Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Millie was no longer the girl she used to be. The remnants of her old life no longer suited the woman she had become. "These... take a look and see if there's anything you can use. Want anything, take it; the rest, please help me toss it."

"Wait, you're getting rid of all this?"

"Yeah."

Her roommate just stared in disbelief.

After a quick trip to her dorm, where she picked up nothing, Millie walked out of the college gates and dialed her driver to pick her up.

Amidst the surprised, envious, and speculative glances of those around her, she calmly got into the backseat of her car and drove away with a flourish.

That evening, Millie was surprised to find that Murray had unusually come home early.

Smiling, she greeted him, "Murray, I've got great news. I've submitted my withdrawal application to the college today. From now on, I can focus on taking care of you and our baby."

Murray had just finished dealing with a troublesome bid at work.

The last thing he expected upon returning home, before he even had the chance to take off his coat, was Millie's "surprise."

He looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Do you even realize what you're doing?"

Millie, missing the skepticism in his voice, mistook his reaction for concern. She thought he finally appreciated her sacrifice and her eyes welled up with tears. In a soft voice, she said, "Murray, are you worried about me? I've thought it through. You and our baby are what matter most to me. I'm willing to give up anything for you both. Just don't resent me anymore, please be kinder to me and our child..."

Murray scoffed, "If you don't want to study, just say so. You don't have to make it sound like you're doing it for me. Your decisions are your own; do whatever you like."

She didn't value her own prospects; why should he remind her?

People are inherently different.

And she was worlds apart from Roseanne.

At times like these, Murray almost wanted to slap some sense into himself.

***Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

June arrived, bringing an end to the rainy season and ushering in warmer days.

Roseanne woke up to find the succulents in her home flourishing and the roses climbing over her balcony railing blooming in clusters.

Everything seemed vibrant and full of life.

She had been buried in lab work recently, fully committed to compiling data for her thesis.

Rushing home only to leave again in haste, she had little time to care for her plants.

On a rare, less hectic morning, she carefully watered the flowers, loosened the soil, weeded, and fed the fish in her aquarium a hearty meal.

Arriving at the lab on time, she greeted everyone before diving into her day's tasks.

She had already completed the collection of 42 sets of data, with 12 single variables and 15 control groups left to analyze. The workload was immense and demanded her

full attention.

Jen arrived two minutes late. Her husband was away on a business trip, and with her in-laws hospitalized, the responsibility of dropping her son at school fell on her shoulders. Caught in the morning rush, she was overwhelmed.

"Things have been so unlucky lately.

Broke two dishes this morning, and nearly got into a scrape while dropping my son off at school. think might need to light some

candles or something"

Stoddard couldn't help but join in, "Since when did you start believing in that stuff? What happened to 'trust in science, let the data speak'?"

Jen sighed, "When science and logic don't offer solutions, sometimes all you can do is hope for a bit of divine intervention. My son's grandma still in the hospital with her

ver

rheumatism acting up, in so much pain she can barely move.

Roseanne paused in her work, turning to look at Jen.