The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Cody gazed out the car window. After a long time, he mustered the courage and turned to Steven, asking, "Are you still upset with Mommy?"

Confused by the sudden question, Steven replied, "I've never been upset with Mommy, though."

Cody retorted, "But why haven't you visited for so long?"

"I was busy with work," Steven replied casually.

Realizing that he misunderstood Steven, Cody hurriedly said, "I see. I'm sorry."

Following Cody's words, Steven continued, "What would you do if Mommy and I argued again?"

"I won't talk to you, of course. Mommy treats me very well," Cody said firmly.

"Since I was little, I knew Mommy loves money. She always prioritizes money, so when she divorced my Dad, I thought she would abandon me because I cost a lot of money. Yet, Mommy chose me," Cody added, sounding a little sad.

"I will always remember what Mommy did for me, so I'll love her unconditionally!"

Surprised, Steven asked, "Have you ever thought of how you might be happier if you were with your dad?"

"No."

Even though Cody was young, he had experienced enough to know who truly treated him well and who didn't.noveldrama

He continued, "My grandparents never liked Mommy. They thought she wasn't good enough for my dad, and because of that, they didn't like me either. When I was younger, I wanted to get closer to them. But every time I tried to approach them, they would walk away with an icy expression.

"Over time, I knew that they hated me. They liked another lady, and they treated her like their future daughter-in-law. In fact, they treated that lady's child better than they treated me. I could only watch my grandparents dote on that lady's kid."

Cody narrated that calmly, as if it were unrelated to him. Steven gently patted Cody's hand, and Cody continued.

"Mommy couldn't withstand that, and she talked to my dad about it. Then, he brought it up with my grandparents. But my grandparents said they had the freedom to dote on whoever they wanted, and that we didn't have the right to interfere. Since then, I gave up on them."

Cody sneered and commented, "People like that will never treat me right. As for my dad... He may dote on me, but he still has to work. I'm sure he wouldn't have time for me, so I chose to stay with Mommy."

Steven never knew Cody had become so mature.

Before Steven could figure out what to say, Cody's phone rang. He answered the call and asked, "Hello?"

"Hi Cody, it's Grandpa!"

Then, another voice chimed in, "I'm Grandma!"

Cody had once craved their attention. But after seeing what happened to Zachary, he gave up. After all, if the people who claimed to love Zachary could abandon him, then what could Cody expect from those who had never even liked him?

Cody calmly asked, "What do you need from me?"

The two remained silent, hesitating. Cody thought that meant they had nothing to

say, so he immediately hung up.

Steven asked, "What do you think they would have said?"

Cody scowled. He replied, "What else? The same old routine, I'm sure. They'd say

they miss me, invite me over, and then..."