Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 95

But deep down, Cliff couldn't help but feel betrayed by Corley. Brothers fighting over the same girl, and Corley had to be the first to lay it all out. What was he thinking?

Corley shrugged indifferently. "You don’t need to lecture me. You can't tell if the fruit of force tastes sweet until you've taken a bite."

...

After leaving the coffee shop, Roseanne did a bit of shopping at the mall, picking up a new scarf and a cashmere coat. She then headed to the supermarket for some groceries.

When she emerged, the sky had darkened. Daytime ended early in winter, prompting her to walk faster toward home. The night fell when she reached her apartment building.

Suddenly, a figure burst out from the shadows of an alley. For a moment, thinking it might be some homeless, a chill ran down Roseanne's spine, her hair standing on end.

However, when she realized it was Murray, her tension eased somewhat, only to be replaced by concern as she noticed his drunken stagger and the strong smell of alcohol on him.

His nose was red from the cold, a sign he'd been waiting for a while.

Leveraging his drunken courage, he grabbed Roseanne's hand. "Anne..."

"Let go," Roseanne demanded, discomfort clear in her voice.

Somehow, she found his touch unbearable.

Murray didn’t let go. "I won't let go until you come back to me. Will you?"

Roseanne couldn't fathom what madness had gotten into him. "You're drunk."

"Anne... I'm serious..." He was the second man to insist he meant it.

He caught up to her with renewed urgency, pulling her into his embrace. "Anne, you still care about me, right? Let's start over, please?"

He leaned in for a kiss.

Roseanne's eyes widened in shock, and she pushed him away, wiping her mouth in disgust. "Don't touch me!"

Murray froze, her repulsed actions and look of disdain slicing through him more sharply than any knife could.

The warmth from the alcohol in his system turned ice cold.

Roseanne continued, her voice steady yet cold, "I knew it for a long time. During all those years together, you weren't faithful. You thought you were clever, but a woman in love is like Sherlock Holmes. For those traces you didn't clean up, did you think I wouldn't see them?"

The first clue came when he returned from a trip. Roseanne was unpacking his suitcase. There, she found a corner of a condom wrapper, barely the size of a fingernail, but instantly recognized it wasn't their usual brand.