Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"Murray, let me fix your tie for you."

"Heh... I'm wearing a black shirt today."

Millie paused, a look of confusion crossing her face. "I know."

Forget it.

Murray gave up, thinking to himself that sometimes it's best to leave things unsaid when you're not on the same page.

A black shirt with a mixed-color tie, huh....

Only her kind of aesthetic could come up with such a combination.

Murray brushed off her hands, "If you can't do it right, don't bother doing it at all."

Without waiting for Millie's reaction, he strode away.

...

As night fell, Murray wrapped up his work and left the office.

Settling into his car, he lit a cigarette and lingered without starting the engine.

Once the cigarette had burned down, he stamped out the butt and drove off.

He didn't feel like going back to his mansion, so he ended up driving along the river, making a couple of loops.

during the drive, but he didn't

aimlessly, he found himself

he got scolded for

something special with

fancy cars lately, huh? Wasn't

"Yeah, a Porsche!"

"Exactly, what's the deal?"

...

eight sharp, Roseanne came downstairs to take out the

behind his windshield, Murray watched

had grown longer, gently cascading down her back, and she wore flip-flops, looking effortlessly chic and relaxed. Murray got out of the car,

"Mr. Sherwood, fancy seeing

"Move!"

to head back upstairs after dumping the trash, Murray grew impatient. Owen stood his ground, watching Roseanne enter the

think just because you're one of the Reynolds, I won't

was calm, unbothered: "Does Mr. Sherwood have a

what if I do?! None of

is every

"You're doing all this just out of civic duty? You

unchanged, his response

do you think you are? How long have you known her compared to how long I've

length of

El.ne

spend a lifetime together and can't make it work, while

they're meant to