The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Even if Steven was annoyed at Jessica, he would still come looking for her to ensure he had more than one child. Moreover, Steven didn't loathe her baby.

Jessica smirked and lifted her hand to caress her belly. "I never thought you'd end up helping me like this."

She then messaged Chloe, "Now, we just wait for Steven to arrive."

Chloe read the message and finally breathed a sigh of relief. She put her phone in her bag, planning to head to the hospital as well. After all, she had consistently shown great concern for the child in Jessica's womb.

If Chloe knew Jessica was going for surgery to remove the child and didn't seem worried, Steven would surely notice she was acting.

As Chloe rushed into the yard, Steven had just driven up. She quickly opened the car door, got in, and urged anxiously, "Let's go quickly! Otherwise, we'll be too late to stop Jessica!"

She couldn't help but admire her acting skills. "You don't think Jessica would really want to give up this child out of guilt and a desire to apologize to you, do you?"

Steven's mind was in chaos, his thoughts blank. He couldn't distinguish which of Chloe's words were true and which were lies. "She shouldn't," he said, unsure if he was reassuring Chloe or himself.

Chloe said in between sobs, "I still can't understand how you and Jessica went from being fine to this. I know you like Annalise, but no matter how much you like her, you have a child now. You should take responsibility for that child!"

Chloe's frustration grew as she continued, "Even if you dislike Jessica, that's between you two adults. It has nothing to do with the child.

"How can you let the child bear the consequences? Don't you think it's unfair?"

Steven said in irritation, "Please stop talking, okay? I'm in a turmoil right now. I need a moment to think clearly."

Upon seeing Steven's distressed state, Chloe obediently fell silent. He stared ahead, lost in thought. Chloe was implying that Jessica's decision to abort was Annalise's fault. However, what did this have to do with Annalise?

She had shown no interest in this family or anyone in it. She hadn't even contacted them since. How could this possibly be Annalise's fault?

Steven took a deep breath. He suddenly realized that since being with him, Annalise seemed to have endured a lot of unfair treatment.

I sat in the living room after finishing my work. I lay on the sofa, took out my phone, and opened the group chat.noveldrama

It was filled almost entirely with photos posted by Milton and Dorothy. Most were pictures of Willow and Penelope together.

Willow seemed to be having a

wonderful time outside. In every photo, she flashed a big, bright smile, her eyes curved like crescent moons, looking absolutely adorable.

Penelope, on the other hand, appeared much more mature. She stood obediently next to Willow-clearly happy, too-though not grinning as widely. Still, her eyes and brows radiated a relaxed joy.

Apart from the posed shots of the two together, most were candid captures of them playing. Though not as polished, these snapshots seemed more lively and vibrant.

Just looking at them, I couldn't help but be infected by the joy of the people in the photos.

My mood improved unconsciously. I turned to Zane beside me and asked, "How many days have Willow and the others been out?"