Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed
Chapter 553

Everything familiar was thick with irony.

Why? Why did he ever say those things?

Looking back, he felt like he was under some spell, acting on whim without realizing her pain and despair.

In just a year, Roseanne had moved on, embracing college life, while he was still stuck in this private room. Trapped and with no desire to leave.

Murray's grip on his glass tightened until his knuckles turned white, and then, unexpectedly, he chuckled. The resolve he had when breaking up was now equal in regret. Seeing this, Cliff sighed, unable to persuade him otherwise, he simply joined in.

"Here, Murray, I'll drink with you."

Soon enough, Murray was plastered.

Cliff drove him back to the mansion. Throughout the ride, Murray's eyes were shut tight, mumbling, "Anne...Anne...don't leave me..."

It was tough for Cliff to watch.

He had seen Murray and Roseanne's relationship from the start. How did it come to this?

After tucking him into bed, Cliff hesitated to leave. He decided to make a call.

"Hey, Sadie, you back at the family home? Can you come over? Murray's plastered."

Sadie, groggy with sleep, showed up half an hour later with dark circles under her eyes and a scowl that could scare a bear.

Cliff, who had been anxiously waiting, lit up at her arrival. "Ah, Sadie, thank goodness you're here!"

Sadie rolled her eyes at the sight of the drunken heap on the bed. "Really? Drunk again?"

"Look, he was feeling down, went a bit overboard. Can you take care of him?" Cliff said before making a hasty retreat. Sadie stopped him. "Wait."

Cliff turned, puzzled. "Yeah?"

"There's a trash bin in the room."

"I know, what about it?"

"Don't leave your cigarette butts everywhere. You think the floor cleans itself?"

Cliff, caught off-guard, mumbled an apology and promised to be more mindful next time.

With Cliff gone, Sadie covered Murray with a blanket, tucking him in before muttering her way to the kitchen to make some hangover soup.

Finding him on the floor upon her return, she sighed, resigned to her fate. She dragged him back to bed like hauling a sack of potatoes and then tried to feed him the soup.

IMS

Murray stubbornly refused to open his mouth until Sadie, losing patience, pinched his cheeks, turning him into a compliant duckling. Finally, the soup went down.

Feeling his forehead, Sadie noticed he was running a fever and fetched a wet towel to cool him down.

Half-conscious, Murray felt the

coolness on his forehead and, mistaking Sadie for Roseanne,

clutched at her hand. "Anne,

please...don't leave me...I love you..."

Sadie was stunned. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't free her hand. Near tears, she lamented her situation.

Paid like a maid but working as an impromptu therapist too?

"This isn't my job!"

"Sir, please calm down. I'm Sadie, not Ms. Cole!"