The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

"Let's go. I'll take you out to dinner," Casper said.

Gary followed behind him. "Have you thought about what's going to happen to Cody?"

Casper shrugged. "Why should I?"

"He's your only son. If you don't bring him back, are you really going to let our family line die out just like that?" Gary asked.

Casper's gaze settled on the streetlights and the thinning crowd, an unexpected sense of calm washing over him. "Isn't this exactly what you were hoping for?"

Once they stepped inside the restaurant, he passed the menu to Julia. "Take a look and decide what you'd like to order."

Julia picked a starter. "We never thought Ruby would lie to us!"

Casper leaned back, crossed his legs, and echoed, "You never thought Ruby would lie to you?"

Gary ordered a main course. "Exactly! Who would've thought she'd dare lie about something so serious?"

Casper stared at him. "Even if you thought I'd betrayed her with Jessica, why didn't you look into it? Or insist on a DNA test? Instead, you did nothing."

He let out a dry laugh. "Dad, you've built your entire career on being careful. How could you be so reckless when it came to your own family?"

If they had looked into Ruby's claims sooner, they might have been able to fix things. Instead, they'd taken her

Wordfor it and ended up treatingnoveldrama

Jessica horribly.

The guilt still gnawed at Casper. He'd failed her, too, refusing to stand by her unconditionally, even though he knew full well that Julia and Gary were at fault.

Gary hesitated. "I'm sorry."

Casper asked, "What does 'sorry' even mean at this point? Jessica hates you. So does Cody. You called her a gold-digger, but she's never once abandoned Cody.

"Every relationship she's in is about ensuring he has a better life. She's not perfect, but she's a perfect mother."

He'd often watched Jessica and Cody after work. Their bond was unshakable. Cody's guarded demeanor only eased when he was around Jessica.

"So it's not as simple as Cody coming back just because we want him to. You need to understand that," Casper said with a tone of disappointment.

Gary's frustration flared. "Then what? We just let him call another man 'dad'?" "Never!" Julia snapped.

Casper found them absurd. "Can you make Jessica forgive you? Or Cody?"

Gary and Julia exchanged looks and shook their heads. Cody had always

stayed at arm's length from them.

They'd never even gotten the

opportunity to treat him with

kindness.

"Cody hates us, but not you. You could reach out to him and show him you care," Gary said.