Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

The next day, Roseanne laced up her sneakers and hit the pavement for a morning run.

Ever since she found herself with a bit more free time, jogging had become her go-to routine. Breaking a sweat before the break of dawn was her secret to staying energized throughout the day. After a quick run, she'd head back, jump into the shower, and then she was ready to tackle whatever the day threw at her.

"Morning, Professor."

"Morning."

Owen had already wrapped up his run and was about to head back when he spotted her and decided to join in. "Let's run a bit together."

"You sure? Won't you be late for the lab?"

"The new project is under Stoddard's watch, so I'm pretty free these days."

"Guess Mr. Stoddard's gonna have a bone to pick with you," Roseanne joked.

"He can pick all he wants, work's still gotta be done."

His deadpan response could have sent Mr. Stoddard into a frenzy had he been there to hear it.

They circled the park twice, with Roseanne gradually feeling the burn.

Owen noticed and advised, "Adjust your breathing, keep the pace, follow me... in, out, in, out..."

Following his guidance, Roseanne found her rhythm. "That's better!"

"Enough for today?"

"Yeah, that's plenty."

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outside the apartment building, also

black shirt paired with suit pants, the man stood under a tree, shadows casting a dappled pattern across

Murray approached, his eyes greedily absorbing

it was the recent exertion, but a sheen of sweat highlighted her forehead, making her eyes

water.