Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Corley smiled. "I'm chasing what I want. Don't worry about it. How will I know the outcome if I don't try?"

Roseanne said with concern, "Even if it ends in disappointment?"

His gaze deepened. "Then I'll accept it."

She hadn't expected him to be so stubborn and fell silent.

Noticing her mood, Corley didn't push the conversation further but quietly listened to the waves with her. It wasn't until well past midnight that he finally left.

Roseanne thought about his silent defiance and determination. In truth, Corley was a man who knew his limits and boundaries. His pursuit was neither aggressive nor reckless, always mindful not to trouble her, unlike Murray, who used to chase her relentlessly and would fly off the handle at the drop of a hat.

Roseanne sighed, knowing there was little she could do to stop others' actions.

"Just focus on doing you," she told herself.

As she headed back inside, she caught sight of a shadow standing silently in the dark, almost like a ghost.

the light, and Roseanne finally saw it

the hell are you

there in the middle of the night without a word

out of the party early, and suddenly, the night lost its sparkle for Murray. He followed her

to him like glue, complaining of hunger and wanting to eat. Murray's patience ran thin,

the hotel's

had made

Roseanne's room. number. Eager, he found her and Corley standing side by side on the baleony, looking

hair cascading down her shoulders, a solitary figure in the night. The man stood tall, broad-shouldered and

ove

like a scene from a

in place. It wasn't until Corley left that Roseanne noticed

from the party, his eyes carrying a faint,

here? I've said all there is to say,

wrist got seized with a forceful

can he and not I?"