Unexpectedly, the speaker was too loud. She heard everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t her fault. Roderick\u2019s phone was of too awful quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had no privacy on the phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the sight of Madeleine, he hung up immediately and turned\u00a0<\/p>\n
around awkwardly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot what? I heard everything!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine twitched her lips sullenly. \u201cRicki, we grew up together\u00a0<\/p>\n
and have known each other for so many years. Wouldn\u2019t you\u00a0<\/p>\n
know if I were sick?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rolled her eyes at him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I were sick, so were you. You were hopelessly sick!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a snort, she grabbed her purse, took Kevin\u2019s hand, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
made her way toward the door. Kevin asked her what she and\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick were arguing about. She replied without hesitation,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour dad has brain damage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 15\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick was petrified.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who was the capricious one here?\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
After they left the hotel, Madeleine was still vexed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She understood if Roderick wanted to take her to the hospital for a check\u2013up. But the Psychiatry Department? It was insulting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin was a sweet boy. He tried to smooth things over between\u00a0<\/p>\n
his parents. Holding their hands on either side, he was all\u00a0<\/p>\n
smiles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Having waited for Roderick for so long, Gerry had almost fallen asleep downstairs. But at the sight of the family of three, he\u00a0<\/p>\n
was wide awake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deeply worried, he had called Roderick just now. Roderick told him he didn\u2019t need to do a thing except wait.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Several hours had passed. Finally, there he was, with his wife and son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry was at a loss as to what to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. and Mrs. Livingston.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 15\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry stepped forward and greeted them respectfully. He could make a perfect quintessence of a two\u2013faced employee.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deep down, he still wondered what had happened upstairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t help but steal glances at Roderick and Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t look like his boss had just caught his wife in the act.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was more like they had just bickered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGerry, can you take us to the mall? Mommy wants to buy me clothes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry looked first at Kevin and then at Madeleine, astonished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the past few hours, did his boss threaten Madeleine into shopping for Kevin?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, well, way to go, boss!\u201d Gerry exclaimed inwardly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the other hand, he wondered what successful men were thinking nowadays. Why did they cling to women who didn\u2019t love them back?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOK. The car is parked outside. Let\u2019s go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although he was curious about his boss\u2018 domestic affairs, he\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cheipner 15\u00a0<\/p>\n
did his job dutifully. As a private assistant, he was paid\u00a0<\/p>\n
handsomely. He must prove he was worthy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The family of three was gonna watch the performance at the\u00a0<\/p>\n
theater. Gerry took two minutes making arrangements for their\u00a0<\/p>\n
shopping and made a reservation at a restaurant for their lunch\u00a0<\/p>\n
and dinner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the way, Gerry was prepared for an awkward silence in the\u00a0<\/p>\n
car.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Against his expectations, Kevin and Madeleine never stopped\u00a0<\/p>\n
talking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They chirped, now saying the big\u2013hooded vehicle passing by\u00a0<\/p>\n
looked like a green humphead parrotfish, and now saying the\u00a0<\/p>\n
clouds in the sky resembled animals.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry listened, amused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The liveliness was amazing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It had been a long time since this family last looked so alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked through the rearview mirror and happened to glimpse the faint smile on Roderick\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 15\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally!\u00a0<\/p>\n
His boss\u2018 suffering had finally come to an end. Madeleine finally\u00a0<\/p>\n
softened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gerry hoped she wouldn\u2019t make trouble again and that the three of them could live happily ever after.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick was a wonderful man. If Gerry were a woman, he\u2019d marry his boss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The car came to a halt. Roderick told Gerry he could do whatever he wanted for the rest of the day. In other words, it was his day off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, Roderick took Kevin\u2019s hand. The family of three entered the mall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s purpose was to replace Kevin\u2019s tacky clothes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She went straight to the section of children\u2019s wear. Before picking anything, she asked Roderick, \u201cWe\u2019re not poor, are we?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can afford these clothes, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 15\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick looked around.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was rich enough to buy such malls, so he nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine rubbed her hands excitedly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Madeleine was little, she loved dressing up games. She\u00a0<\/p>\n
bought pretty clothes and shoes for dolls and teddy bears and\u00a0<\/p>\n
dressed them up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now that she had a person to dress up, she was glad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take this!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take that!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWrap it up!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine bought tons of shoes and clothes for her son. Before\u00a0<\/p>\n
long, Roderick\u2019s hands were full.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a frown, he had to call Gerry again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour day off is cancelled. Come back and carry things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After hanging up, Gerry whined, \u201cAn employee deserves to\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 15\u00a0<\/p>\n
catch a break.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was tired from the shopping spree. So was Kevin,\u00a0<\/p>\n
who had been trying on clothes and shoes all the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 18\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 16\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 15 Unexpectedly, the speaker was too loud. She heard everything.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t […]<\/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-29233","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\/29233","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=29233"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29233\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}