Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"Look at you, Roseanne, moving up in the world," the man sneered, his tone dripping with venom. "Jumping from one guy to another, quite the party girl, aren't you?"

His voice suddenly turned icy. "Who was that guy? What were you two doing upstairs?"

Roseanne's smile vanished as her hand throbbed in his tight grip. She tried to pull away, but he was using brute force.

The more she struggled, the tighter his grip became.

Roseanne shouted, "Murray, let go!"

Murray refused to let go. "Answer me first!"

Roseanne frowned, enduring the pain. "What's it to you?"

"As an ex-boyfriend, I think it's only fair I take an interest in my former girlfriend's love life, huh?"

A laugh escaped Roseanne, a hint of sarcasm in her gaze. "Oh, so you admit you're the ex-boyfriend. What brings you here, then?"

Murray got momentarily choked up. "Can't I just be passing by?"

Just then, an angry neighbor went into the alley, cursing, "Who the hell parked the car here, blocking the alley? Didn't you see the road is narrow enough without your car clogging it up? Driving a fancy sports car doesn't give you the right to be inconsiderate. How's anyone supposed to get through?"

Murray was silent.

Roseanne instantly realized the car that caused the commotion was Murray's Porsche.

She couldn't care less about his reasons for showing up. After disposing of her trash, she turned to him. "Whether I see someone new, one or two, or even three or four guys, it's none of your business. We're over, Murray. You know what 'breaking up' means, don't you?"

"I'm not concerned about your future, and I'd prefer it if you stayed out of my present and future. Let's just be strangers from here on out. And don't come to my place anymore. I wouldn't want your girlfriend getting the wrong idea. After all, since you chose to be with her, I hope you'll be faithful and committed for her sake."

Roseanne had weathered her storms and endured her wounds, so she didn't wish the same for Millie. Life in its prime should be about blossoming freely, not being tarnished.

Everyone made their choices. Murray chose Millie, and she decided to break up. It was time for each to be responsible for their choices.

Murray stood frozen, unable to comprehend what just happened.

As Roseanne walked away, Murray felt panic for the first time. It seemed something he owned was slipping away, and he couldn't grasp it back. "Are you serious, Roseanne?"

"Yes." She didn't even look back.

"You've said that before..."

They had their ups and downs, but Murray had never felt so uneasy before.

She spoke of "breaking up" calmly as if she wouldn't return.

Murray reached out, wanting to hold her back, but he was speechless. The breakup was his idea. He was the one who let go of her hand first.

Back at her place, Roseanne sat

quietly on the couch. Murray

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showing up wasn't a surprise. But unlike their hasty breakup before, this felt like a real goodbye.

After Roseanne left, Murray stood downstairs for a long time until the angry Reighbor threatened to call the police to tow his car away. Only then did he reluctantly leave.

The angry neighbor cursed, "Wow, so this is your car? What's the deal? I've been yelling my head off. You got wax in your ears or what?"Original content from NôvelDrama.Org.

Murray floored the accelerator, racing back to his mansion in twenty minutes.

Sadie was making oatmeal in the kitchen, startled by the commotion, thinking something had fallen. But then she saw Murray, a cloud of anger storming through the living room without a word, heading upstairs.

Sadie's heart skipped a beat, wondering what set him off this time.