Confusion was plain in his bleary eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who was holding him? Mommy? How was it possible?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin\u2019s eyes widened, and he was certain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was Mommy. And Daddy was with him, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He reached out and wrapped his arms around Madeleine\u2019s neck\u00a0<\/p>\n
tightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was moved, her heart throbbing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How much was he afraid of her leaving?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is OK, Kev.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She comforted Kevin for a few more minutes and asked\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick to get some tissues to wipe the boy\u2019s sweat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy, why are you here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine and Kevin looked at Roderick simultaneously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 13\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki, did you follow me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine approached him with wide eyes. \u201cAre you fond of\u00a0<\/p>\n
such sickening games now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s face clouded. He thought Madeleine was making an\u00a0<\/p>\n
excuse to fight with him again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Out of the blue, she giggled, \u201cDid you secretly read my comic books again? Were you imitating the obsessive, controlling\u00a0<\/p>\n
CEO?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dumbfounded, Roderick glowered at her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine, did you just say I read your comic books? Secretly?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I dare you to say that again!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was over ten years ago. They were in junior high. Madeleine\u00a0<\/p>\n
was a comic book groupie.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Comic books were prohibited by the school and parents. Every\u00a0<\/p>\n
time she finished reading one, she put it in Roderick\u2019s drawer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, the school conducted an ambush inspection. As a result,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick had to do a self\u2013inspection in front of the class,\u00a0<\/p>\n
holding a pile of comic books, deeply humiliated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Afterward, he ignored Madeleine for a week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 13\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFine. You didn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as before, he was still quick to anger. Without hesitation,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine tousled his hair with one hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, now, don\u2019t be upset. Say, how come you\u2019ve grown up so\u00a0<\/p>\n
much?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine missed out on the subtle changes in Roderick\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
expression. She hadn\u2019t touched his head in many years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWait. How did you come in?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe receptionist gave me a key card.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, Roderick added, \u201cWe\u2019re married. It\u2019s normal that the\u00a0<\/p>\n
receptionist gave me a spare key card.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine opened her mouth and nodded awkwardly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d forgotten again that they were married.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy, Mommy, I\u2019m sleepy.\u201d Kevin yawned. He could hardly\u00a0<\/p>\n
keep his eyes open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine checked the time. It wasn\u2019t 7 a.m. yet. After a yawn, she lay down, holding Kevin in her arms.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 13\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s sleep for a bit longer. We can get up at 9.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since Roderick was there, she moved back a little in bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sleepy? Will you take a nap?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s pupils contracted a little. This felt surreal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t even remember the last time they shared a bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After merely a hesitation of three seconds, Roderick took off his\u00a0<\/p>\n
jacket and lay beside his wife and son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If this were a dream, he\u2019d like it to never end.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At least, Madeleine\u2019s mind was sound now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The three of them breathed evenly and fell asleep soon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Downstairs, Gerry waited anxiously in the lobby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This didn\u2019t feel right. Why was it taking so long? Was his boss\u00a0<\/p>\n
pinned to the floor by Madeleine\u2019s lover?\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
At 9 a.m., the alarm clock went off. Despite her sleepiness,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine got up. When she turned her head, she found that\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 13\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick was gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEh? Was it a dream?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Where was Roderick?\u00a0<\/p>\n
She scratched her head. When she got dressed, Roderick\u00a0<\/p>\n
returned, followed by a waiter with a cart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019d gone to order breakfast for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine looked at him, her eyes sparkling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki, when did you become so thoughtful? This is sweet. You\u00a0<\/p>\n
took my lunch on a spring tour in primary school. I forgive you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick was surprised to hear this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have a long memory. You even remember the things in\u00a0<\/p>\n
primary school?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course. Even the things in kindergarten are vivid in my\u00a0<\/p>\n
mind.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s eyes flickered. \u201cDo you remember? After the SAT, I\u00a0<\/p>\n
said to you that\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 13\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin\u2019s voice came from the bathroom, interrupting their\u00a0<\/p>\n
conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine hurried to check on him. It turned out the sink was\u00a0<\/p>\n
too tall for him. She had to pick him up to wash his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The mixed emotions in Roderick\u2019s eyes were replaced by a calm\u00a0<\/p>\n
look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Never mind. Why bother asking? Even if she remembered how\u00a0<\/p>\n
he\u2019d declared his love for her, so what? She still wouldn\u2019t accept\u00a0<\/p>\n
him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward, the poor kid she\u2019d finally supported, was the man she\u00a0<\/p>\n
wanted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After breakfast, Roderick finally asked why Madeleine had\u00a0<\/p>\n
brought Kevin abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t you see the note I left for you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was confused. After thinking about it, she asked,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you fly here without going home first?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before their departure, Madeleine figured Roderick deserved to\u00a0<\/p>\n
know their whereabouts. But when she tried to tell him on the\u00a0<\/p>\n
phone, she realized she didn\u2019t have his WhatsApp account.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 13\u00a0<\/p>\n
She thought about it and left him a note, saying she was taking\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin to watch Annabelle\u2019s swan song.\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 13 Confusion was plain in his bleary eyes.\u00a0 Who was holding him? […]<\/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-29232","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\/29232","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=29232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29232\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}