So, even if this was all an act, she desperately wished for it to last a little longer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine knew she couldn\u2019t undo years of damage in a single day. But she had time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sat down beside Minerva and reached for Minerva\u2019s plate\u00a0<\/p>\n
to serve her some soup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva snatched the plate back, horrified. \u201cI\u2019ll do it myself!\u00a0<\/p>\n
What if you try to poison me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not that terrible, am I?\u201d Madeleine asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are! Ask Clarissa! You fed me jello when I was three, and I\u00a0<\/p>\n
almost choked to death!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clarissa offered an awkward smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie was inexperienced back then. She didn\u2019t know jello\u00a0<\/p>\n
was dangerous for kids.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Minerva was unconvinced. She curled her lip, holding a\u00a0<\/p>\n
grudge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
Having lived with Harold and Clarissa, she knew exactly how\u00a0<\/p>\n
terrible Madeleine could be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine rarely visited, and whenever she did, she would\u00a0<\/p>\n
upset them, leaving a cloud of gloom for days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva loved them dearly, and for that very reason, she hated\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s guts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t believe for a second that Madeleine was here to\u00a0<\/p>\n
sincerely apologize.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the meal, Minerva and Madeleine sat together on the\u00a0<\/p>\n
sofa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seizing the moment while Harold and Clarissa were washing\u00a0<\/p>\n
dishes in the kitchen, Minerva turned to Madeleine and asked\u00a0<\/p>\n
bluntly, \u201cSo, did you come back this time to get Harold and\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clarissa to pressure Roderick into giving you a divorce again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was taken aback. \u201cDid I do that before?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the time,\u201d Minerva stated flatly. \u201cYou\u2019d throw a tantrum\u00a0<\/p>\n
every time you showed up, accusing them of blocking your path\u00a0<\/p>\n
to happiness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The more she said, the angrier she became.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter B\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou even burned their wedding photo, saying that if you couldn\u2019t be happy, then they didn\u2019t deserve to be either.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine couldn\u2019t suppress a sharp gasp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It felt as though Minerva was describing a total stranger. She\u00a0<\/p>\n
refused to believe she had ever been so monstrous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Someone must have transmigrated and taken over her body.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy aren\u2019t you in school today?\u201d she asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI took the day off. I need to prepare for the city youth ballet\u00a0<\/p>\n
selection competition tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva shot her an impatient look. \u201cInstead of prying into my\u00a0<\/p>\n
business, you should be more concerned about your own.son.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a seven\u2013year\u2013old, she was remarkably eloquent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine bit back a retort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At twenty\u2013six, she needed to project composure and elegance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She folded her hands, adopting a deliberately mature\u00a0<\/p>\n
demeanor. \u201cYou do ballet, too? Are you any good?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva\u2019s chin lifted with pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just came second at the Forbis Youth Dance Competition last month.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSecond?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva arched an eyebrow. \u201cYes. I\u2019m the youngest runner-up this year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine sighed and shook her head, \u201cHow the generations have slipped. When I was your age, I was already an FYDC champion.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clearly unconvinced, Minerva curled her lip and glanced at\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine in contempt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Madeleine she knew was a lovestruck fool, obsessed with\u00a0<\/p>\n
a man named \u201cEddie\u201d and spending money on bags and clothes\u00a0<\/p>\n
-hardly someone who attended to serious matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine could dance? And she was even the champion?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yeah, right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop boasting. I don\u2019t believe a word you say.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, Clarissa walked out of the kitchen with juice. \u201cMina,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
you\u2019re mistaken about that,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cMaddie\u00a0<\/p>\n
really was the champion that year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva rose to her feet, her eyes wide. She fumbled for her phone, searched online for Madeleine\u2019s award history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After reading through the results, she took a deep breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou actually won so many awards? That\u2019s incredible!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine arched an eyebrow complacently, a satisfied grin\u00a0<\/p>\n
spreading across her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, Minerva asked, \u201cSo, why did you stop dancing after\u00a0<\/p>\n
you turned eighteen?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The smile on Madeleine\u2019s face froze. Her shoulders dropped as\u00a0<\/p>\n
she answered, \u201cBeats me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Learning of Madeleine\u2019s past awards seemed to have thawed\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva\u2019s hostility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They talked at length about various topics related to ballet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the conversation turned to their favorite dancers,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine mentioned Annabelle Sloan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter S\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnnabelle is giving a performance in Phelrania tomorrow\u00a0<\/p>\n
night,\u201d Minerva said. \u201cI heard it\u2019s her final one. She won\u2019t be dancing anymore after this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Madeleine was genuinely shocked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u00a0<\/p>\n
stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Phelrania\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A farewell performance? In that case, she absolutely had to go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It seemed that whoever had transmigrated into her body wasn\u2019t entirely horrible\u2013they had at least bought her a ticket in\u00a0<\/p>\n
advance.\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 8 So, even if this was all an act, she desperately wished […]<\/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-29226","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\/29226","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=29226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29226\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}