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.

entered the

are you doing?" she

there in the middle of the night without

the night lost its sparkle for Murray.

like glue, complaining of hunger and wanting to eat. Murray's patience ran thin, utterly frustrated. He eventually flagged down a waiter to take Millie to the

the hotel's strict

Murray had made

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

breeze, her expression calm, her hair cascading down her shoulders, a solitary

ove

looked like a scene

It wasn't until Corley left that Roseanne

still wore the mask from the party, his eyes carrying a faint, dark glint. He stepped forward, causing Roseanne's brow to

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

she could finish, her wrist

not I?" Murray demanded, eyes