Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 828

In the blink of an eye, New Year’s Eve arrived.

The old year faded away in a burst of firecrackers, while a gentle spring breeze seemed to drift through the house, filling it with warmth and anticipation.

“Morning, Anne. Why are you up so early? You could’ve slept in,” Neely called from the living room.

“Morning, Grandpa!” Roseanne replied, bounding down the stairs.

She found Neely making tea at the coffee table, a pair of polished walnut worry stones resting at his side.

“What do you want for breakfast?” he asked.

“What’s in the kitchen?” Roseanne shrugged. “I’m not picky—anything’s fine.”

By the time they finished breakfast, it was only eight-thirty.

Assuming Norris and Madge were still asleep, Roseanne was about to head upstairs to wake them when she spotted Madge already tucked away in the study, laptop open and intent.

As for Norris, he’d gone out with Grandma for groceries.

They’d left before dawn, piling into the car with the driver and heading straight for the early morning market.

By nine-thirty, they returned, chatting like old friends.

“Norris, you really do know your stuff! You even know how to haggle!” Grandma praised, beaming.

“Oh, it’s nothing! I just, you know, shop for groceries more often than most. Picked up a few tricks here and there,” Norris stammered, cheeks flushing crimson at the compliment.

With the house staff already dismissed for the holiday—only two cooks and the driver remained—Grandma threw herself into the kitchen the moment she got home, carefully checking every ingredient. Clearly, tonight’s holiday feast meant the world to her.

Norris, eager to make the most of his mother-in-law’s praise, jumped right in to help.

“For one, it brings some life to the house—keeps things from getting too quiet. And for another, it helps widen the circle, so you and the younger generation have a strong network, too.”

“In the end, people are social creatures. We stick together—that’s just how we survive. If anything ever happens to us, or if you run into trouble, there’ll always be someone to help.”

That, he said, was what family was all about.

In the past, her grandparents had been too consumed with searching for their daughter to worry about nurturing relationships. Now, with their daughter found—and a son-in-law and granddaughter in tow—Grandma was back to her old self, busily paving the way for the next generation.

Roseanne understood. She didn’t argue or protest; she simply wrapped faster, her hands moving with newfound purpose.

At four o’clock, Corley arrived home.

Perhaps to fit the occasion, he wore a bright red sweater under his coat. As soon as he slipped off his jacket in the entryway, the vivid red made his fair skin appear even paler and more striking.