Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Chapter 845
She spun around and gave him a playful punch to the chest.
He pulled her into his arms without hesitation, enveloping her in a warm embrace.
"You're up?" Grace turned and, spotting him, sounded a little surprised.
Her thoughts snapped back to the present. Murray nodded. "Yeah."
“Um... Last night, I couldn't get a cab, so I stayed in the guest room. I figured you'd probably have an upset stomach after
drinking, so I thought I'd whip up something light for breakfast. You... don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all. That's very thoughtful of you."
"Thank you for letting me crash here last night. I just wanted to return the favor! Breakfast will be ready in a minute!"
Murray made his way to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
A few minutes later, Grace emerged from the kitchen with a steaming bowl of nourishing soup and perfectly fried eggs. She
ladled out a portion for him, set it in front of him, and handed over a fork and spoon.
Murray, used to being waited on by staff, accepted them without a second thought. It felt perfectly normal to him.
But after finishing her little act of hospitality, Grace pursed her lips, a flicker of hurt passing through her eyes.
She was the one who'd taken the initiative, but now his matter-of-fact acceptance made her feel oddly wounded.
This push-and-pull, this silent testing-Murray saw it all, but refused to play along.

In fact, a faint hint of irony glimmered deep in his gaze.
It had been her choice to stay, her decision to get up early and make breakfast. He'd never asked anything of her.
Since it was all her own doing, she ought to accept whatever came of it.
But as he stared at the bowl of soup in front of him, something in his eyes softened.
He took a sip. It tasted even closer to what he remembered than last time.

A satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
Grace caught the fleeting smile, her heart leaping with delight.
All that practice hadn't been for nothing, had it? He must like it, right?
"So? How is it?" she asked softly.
Murray didn't comment; he just said, "Have some yourself. Once we're done, I'll help you call a cab."
"..."
Meanwhile, at the Rodriguez house-
Roseanne came downstairs and found the whole family was already up.
Madge and Grandma were busy in the kitchen, clouds of steam rising as they cooked.
Grandpa and Norris were locked in a fierce game of chess.
The air was tense, both men laser-focused, refusing to give an inch.
"Anne, you're awake? Why not sleep a little longer?"
Roseanne scratched her head. "With everyone else up, how could I sleep in?"
Geneva smiled. "It's normal for young people to want a lie-in."

Roseanne
She
couldn't help laughing.
à her late twenties-stnet
kid in their eyes? Content eyes?
Grandma's favoritism couldn't be more obvious.

Soon, steaming plates were set on the table.
"Breakfast is ready, you two! Enough with the chess!"
Grandpa didn't even look up from the board: "Don't rush us!
almost done here!" se et
No sooner had he spoken than Norris announced,
"Checkmate."
Grandpa looked up, startled. "What?"
"Dad, why don't we eat first? The
cream
taste mushroom soup won'tnet
taste as good if it gets cold. We can finish this later, after breakfast."
"Alright, alright! Soup's best when it's hot—yes, let's eat.”
The two men jumped up at once.
Grandpa was secretly thrilled: This round didn't count! Hehe...
After breakfast, Grandma started for the garden, but Madge called her back-
"Mom, there's something I think you and Dad should know."
Grandma stopped in her tracks, stunned.