The Reclaimed Rose (Annalise and Steven)

Sherry stared at Gavin, and it suddenly struck her-the man she had once loved might have been nothing more than a perfect image she had created.

Gavin had never shown respect for anyone. He was always harsh, his words biting when he spoke. Whenever he wanted something from her, he'd soften his tone, spinning sweet words to get what he desired. But as soon as she no longer mattered to him, he'd drop her without a second thought.

And Sherry wasn't the only one he had treated this way. There was Yvette, and who knew how many others Sherry had never met.

"If you still believe Yvette's the one to blame, then there's no hope for you," Sherry said.

"If it's not Yvette's fault, whose is it?" Gavin asked.

Sasha couldn't tell if Gavin was pretending to be clueless or if he didn't understand what Sherry was getting at.

She spoke up. "This is on you. If you hadn't given Yvette that chance, do you really think she would've stuck around? And if you hadn't shown her the slightest interest, why would she have stayed in your orbit for so long?"

Sherry couldn't have agreed more with Sasha, saying, "You never take responsibility for your actions. It's always someone else's fault in your eyes."

Gavin's face turned red, his anger flaring up from the embarrassment. "What more do you want from me? I cut ties with the woman you can't stand for you!"

That was when Sherry realized just how shameless Gavin could be. "For me? We're not even together anymore. I'm not looking to take you back.

"And let's be honest, I doubt ending things with Yvette was your idea. She probably just got fed up with waiting and decided to walk away."

She knew Gavin better than anyone.

At Sherry's words, Sasha spoke with a touch of regret. "So, after Yvette left him, he came to you to brag about how he was the one who made her leave for you?"

"What did you expect? Did you honestly think someone like Gavin would ever change?" Sherry questioned.

Sasha went quiet.

Sherry turned to Gavin. "I don't know

what I said when we broke up

made you think there was any

that

chance I'd take you back. But let me set the record straight-this time, I'm serious.

"Ever since I walked away, I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off me. My new job's way less stressful than the one I had at your company, and I'm even making more money.

"I've met new people, and honestly, every day feels like I'm finally living the life've always wanted. I've finally come to understand that I deserve a life like this." noveldrama

Gavin had always put her down when they were together. No matter what she did,

it never seemed like it was enough.

He even told her that no other man would ever want her like he did. At the time, she truly believed she wasn't enough and didn't deserve anything good.

But now, everything had changed. Without someone constantly tearing Sherry down, she was finally starting to see her own value.

After hearing her out, Gavin said, "So, you're saying all this is happening just because Zane's paying you?"

Sherry couldn't quite figure out how he had come to that conclusion. But she didn't feel like explaining herself anymore.

"Yeah," she answered dismissively.

Gavin scoffed. "Then come back to my company. I'll pay you, too."