me to take last month?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick, arriving just in time to hear this, felt a sharp pang in\u00a0<\/p>\n
his chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward, with a smug glance at Roderick, unfastened the cufflinks and tossed them at Madeleine\u2019s feet. They hit the ground with a sharp, metallic clink.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t react in time. The cufflinks hit the ground with a sharp clatter, the metallic sound echoing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward leaned in close, his voice dripping with mockery. \u201cDon\u2019t bother with gifts next time. Your taste only cheapens my style.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned his head, throwing a provocative glance at Roderick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour husband seems to like them, though. Funny how he\u2019s always chasing what I discard.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s eyes flicked to the cufflinks on the ground, then\u00a0<\/p>\n
snapped up at Edward\u2019s words. Her heart lurched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was humiliating Roderick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her heart skipped in alarm. She knew Roderick\u2019s temper\u2013hot\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
and reckless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back in middle school, he\u2019d nearly put a kid in the hospital over\u00a0<\/p>\n
some photos snapped without his consent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Owen had punished him harshly for it, but that never changed\u00a0<\/p>\n
his nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t let Roderick lose it now. If he threw a punch,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward would milk the drama for all it was worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without thinking, Madeleine shoved Edward back, her voice\u00a0<\/p>\n
fierce.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell are you talking about? You\u2019d better watch your\u00a0<\/p>\n
mouth. Talk about my husband like that again, and I swear I\u2019ll\u00a0<\/p>\n
knock some sense into you!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward froze, stunned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick, who\u2019d been listening nearby, was equally floored.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both men stared at Madeleine, their disbelief palpable. She\u00a0<\/p>\n
was\u2026 different today.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Caught off guard, Edward stumbled back from her push, his\u00a0<\/p>\n
face a mask of shock, his composure crumbling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
This woman was insane.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he didn\u2019t respond, Madeleine raised her fist, doubling\u00a0<\/p>\n
down on her bravado.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou gonna leave, or what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick, who\u2019d been simmering with anger, felt his tension ease, a grin tugging at his lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, he felt like the guy being shielded by his fierce\u00a0<\/p>\n
wife, and it was oddly\u2026 comforting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward, clearly stung by the blow to his pride, let out a cold\u00a0<\/p>\n
laugh. \u201cFine, Madeleine. If this is how you want to play it, don\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
come crying when it backfires.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stormed off, his frustration crackling in the air. Madeleine\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
raised fist finally dropped, her shoulders relaxing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick started to say something, but then he saw her crouch\u00a0<\/p>\n
down, her brow furrowed as she picked up the cufflinks from\u00a0<\/p>\n
the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His heart sank. He stopped mid\u2013step.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To Roderick, it was clear Madeleine still cared about Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
He felt foolish, clinging to a fleeting hope that their argument\u00a0<\/p>\n
meant something more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He realized maybe she\u2019d only stepped in to keep him from\u00a0<\/p>\n
hurting Edward, staging a performance to protect her old flame.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the end, the one who loved without being loved back was\u00a0<\/p>\n
always the fool.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick gave a bitter smile, his fists clenching, then slowly\u00a0<\/p>\n
loosening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine stood, holding the cufflinks, her eyes sparkling as\u00a0<\/p>\n
she turned to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki, these are Cartier cufflinks. They\u2019re worth a fortune. Know\u00a0<\/p>\n
anyone who deals in luxury resale?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick gazed into Madeleine\u2019s sparkling eyes, his throat tightening as words failed him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suddenly, he reached out, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine swatted his hand away, her tone laced with playful\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
annoyance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t feverish, nor had she lost her wits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes, far from betraying any hint of heartbreak over\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward\u2019s discarded gift, gleamed with the thrill of someone\u00a0<\/p>\n
who\u2019d just stumbled upon a windfall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick hadn\u2019t seen that look on her face since Madeleine was\u00a0<\/p>\n
a teenager.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A thought flickered in his mind, hesitant but persistent. \u201cCould it\u00a0<\/p>\n
be\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she really amnesic?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine,\u201d he ventured cautiously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d she replied, her voice light and curious.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was the SAT essay topic?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm, let me think.\u201d Madeleine paused, her mind drifting back\u00a0<\/p>\n
to the test she\u2019d taken not long ago. \u201cSomething about\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018connection,\u2019 I think.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the last math question\u2013what type was it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlgebra.\u201d Her answers were quick and confident.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine blinked at him, realization dawning as she caught\u00a0<\/p>\n
the purpose behind his questions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick lowered his gaze, pulling out his phone to check the 2017 Valenburg SAT questions. Her responses matched perfectly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her memory, it seemed, was frozen at eighteen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His expression shifted, a storm of emotions swirling beneath the surface, but he kept silent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine scratched her head, puzzled. \u201cRoderick, why do I feel like you\u2019re\u2026 different somehow?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick tucked away his thoughts, his brow furrowing as he met her gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He could\u2019ve asked her the same thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d she said, starting to walk back. \u201cYou seem\u2026calmer, you know? Back in the day, your temper was like a firecracker. We\u2019d bicker three times a day, easy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19\u00a0<\/p>\n
She rambled on, her voice tinged with nostalgia as she brought\u00a0<\/p>\n
up that infamous middle school fight.\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 19 me to take last month?\u201d\u00a0 Chapter 19\u00a0 Chapter 19\u00a0 Roderick, arriving […]<\/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-29237","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\/29237","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=29237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29237\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}