Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

"Payment?" Millie's eyes moved stiffly, a hint of disbelief in her tone. "Didn't it always just come out of my account automatically?"

"Sorry, your account's been frozen."

"Frozen? Why?!"

"The account holder requested it."

Requested it...

"Ha! Murray, you're just merciless!" she laughed through her bitterness.

After spending over a month in the hospital, Millie was finally discharged. As she walked outside, the bright sky and fluffy clouds seemed alien to her, as if from another life.

...

Murray left the office early today.

he instructed his driver, "Take me

"Right away, Mr. Sherwood."

rested with his eyes closed, feeling the rush of the wind through the window, until the darkening sky and the oppressive air reminded him of the approaching storm season, a time he loathed for

entered the gated community, the sudden screech of brakes jerked Murray forward, his

wrong?" he snapped,

explained, "A woman just ran out in front of us. I

looked up to see a woman standing in the rain, drenched,

a simple white

fragile flower struggling in the storm, poised between holding on and being torn away. Even the

so lax? Letting just anyone in. Notify security, have her removed."

had nowhere to go. Abandoned by her mother and brother, unable to

vel

in the backseat, his profile cold and

to the back window, pounding on it, "Murray, it's me... I'm back... please, don't

I was wrong, I swear I'll do whatever you say from now on, I won't cause trouble,