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?"

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

Murray was silent.

the car that

one or two, or even three or four guys, it's none of your business. We're over, Murray. You know what

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

she didn't wish the same for Millie. Life in its prime should be about blossoming freely, not

made their choices. Murray chose Millie, and she decided to break up. It

stood frozen, unable to comprehend what

seemed something he owned was slipping away, and he couldn't grasp it back. "Are you

didn't even

"You've said that before..."

and downs, but Murray had never felt so

of "breaking up" calmly as if

but he was speechless. The breakup was his idea. He was

her

the