The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

As he was not getting an answer from Jessica, Cody urged, "Mommy?"

Jessica didn't want Steven to hear her, so she lowered her voice. She said, "Daddy and I are never going to reconcile."

From Cody's perspective, no matter how good other men were, they all fell short in comparison to Casper. Cody had said those things to make himself seem open. But Cody still found it difficult to swallow the fact that Jessica was never going to reconcile with Casper, making him shed tears.

Feeling bad for Cody, Jessica wiped his tears away and said, "I know you're reluctant to let him go. But do you know what's going to happen to me if I reconcile with Daddy?"

Cody shook his head. Jessica said flatly, "My life would feel like hell. Your grandparents would continue to torture us, and we'd have to endure their criticisms so that we don't affect Casper's work.

"You might not think much about a life like that, but I've had enough. If I have to live a life like that again, I won't be able to survive it."

Cody had something to say, but he swallowed it back. He said empathetically, "Mommy, let's not get back with Daddy ever again, then."

Jessica fell silent. Cody continued, "I'll behave, too."

Jessica knew her baby's identity would eventually be exposed. Even though Steven was treating her well, he would definitely hate her if he found out about the baby's identity, and then he'd break up with her.

Worried that Cody might not be prepared for that, Jessica said, "Even if Steven abandons us in the future, I won't go looking for another man. From now on, I will make money and focus on our family of three-you, me, and the baby. Would you be okay with that?"

Cody nodded and exclaimed, "Of course!"

Upon hearing that, Jessica smiled and said, "Good, then."

As long as Cody could understand her, everything else was of Jessica's concern. Satisfied with his response, she gave Cody a kiss and then patted him on the shoulder.

"You can go play now."

"Okay."

Cody enjoyed playtime with the toys they had at home.

After seeing Cody return to his room, Jessica approached Steven in the kitchen. When he saw her, he brought her a stool and gestured for her to sit.

Steven asked, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Yeah. When I was talking to Cody, you looked like you had something to say. What was running through your mind?" Jessica asked.

Thinking about how important it was to live in the moment, Steven said, "When I first divorced Annalise made some mistakes. But can promise you now.

"I'm a changed man, and I'm not

hung up

on Annalise anymore. I'l

focus on building a family with you,

Dwon't think of being separated from you anymore." fo

Seeing how genuine Steven was, Jessica suddenly became worried that he might hate her if he found out about the baby. Not wanting to look Steven in the eye, Jessica fell silent for a while.

Then, she asked, "A vasectomy can be reversed, right?"noveldrama

Confused, Steven asked, "What?"

Jessica suggested hesitantly, "Why don't you get a vasectomy reversal?"

Previously, Steven had struggled to come to terms with his circumstances, but he had since accepted them.

Steven said, "We already have the baby, so I don't need any more children. Having another could be hard on your body."