The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Jessica said icily, "I can care for Cody, don't worry."

Gary hadn't expected Jessica to change so much since the last time they met, which wasn't that long ago. He'd assumed she would be as gullible as before.

He suddenly felt helpless and glanced at Julia, who snapped, "She must be bluffing! She probably thinks that by telling us all this, we'd be cornered and agree to let her reconcile with Casper!"

Jessica overheard their exchange but did not mind it. She countered coolly, "No, that's not it. I only married Casper because I thought marrying rich was easier than getting a job.

"I figured I wouldn't have the life I wanted if I lived paycheck to paycheck, so I pinned my hopes on a wealthy man who could provide for me. But now that I've made money through my own hard work, I realized it isn't as hard as I thought."

Now, it was Julia's turn to be speechless.

At last, Jessica said, "Whatever fanciful life you had does not appeal to me anymore. It just seems ordinary at this point. So, go ahead and do whatever you want. Don't worry about me.

But only

was skeptical. "You'll talk to

not believe this, but... Casper no longer attracts me

savings, she would

her savings had gone up because of her hard work, her confidence blossomed. She couldn't help but wonder

been different had she

during her poorest

better off relying on Casper. After all, she had been with Steven at the

Steven, she might end up in the same boat as Annalise. In all fairness, the latter suffered a worse fate than she did. It seemed Jessica had been

man she chose to be with. The only way she could rewrite