\u201cWhere are you going?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick had given strict instructions to keep an eye on\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine and not let her leave the villa again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHome,\u201d Madeleine replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHome? Do you have another home, Mrs. Livingston?\u201d Kirsten\u00a0<\/p>\n
asked, bewildered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I mean I\u2019m going back to my parents\u2018 house.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another home? What kind of woman did Kirsten think she was?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten thought she must have misheard. It had been so long\u00a0<\/p>\n
since Madeleine had last visited her parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Though thoroughly puzzled, she arranged for the driver to take\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine to the Mosley\u2019s house, repeatedly reminding him not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
to let her slip away during the journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She felt a profound responsibility to protect this family of three,\u00a0<\/p>\n
to guard Roderick and Kevin\u2019s happiness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 5\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she sat in the car watching the scenery pass by, a strange feeling settled over Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure this is the way to my parents\u2018 house?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The driver straightened up immediately. \u201cYes, \u2018Mrs. Livingston. This is the shortest route to Splendor Estates.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Splendor Estates?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps her parents had moved. Maybe the family business had thrived over the years, and they had upgraded from their townhouse to a more luxurious gated community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Half an hour later, the car came to a smooth stop. But\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine remained seated, utterly dumbfounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How come her parents lived in such an ordinary\u2013looking residential complex?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich building are they in?\u201d she asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She felt her throat tighten.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The driver\u2019s gaze in the rearview mirror held a trace of\u00a0<\/p>\n
contempt. He wasn\u2019t surprised. After all, it had been years since\u00a0<\/p>\n
her last visit. Of course, she would have forgotten the address.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 5\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBuilding 3, Room 803.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine nodded and hurried out of the car, rushing toward\u00a0<\/p>\n
her parents\u2018 home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she walked, memories of her childhood with her parents came flooding back, making her nose twitch with emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had been absent from their lives for eight years. Would they\u00a0<\/p>\n
be upset when they found out?\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was an aged community with minimal security. Soon, she\u00a0<\/p>\n
stood before their door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, she pressed\u00a0<\/p>\n
the doorbell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is it? Coming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was Harold Mosley, her father.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A wave of joy surged through her, and she resolved to give him\u00a0<\/p>\n
the warmest hug.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few seconds later, the door opened. The sight of Harold, who\u00a0<\/p>\n
had aged significantly, brought tears to her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 5\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A loud bang cut her off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had just reached out to hug him when the door was\u00a0<\/p>\n
slammed shut, nearly catching her hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stood there, blinking in confusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What had just happened? Did he see her as some kind of\u00a0<\/p>\n
plague?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She immediately began pressing the doorbell repeatedly,\u00a0<\/p>\n
shouting, \u201cDad! Open the door! It\u2019s me, Madeleine!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside, Harold stood frozen, rooted to the spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clarissa Hatfield, Madeleine\u2019s mother, walked over from the\u00a0<\/p>\n
balcony where she had been watering the plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on? Why are you standing here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won\u2019t believe what just happened,\u201d Harold said, his tone\u00a0<\/p>\n
graver than she had ever heard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to who\u2019s outside.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the sound of Madeleine\u2019s voice registered, Clarissa was so\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 5\u00a0<\/p>\n
startled that she dropped her watering can.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s she doing here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine kept pounding on the door. Worried about the\u00a0<\/p>\n
neighbors\u2018 complaints, Harold and Clarissa reluctantly opened\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad! Mom!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes already red and brimming with tears, Madeleine threw herself into Harold\u2019s arms with such force she nearly knocked\u00a0<\/p>\n
him over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Harold looked down at her, keenly noting the nasal tone in her\u00a0<\/p>\n
greeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Could this really be their Madeleine?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought you didn\u2019t want me anymore\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine sobbed uncontrollably, smearing tears and snot all\u00a0<\/p>\n
over his shirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a while, she let go of him and hugged Clarissa, who was\u00a0<\/p>\n
still stunned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom! You\u2019ve lost so much weight\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter S\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was only after she had stained both her parents\u2018 clothes with her tears and snot that she finally pulled back, still sniffling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you looking at me like that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
They were both staring at her, their eyes wide with a mixture of shock, confusion, and a trace of lingering fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fear?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Had she done something horrible?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The thought compelled her to confess everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, Mom, I\u2019ve lost my memory. Whatever I did these past few years, please, believe me, I never meant for any of it to happen. I can\u2019t remember a single thing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve lost your memory?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Harold and Clarissa exchanged a glance. As hard as it was to\u00a0<\/p>\n
believe, it was the only explanation that made sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all, the real Madeleine\u2013the one they had come to know in\u00a0<\/p>\n
recent years\u2013would never have come to visit them, let alone hugged them like this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen\u2026 what do you remember?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter S\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember us living in that villa when I was eighteen. Dad would always come home for dinner no matter how busy he was, and Mom would dress up every day to drive me to school.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 6\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 6\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
Night Carved Paths Into Silence by Zyrel Ash 5 \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d\u00a0 Roderick had given strict instructions to keep […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-heart-surgeons-last-patient-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29223\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}