Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

But deep down, Cliff couldn't help but feel betrayed by Corley. Brothers fighting over the same girl, and Corley had to be the first to lay it all out. What was he thinking? Corley shrugged indifferently. "You don't need to lecture me. You can't tell if the fruit of force tastes sweet until you've taken a bite."

...

After leaving the coffee shop, Roseanne did a bit of shopping at the mall, picking up a new scarf and a cashmere coat. She then headed to the supermarket for some groceries. When she emerged, the sky had darkened. Daytime ended early in winter, prompting her to walk faster toward home. The night fell when she reached her apartment building. Suddenly, a figure burst out from the shadows of an alley. For a moment, thinking it might be some homeless, a chill ran down Roseanne's spine, her hair standing on end. However, when she realized it was Murray, her tension eased somewhat, only to be replaced by concern as she noticed his drunken stagger and the strong smell of alcohol on him. His nose was red from the cold, a sign he'd been waiting for a while.

Leveraging his drunken courage, he grabbed Roseanne's hand. "Anne..."

"Let go," Roseanne demanded, discomfort clear in her voice.

Somehow, she found his touch unbearable.

Murray didn't let go. "I won't let go until you come back to me. Will you?"

Roseanne couldn't fathom what madness had gotten into him. "You're drunk." "Anne... I'm serious..." He was the second man to insist he meant it.

broken it off with Millie. Everything between you and

You can hit me or yell

you want..."

streets grew emptier, and the weather forecast had warned this would be the coldest night of the

she said, her eyes downcast, her lashes fluttering slightly. "We

a turning point for Murray, always so

stomach's sake." With that, she pulled her hand free and

has told me to

lightening up with hope. 'Roseanne is the same as before, worried about my drinking

caught up to her with renewed urgency, pulling her into his embrace. "Anne, you still care

in for a

in shock, and she pushed him away, wiping her mouth

disdain slicing through him more sharply

in his system turned