At past 6 a.m., the day had just broken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry drove Roderick to the hotel where Madeleine and Kevin\u00a0<\/p>\n
were staying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bank card Madeleine had swiped was under Roderick\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
name, and he had a marriage certificate. After verifying his\u00a0<\/p>\n
identity, the receptionist gave him a key card.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Livingston.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry didn\u2019t have the heart to do it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I wait for you downstairs?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t that he flinched. This was a most humiliating moment\u00a0<\/p>\n
for his boss, after all. And Roderick was a proud man. Gerry\u00a0<\/p>\n
figured he didn\u2019t want an outsider to see it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick knew what Gerry was thinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a pause, he nodded, \u201cOK.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The elevator ascended slowly. With each floor it went up,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 12\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s heart sank further.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was finally gonna be over between him and Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gone with the wind were his youth and soul in this foreign land.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silly him. Why did he devote his heart to this relationship in the\u00a0<\/p>\n
first place? Madeleine never cherished him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had flattered himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s footsteps made no sound on the carpeted hallway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He came to Madeleine. Kevin was nowhere to be seen outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick figured he must be inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Holding the key card, his hand trembled slightly. It felt like a\u00a0<\/p>\n
knife, with which he was gonna cut his own festering wound\u00a0<\/p>\n
open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a beep, the door was unlocked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Holding his breath, Roderick pushed the door open and walked\u00a0<\/p>\n
With the curtains drawn, the room was pitch\u2013black. Roderick\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 12\u00a0<\/p>\n
walked on after his eyes had adapted to the darkness a few\u00a0<\/p>\n
seconds later.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was mentally prepared to witness an obscene scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he moved to the bed, however, he was dumbstruck.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only Madeleine and Kevin were lying on the bed. The mother and son were sound asleep, hugging each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick frowned in confusion. She didn\u2019t meet with Edward\u00a0<\/p>\n
after landing?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, Kevin suddenly winced, curled up in fright, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
trembled all over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The boy was having a nightmare.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick hurried over, cautiously picked Kevin up, and softly\u00a0<\/p>\n
called him to wake him up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This psychological problem of Kevin\u2019s had existed for a long time. Nightmares happened every night after he fell asleep. More often than not, he was too frightened to go back to sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick had traveled around to take him to the doctors and\u00a0<\/p>\n
had contacted the best child psychiatrist. Disappointingly,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 12\u00a0<\/p>\n
however, few achievements were made in the end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin bit his lower lip tightly until it bled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without thinking about it, Roderick put his index finger into the\u00a0<\/p>\n
boy\u2019s mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKevin, Kevin, wake up. It\u2019s Dad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick lost his cool. The doctor had said falling into a\u00a0<\/p>\n
nightmare could be horrifying for a child. If he couldn\u2019t be\u00a0<\/p>\n
woken up in time, he might be severely traumatized.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What was worse, Kevin had psychological problems in the first\u00a0<\/p>\n
place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine woke up from the noise. Thinking that it was a\u00a0<\/p>\n
dream, she turned and went back to sleep.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Realizing the emptiness on the other side of the bed, she woke\u00a0<\/p>\n
up with a start.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Where was Kevin?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine opened her eyes and saw Roderick standing beside\u00a0<\/p>\n
the bed. Spooked, she opened her mouth to scream.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBe quiet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 12\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick hushed her by covering her mouth before she could\u00a0<\/p>\n
make a sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like a sleepwalker, one having a nightmare couldn\u2019t be alarmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was too hazardous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine gaped in shock, her heart racing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was this a dream? She was abroad. Why did she wake up with\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick standing by her bed?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meeting his solemn eyes, Madeleine raised her hands to tell\u00a0<\/p>\n
him she\u2019d calmed down. Roderick finally let her go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are you here?\u201d Madeleine asked in a whisper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was when she noticed something was wrong with Kevin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She got up hurriedly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with Kev?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Frowning, Roderick retorted coldly, \u201cYou don\u2019t know?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine blinked. \u201cI told you I lost my memory.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
This excuse again. Roderick didn\u2019t believe her. He said flintily,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s having a nightmare. We must wake him up as soon as\u00a0<\/p>\n
possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 12\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, poor baby. He\u2019s just a little boy. Why is he having a\u00a0<\/p>\n
nightmare?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instinctively, Madeleine took Kevin from Roderick and\u00a0<\/p>\n
murmured in his ear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKev, wake up. Don\u2019t be afraid. Mommy is here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice was so gentle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thinking he must\u2019ve misheard, Roderick stared at her in\u00a0<\/p>\n
disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was the cause of their son\u2019s nightmares and psychological\u00a0<\/p>\n
problems.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was never nice to the boy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sure enough, a mother\u2019s voice was the best cure. Hearing\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s murmurs, the trembling Keven suddenly calmed\u00a0<\/p>\n
down in her arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He let out a long sigh and opened his eyes slowly.\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 12 At past 6 a.m., the day had just broken.\u00a0 Gerry drove […]<\/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-29230","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\/29230","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=29230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29230\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}