Not wanting to waste another second, she eagerly stood up,\u00a0<\/p>\n
grabbing her bag as she made ready to leave..\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clarissa hurried after her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, where are you going?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to get back and pack. Mom, I\u2019ll visit again when I have\u00a0<\/p>\n
time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, she rushed out the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her words struck Clarissa like a physical blow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew it\u2026\u201d she whispered, her eyes welling up with tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All the joy from their reunion vanished, replaced by a\u00a0<\/p>\n
suffocating wave of disappointment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick had been right. It was all an act, and now Madeleine\u00a0<\/p>\n
was running off to Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Covering her mouth, she wept silently. When Harold came over,\u00a0<\/p>\n
his face a mask of helpless confusion, she said in a sobbing\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
voice, \u201cHarold, from now on, let\u2019s just forget we ever had a\u00a0<\/p>\n
daughter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back at the villa, Madeleine went straight to the bedroom and\u00a0<\/p>\n
began packing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although she had no memory of the past few years, she found\u00a0<\/p>\n
everything with an uncanny ease, as if she instinctively knew\u00a0<\/p>\n
where each item belonged.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How strange. Was this the so\u2013called muscle memory?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The wardrobe was filled with beautiful clothes. Paralyzed by\u00a0<\/p>\n
choice, she couldn\u2019t decide what to bring, so she simply stuffed\u00a0<\/p>\n
the suitcase until it was full.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was sitting on it, struggling with the zipper, when she heard\u00a0<\/p>\n
the door creak open cautiously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to find Kevin standing in the doorway. As their eyes\u00a0<\/p>\n
met, he flinched and withdrew his hand, his face filled with fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKev!\u201d she smiled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The endearment slipped out before she could think, her voice\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
sweet and syrupy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was utterly adorable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sure enough, he was her son\u2013check out those big eyes, the high bridge of his nose, and those full lips. She could barely suppress the urge to cover him with kisses!\u00a0<\/p>\n
But her tone only seemed to frighten him further. He shrank back, his eyes widening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong, Kev? Come over.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She crouched down and beckoned to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin nervously twisted his fingers behind his back, trying to gauge her sincerity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Didn\u2019t she hate it the most when he came near her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, under her expectant gaze, he ventured into the room and approached her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the sight of the overstuffed suitcase made his little world\u00a0<\/p>\n
crumble.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tears welled up in his eyes and began to stream down his\u00a0<\/p>\n
cheeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sight shattered Madeleine\u2019s heart. She frantically wiped his\u00a0<\/p>\n
tears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKev, sweetie, what\u2019s wrong? Why are you crying?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy\u2026 Are you leaving for good?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was bewildered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Who told you that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sobbing, he pointed at the suitcase on the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re leaving.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only then did she realize his misunderstanding. \u201cI\u2019m not leaving\u00a0<\/p>\n
you,\u201d she explained quickly. \u201cI just have to go away for a little\u00a0<\/p>\n
while to take care of something.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a pause, she asked, \u201cKev, do you want to come with me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Immediately, Kevin stopped sobbing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome with you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s right. But I\u2019m not sure if there are any tickets left. Let me\u00a0<\/p>\n
check\u2026 Oh, and do you have a passport, Kev?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still processing the sudden turn of events, Kevin nodded\u00a0<\/p>\n
instinctively. Then he dashed to his room and returned with all\u00a0<\/p>\n
his travel documents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had developed excellent habits from a young age, always\u00a0<\/p>\n
keeping his belongings organized and secure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWow, you\u2019re in luck, Kev! There\u2019s one last ticket on the flight\u00a0<\/p>\n
tonight. But it\u2019s in economy class.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stroked her chin thoughtfully. \u201cTell you what, I\u2019ll swap my\u00a0<\/p>\n
first\u2013class ticket with the person sitting next to you. We\u2019ll tough\u00a0<\/p>\n
out a few hours in economy together. Is that OK with you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin nodded vigorously, his excitement barely contained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was all of this real?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was not only taking him out but was also willing to\u00a0<\/p>\n
sit with him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the past, she had always hated having him nearby, showing a\u00a0<\/p>\n
face of disgust every time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Being just a child, he couldn\u2019t hold back what was weighing on\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter\u00a0<\/p>\n
his mind. \u201cYou don\u2019t like me, do you?\u201d he asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Madeleine put down her phone, crouched down, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
gently wiped his tears with a tissue. \u201cWhy would you ever think that?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou said \u2026 you didn\u2019t like Daddy. And I\u2019m the baby you had with the man you don\u2019t like. So \u2026 you must not like me either.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not true at all!\u201d Madeleine immediately denied, frowning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKev, you\u2019re adorable. There\u2019s no way I couldn\u2019t like you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blinking, Kevin asked tentatively, \u201cSo, Mommy, does that\u00a0<\/p>\n
mean you like Daddy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was taken aback. She had almost walked right into\u00a0<\/p>\n
his little logical trap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She let out an awkward, dry laugh. \u201cKev, sweetie, those are two\u00a0<\/p>\n
completely different things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin\u2019s shoulders slumped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He sighed inwardly. This, at least, hadn\u2019t changed\u2013she still\u00a0<\/p>\n
didn\u2019t like Roderick.\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 9 Not wanting to waste another second, she eagerly stood up,\u00a0 grabbing […]<\/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-29227","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\/29227","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=29227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29227\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}