for Steven!"

Chloe expected Annalise to be

desperate for her approval like she used to since she loved Steven so much. She would surely agree to any conditions Chloe set just to be with Steven.

en

She was ready to lay down the law and make sure Annalise knew her place...

"Is that so?" I was not affected by Chloe's words. "Well, looks like we're on the same page."

I continued, "You don't like me, and I don't like you."

Chloe could not believe her ears.

I said, "So, do us both a favor and tellTêxt belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

your son to stop pursuing me. Things were alright back when we just got a divorce, but he's been showing up everywhere lately. It's bothering me."

This was not the reaction Chloe had expected from me. All her prepared speeches crumbled away.

I paused before adding, "And I hear things aren't great between Steven and Jessica. You always liked her didn't you? Why don't you help them work things out? I'm sure they could patch things up with your support."

Realization dawned on Chloe's face as she listened. "Are you saying my son isn't good enough for you?"

"Obviously." I did not deny it.

"How dare you!" she exploded. I hung up right after that. When I had blocked the rest of his family's numbers before, I had forgotten about hers. This was the perfect opportunity to fix that oversight.

Dorothy had been playing with Willow but turned her attention to me after overhearing the call. "What was that about?"