Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"You're so handsome, I'm totally smitten, let's give it a shot, be my boyfriend..."

"Wow, aren't you the bold one," Roseanne laughed.

"My biggest virtue is my courage to dream big and act on it."

"Yeah? Maybe just stick to dreaming for now," Roseanne teased.

Corley, seemingly oblivious to her subtle rejection, grinned, "Dream first, then do."

"Not everything can be done," she said, dampening his spirits a bit.

"No worries. You gotta try, right? No regrets. Who knows? Maybe it'll happen."

Roseanne didn't respond.

At the staircase, Corley stopped, "This is you."

"Thanks."

you need anything.

"Sure."

humoring me again. You're thinking, 'Sure, I'll say yes now, but when push comes to shove, I

smirk twitched at the corner

know you're Miss Independent, happy with your solo gig. But maybe, just maybe, think of me if you need help? I'm not asking to be the first you

"Head up then."

until her room light flicked on, then he

...

month in the villa, Millie's pregnancy was stable and she was well taken care of. With Murray away and no one to berate her, she relished her days in comfort.

and even gained a

slaved away, tolerating Millie's whims

struggles with insomnia, exacerbated by Millie's unpredictable demands, left her frazzled. Even if Millie was quiet, Beverley would wake up

the concept of restraint. Fed up, Beverley left Millie in the mall to return to

scoffed, "Leaving me alone in the mall and sneaking back to enjoy yourself, are you living up to your duties? What if something happened to me? Don't you care about your