The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven) novel Chapter 652

Upon hearing this, I turned and gaped at Zachary in shock. He glowered at Steven in disgust and spat, "Are you going to pin the blame on me even though the evidence has been laid out before you? I'm not an idiot, Steven, or a mute, either! I can explain myself!"

Zane raised a hand to stop Steven from interjecting and motioned for Zachary to continue. "Go on."

"Jessica was terrified that she'd angered Steven after she forced him to get a vasectomy, so she threatened to abort her baby…" Zachary didn't need to be a genius to figure out Jessica's game plan. He elaborated, "And Steven showed up at the hospital just before she got her abortion.

"She started weeping before him and told him she wouldn't have decided to get an abortion if I hadn't fed her with lies and provoked her."

There was no hiding the contempt on his little face as he added, "Anyone with half a brain would have known she was lying, but Steven was too stupid to realize it!"

Steven inhaled sharply.

However, Zachary couldn't care less about Steven's ire. "He showed up at my place and beat me up! I posted the footage on the internet to prove my innocence, and now, he's blaming me for standing up for myself!"

Zane asked Steven, "Is he telling the truth?"

Zachary was inclined to believe Steven would lie, so he warned the latter, "My words are backed by evidence."

"Yes," Steven admitted begrudgingly. A second later, he argued, "Even if Jessica wronged you—"

"What do you mean 'even if' she wronged me? You're making it sound as if she was blameless and that I was the one who picked on her first!" Zachary cut him off sardonically.

Steven was furious that Zachary had called his bluff. He rose to teach the child another lesson, but Zane sensed his rage and quickly stepped forward to block him. "Use your words, Steven. I won't let you get away with using violence in my home."