Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Millie was so furious she could barely see through her tears, her voice hoarse as she shouted, "I said I'm broke! Broke! Totally broke! Even if you killed me, I wouldn't have any money. What more do you want from me?!"

Maisie, not catching the desperation in her daughter's voice, only latched onto the words "no money" and retorted, "No money? Why don't you just find yourself a sugar daddy? Isn't that what we've always said? Sleep your way into some cash. How have you not learned that yet?"

"Where am I supposed to find this man? Nobody wants me! Who would I even sleep with?" Millie yelled back.

That response made Maisie pause, sensing something off in her daughter's tone.

Realizing there might still be a chance to squeeze some advantage out of this mess, Maisie finally decided to step away from her card game and found a quieter spot.

"What do you mean no one wants you? What about that rich boyfriend of yours? Weren't you just bragging about marrying him soon? What the heck happened?" He changed his mind, didn't he?" Hearing how excited her mom sounded, Millie almost believed for a second that her mom really cared. Overwhelmed by a sense of injustice, she burst into tears and recounted her recent troubles. Maisie was livid, "That family has no class! My daughter, pure and respectable, sleeps with their son, even gets pregnant, and then they just bail? Without any compensation? That's outrageous!" With a fierce glint in her eye, she declared, "Sweetheart, you just wait. Your brother and I will book tickets right now and come over to back you up. We're not letting them off the hook for this!"

Roseanne Cole's thesis was nearing its final stages.

That meant she was practically living in the lab these days.

Jen couldn't help but remark, "You're really going all out!"

Roseanne sighed. Without any assistants or teammates, she didn't have much choice but to push herself.

After lunch, Roseanne, as usual, headed to the break room for a nap.

No matter how busy, she always carved out time for rest, knowing she'd be more efficient in the afternoon with a little break.

Today, Owen had a full day of

classes and wouldn't be in the lab,

which meant she had the break room all to herself. Stretching contentedly, she settled down to enjoy some peace and quiet

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The lab had a total of five break rooms that everyone shared, but luckily, Owen's was quite roomy and even featured an inner room where Roseanne had set up a fold-out cot.

It was tucked away behind the door, a dimly lit and perfect spot for napping.

Usually, Owen would rest in the outer room, and with the wall and door between them, both had their privacy without any inconvenience.

Initially, it was Owen who had

suggested she use the inner room.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

After ensuring it wouldn't be a bother to anyone and considering her need for a quiet space to rest, Roseanne had agreed.

Jen and Stoddard had both commented on how great the inner room was, being cool, shaded, and away from direct sunlight.

Sammy and Liz had checked it out too.

Sammy had noted, "The professor's break room is really big."

Liz, somewhat dismissively, had said, "It's alright..." noting the distance to the outer room.

They each respected their separate spaces, confident that Roseanne wouldn't dare cross any boundaries.

...

Despite his packed schedule, Owen

hadn't planned on visiting the lab today. However, during lunch at the cafeteria a student accidentally spilled soup all over him. Just his luck, he was walking by when it happened, and in the blink of an eye, his shirt was ruined.

Remembering he had spare clothes in the lab's break room, he decided to make a quick stop to change before his next class.