Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 221

From the initial normalcy to the blossoming of a faint blush on her cheeks, and then to the deepening red that spread all the way to her ears, the entire transformation unfolded in less than ten seconds. Each stage of change was witnessed by Roseanne, and it was truly hard not to be taken aback.

Owen murmured, "...might be a bit stuffy in the car."

Quick as a flash, Roseanne rolled down her window, "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah."

...

After dropping her off, Owen remembered an experiment he had initiated midway through the day and hadn't yet concluded, prompting his return to the lab.

Roseanne sprawled on the couch, the adrenaline rush now subsided, leaving her feeling as if her bones had turned to jelly, wishing she could meld into the couch.

Closing her eyes, the car scene involuntarily flashed through her mind. The details seemed magnified tenfold. She recalled Owen's distinctively jointed hand, the tenderness in his touch when it rested on her head, giving her the illusion of being cared for and encouraged...

Perhaps it wasn't an illusion?

He really was encouraging her.

But that was... all there was to it.

Roseanne lay on the couch, a simple tilt of her eyes brought the ceiling into view.

The former tenant had left the place in a bit of a state, with traces of smoke-stained yellow and splattered mud.

Even though Roseanne had tried to fix it up, covering it with wallpaper or using light fixtures for concealment, those unsightly marks stubbornly remained, indelible.

At first glance, it might not be noticeable. But if you looked closer or turned the lights up bright, all the ugliness was exposed.

Rather than letting others discover its unsightly aspects, to be loathed and despised, it was better to maintain a distance from the start.

Not getting too close meant not seeing too clearly.

Realizing this, Roseanne let out a long sigh of relief, touching her chest.