Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

The previous night was a bit out of hand. Cliff insisted on keeping the party going even after they'd all had more than enough.

When the driver dropped Murray off at his mansion, dawn was breaking. He had barely crashed onto his bed, the wave of sleepiness overwhelming, but he forced himself to stagger to the bathroom for a quick shower.

'Maybe Roseanne won't chew me out?' In his groggy state, Murray wondered.

He woke up again, this time to pain.

"Damn..." he groaned, clutching his stomach as he rolled out of bed.

"My stomach is killing me! Anne..." He stopped mid-sentence, a frown creasing his brow. Roseanne held a grudge this time, more than in their last fight.

'Fine, let's see how long she can keep this up. But where are the meds?' Murray ransacked the living room, checking every possible storage space, but couldn't find the emergency medicine kit.

He called Sadie.

Sadie answered the phone. "You're looking for antacids? They're in the medicine box."

Murray's temples throbbed as he took a deep breath. "And where is that?"

Sadie added, "In the drawer in your bedroom's walk-in closet. Ms. Cole said you often have stomach issues after drinking, so she ensured to stock up and keep it close by...Hello? Are you still there? Why'd you hang up..."

Sure enough, Murray found the medicine box in the drawer, stocked with his usual array of stomach remedies. After he took the medicine and felt the pain subside, his tense nerves relaxed.

As he pushed the drawer back in place, something caught his eye. All of Roseanne's jewelry, designer bags, and everything was still there except for all her documents like her ID, passport, and diplomas. Everything was gone. And one of the suitcases that was usually in the corner was missing, too.

Murray stood frozen, rage bubbling up inside him.

"Great... just great..." He muttered several times, sarcastically nodding as he did so.

Murray cursed silently, 'The more you pamper women, the bigger their egos swell.'

Just then, he heard the front door open. Murray immediately headed downstairs. "What are you doing here?"

Hertha was taking off her shoes, looking up in surprise. "Who else were you expecting?"

Murray sat lazily on the sofa, uninterested. "What do you want? Something urgent?"

"Heard you were having stomach issues again. So, here I am, sent by our dear mom to check on my beloved brother." As she spoke, Hertha headed toward the kitchen, "I haven't had lunch yet and figured I might as well crash here."

Another reason she had a good impression of Roseanne was her cooking skills.

But within half a minute, she asked curiously, "Murray, why does it look like a ghost kitchen here? Where's Roseanne? Isn't she home today? That's odd."

Usually, by this time, Roseanne would have prepared a meal, waiting for Murray to come down, and if luck were on Hertha's side, she'd get to join in.

He heard Roseanne's name again. Murray massaged his temples, wishing to be left alone.

Disappointed, Hertha emerged from the kitchen. "Is Roseanne feeling unwell? I saw her at the hospital yesterday, and she looked pale..."

"You saw her at the hospital?" Murray straightened up a bit.

Hertha nodded immediately. "Yeah, I was visiting Ms. Payne at Serenity Health Hospital and bumped into Roseanne at the entrance. And guess what, Murray? Ms. Payne agreed to consider me for a direct PhD position!"Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

He frowned. "Why was Roseanne at the hospital?"

Hertha retorted impatiently, "How would I know? If you're clueless, how am I supposed to have any idea?"

Murray stayed silent.

"She might not be sick herself. Maybe she was visiting someone? But I've never heard of Roseanne having friends. Her life is all about you, and then you again..."

Murray cut her off. "Are you done?"

Hertha let out a surprised "Huh."

"If you finish talking, please leave. I need more sleep." Murray stood up.

"I mean... are you kicking me out? Fine, I'm leaving." Hertha grumbled as she put on her shoes, "I didn't come here without a reason today."