Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 19
me to take last month?”
Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Roderick, arriving just in time to hear this, felt a sharp pang in
his chest.
Edward, with a smug glance at Roderick, unfastened the cufflinks and tossed them at Madeleine’s feet. They hit the ground with a sharp, metallic clink.
She didn’t react in time. The cufflinks hit the ground with a sharp clatter, the metallic sound echoing.
Edward leaned in close, his voice dripping with mockery. “Don’t bother with gifts next time. Your taste only cheapens my style.”
He turned his head, throwing a provocative glance at Roderick.
“Your husband seems to like them, though. Funny how he’s always chasing what I discard.”
Madeleine’s eyes flicked to the cufflinks on the ground, then
snapped up at Edward’s words. Her heart lurched.
He was humiliating Roderick.
Her heart skipped in alarm. She knew Roderick’s temper–hot
Chapter 19
and reckless.
Back in middle school, he’d nearly put a kid in the hospital over
some photos snapped without his consent.
Owen had punished him harshly for it, but that never changed
his nature.
She couldn’t let Roderick lose it now. If he threw a punch,
Edward would milk the drama for all it was worth.
Without thinking, Madeleine shoved Edward back, her voice
fierce.
“What the hell are you talking about? You’d better watch your
mouth. Talk about my husband like that again, and I swear I’ll
knock some sense into you!”
Edward froze, stunned.
Roderick, who’d been listening nearby, was equally floored.
Both men stared at Madeleine, their disbelief palpable. She
was… different today.
Caught off guard, Edward stumbled back from her push, his
face a mask of shock, his composure crumbling.
Chapter 19
This woman was insane.
When he didn’t respond, Madeleine raised her fist, doubling
down on her bravado.
“You gonna leave, or what?”
Roderick, who’d been simmering with anger, felt his tension ease, a grin tugging at his lips.
For a moment, he felt like the guy being shielded by his fierce
wife, and it was oddly… comforting.
Edward, clearly stung by the blow to his pride, let out a cold
laugh. “Fine, Madeleine. If this is how you want to play it, don’t
come crying when it backfires.”
He stormed off, his frustration crackling in the air. Madeleine’s
raised fist finally dropped, her shoulders relaxing.
Roderick started to say something, but then he saw her crouch
down, her brow furrowed as she picked up the cufflinks from
the floor.
His heart sank. He stopped mid–step.
To Roderick, it was clear Madeleine still cared about Edward.
Chapter 19
He felt foolish, clinging to a fleeting hope that their argument
meant something more.
He realized maybe she’d only stepped in to keep him from
hurting Edward, staging a performance to protect her old flame.
In the end, the one who loved without being loved back was
always the fool.
Roderick gave a bitter smile, his fists clenching, then slowly
loosening.
Madeleine stood, holding the cufflinks, her eyes sparkling as
she turned to him.
“Ricki, these are Cartier cufflinks. They’re worth a fortune. Know
anyone who deals in luxury resale?”
Roderick gazed into Madeleine’s sparkling eyes, his throat tightening as words failed him.
Suddenly, he reached out, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead.
“What are you doing?”
Madeleine swatted his hand away, her tone laced with playful
Chapter 19
annoyance.
She wasn’t feverish, nor had she lost her wits.
Her eyes, far from betraying any hint of heartbreak over
Edward’s discarded gift, gleamed with the thrill of someone
who’d just stumbled upon a windfall.
Roderick hadn’t seen that look on her face since Madeleine was
a teenager.
A thought flickered in his mind, hesitant but persistent. “Could it
be…
“Is she really amnesic?”
“Madeleine,” he ventured cautiously.
“What’s up?” she replied, her voice light and curious.
“What was the SAT essay topic?”
“Hmm, let me think.” Madeleine paused, her mind drifting back
to the test she’d taken not long ago. “Something about
‘connection,’ I think.”
“And the last math question–what type was it?”
Chapter 19
“Algebra.” Her answers were quick and confident.
Madeleine blinked at him, realization dawning as she caught
the purpose behind his questions.
Roderick lowered his gaze, pulling out his phone to check the 2017 Valenburg SAT questions. Her responses matched perfectly.
Her memory, it seemed, was frozen at eighteen.
His expression shifted, a storm of emotions swirling beneath the surface, but he kept silent.
Madeleine scratched her head, puzzled. “Roderick, why do I feel like you’re… different somehow?”
“Me?”
Roderick tucked away his thoughts, his brow furrowing as he met her gaze.
He could’ve asked her the same thing.
“Yeah,” she said, starting to walk back. “You seem…calmer, you know? Back in the day, your temper was like a firecracker. We’d bicker three times a day, easy.”
Chapter 19
She rambled on, her voice tinged with nostalgia as she brought
up that infamous middle school fight.
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.