Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 8
So, even if this was all an act, she desperately wished for it to last a little longer.
Madeleine knew she couldn’t undo years of damage in a single day. But she had time.
She sat down beside Minerva and reached for Minerva’s plate
to serve her some soup.
Minerva snatched the plate back, horrified. “I’ll do it myself!
What if you try to poison me?”
“I’m not that terrible, am I?” Madeleine asked.
“You are! Ask Clarissa! You fed me jello when I was three, and I
almost choked to death!”
Clarissa offered an awkward smile.
“Maddie was inexperienced back then. She didn’t know jello
was dangerous for kids.”
But Minerva was unconvinced. She curled her lip, holding a
grudge.
Chapter 8
Having lived with Harold and Clarissa, she knew exactly how
terrible Madeleine could be.
Madeleine rarely visited, and whenever she did, she would
upset them, leaving a cloud of gloom for days.
Minerva loved them dearly, and for that very reason, she hated
Madeleine’s guts.
She didn’t believe for a second that Madeleine was here to
sincerely apologize.
After the meal, Minerva and Madeleine sat together on the
sofa.
Seizing the moment while Harold and Clarissa were washing
dishes in the kitchen, Minerva turned to Madeleine and asked
bluntly, “So, did you come back this time to get Harold and
Clarissa to pressure Roderick into giving you a divorce again?”
Madeleine was taken aback. “Did I do that before?”
“All the time,” Minerva stated flatly. “You’d throw a tantrum
every time you showed up, accusing them of blocking your path
to happiness.”
The more she said, the angrier she became.
Chapter B
“You even burned their wedding photo, saying that if you couldn’t be happy, then they didn’t deserve to be either.”
Madeleine couldn’t suppress a sharp gasp.
It felt as though Minerva was describing a total stranger. She
refused to believe she had ever been so monstrous.
Someone must have transmigrated and taken over her body.
“Why aren’t you in school today?” she asked.
“I took the day off. I need to prepare for the city youth ballet
selection competition tomorrow.”
Minerva shot her an impatient look. “Instead of prying into my
business, you should be more concerned about your own.son.”
For a seven–year–old, she was remarkably eloquent.
Madeleine bit back a retort.
At twenty–six, she needed to project composure and elegance.
She folded her hands, adopting a deliberately mature
demeanor. “You do ballet, too? Are you any good?”
Minerva’s chin lifted with pride.
Chapter 8
“I just came second at the Forbis Youth Dance Competition last month.”
“Second?”
Minerva arched an eyebrow. “Yes. I’m the youngest runner-up this year.”
Madeleine sighed and shook her head, “How the generations have slipped. When I was your age, I was already an FYDC champion.”
“You?”
Clearly unconvinced, Minerva curled her lip and glanced at
Madeleine in contempt.
The Madeleine she knew was a lovestruck fool, obsessed with
a man named “Eddie” and spending money on bags and clothes
-hardly someone who attended to serious matters.
Madeleine could dance? And she was even the champion?
Yeah, right.
“Stop boasting. I don’t believe a word you say.”
Just then, Clarissa walked out of the kitchen with juice. “Mina,
Chapter 8
you’re mistaken about that,” she said with a smile. “Maddie
really was the champion that year.”
“Seriously?”
Minerva rose to her feet, her eyes wide. She fumbled for her phone, searched online for Madeleine’s award history.
After reading through the results, she took a deep breath.
“You actually won so many awards? That’s incredible!”
Madeleine arched an eyebrow complacently, a satisfied grin
spreading across her face.
Just then, Minerva asked, “So, why did you stop dancing after
you turned eighteen?”
The smile on Madeleine’s face froze. Her shoulders dropped as
she answered, “Beats me.”
Learning of Madeleine’s past awards seemed to have thawed
Minerva’s hostility.
They talked at length about various topics related to ballet.
When the conversation turned to their favorite dancers,
Madeleine mentioned Annabelle Sloan.
Chapter S
“Annabelle is giving a performance in Phelrania tomorrow
night,” Minerva said. “I heard it’s her final one. She won’t be dancing anymore after this.”
“What?” Madeleine was genuinely shocked.
But on second thought, it made sense. When she had idolized Annabelle as a teenager, Annabelle was already nearing thirty. It was understandable that she would now be retiring from the
stage.
Phelrania…
She thought of something and pulled out her phone to check a flight notification she had seen earlier but ignored. Looking at it more carefully now, she saw it was a ticket to Phelrania for that very night.
A farewell performance? In that case, she absolutely had to go.
It seemed that whoever had transmigrated into her body wasn’t entirely horrible–they had at least bought her a ticket in
advance.
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