The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

"No!" Tears spilled down Steven's cheeks, his voice catching in his throat. In the past, every time he felt Annalise slipping away, it hurt. But it was never like this.

This time, there was a marriage certificate tying her to Zane, a legal bond that made it clear Steven had no chance at all.

Steven bit his lip hard. "No, Otis. You promised me, so you have to follow through, no matter what! You can't just back out now!"

Upon hearing the desperation in Steven's voice, Otis simply ended the call. He wished he could help, but there was nothing he could do.

When Yelena got home, the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. How could someone as "old" as Annalise end up with such an amazing man? And worse, she kept him on such a tight leash without letting him interact with other women.

Yelena switched to a new number and called me. "Just admit it-you're jealous that I'm younger and prettier, aren't you?"

Jealous? Of her? What a joke. I didn't hesitate to call out the flaw in her logic.

"Did you forget we're actually the same age? Your parents love pretending you're my younger sister to cover up their affair. Have they repeated it so much that you've started believing you're actually a few years younger and somehow more youthful?"

Yelena was at a loss for words.

After a long silence, she finally blurted out, "My age doesn't matter! Annalise, the point is, if you keep Zane on such a tight leash and never let him meet anyone else, he'll eventually get tired of it, find someone new, and leave you!

"If I were you, I'd let him do whatever he wants. He'd go out and have fun, but in the end, he'd still come back to me."

She sounded smug, as if she was convinced she'd already won.

I replied calmly, "And that's exactly why Zane will never choose you. He has self-control. He doesn't fool around. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been with me all these years."

II

How was it possible for someone as incredible as Zane to have such a perfect relationship track record? He'd never even had another girlfriend besides Annalise?

Yelena's eyes burned with jealousy. Why Annalise, though? She searched for any excuse that might give her the upper hand, but nothing came to mind. Desperate, she fell back on the one thing she could grasp-Otis.

"With that nasty temper of yours, it's no wonder Dad doesn't like you," she spat.noveldrama

I couldn't help but laugh. "After all these years, is that really the best you've got?"

Yelena was taken aback by how unfazed I was. "You can't pretend you don't care! Nobody's that indifferent.

"Everyone cares about their parents' opinions, even just a little! You still love Dad. You're just putting on this tough act so you won't lose to me!"

Her logic was almost laughable, and I decided to set her straight.

"When he first betrayed me and my mom, of course, I was furious. But over time, I realized he wasn't worth my time. I'd rather focus on myself than waste another thought On that prick."