But she didn\u2019t dare snap at Madeleine. Instead, she waved over\u00a0<\/p>\n
a waiter to take over the camera duties.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She insisted on finishing her little photoshoot before letting Madeleine touch her food. \u201cJust a few more shots,\u201d Mary said,\u00a0<\/p>\n
adjusting her hair. \u201cIt\u2019s gotta look perfect.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine crossed her arms, her irritation bubbling up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, alright, I\u2019m done!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary laughed awkwardly, snatching her phone back and flashing a placating grin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry to keep you waiting, Maddie. Let\u2019s dig in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine didn\u2019t respond. She picked up her fork and knife,\u00a0<\/p>\n
slicing into the food. The dishes were decent enough, though a\u00a0<\/p>\n
couple had gone cold, their flavors dulled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she ate, she decided to fish for some answers about the past few years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMary, we\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCall me Leticia!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, Leticia,\u201d Madeleine started, the name feeling clumsy on her\u00a0<\/p>\n
tongue. \u201cWhen did we become friends?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary glanced up, surprised. \u201cWhy are you asking that all of a\u00a0<\/p>\n
sudden?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust came to mind,\u201d Madeleine said with a shrug.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary smirked, leaning back. \u201cWhat, is your head so full of your\u00a0<\/p>\n
husband you forgot everything else? It was, like, four or five\u00a0<\/p>\n
years ago. We ran into each other at a golf course. You saw me\u00a0<\/p>\n
nailing my swing, came over to chat, and then we realized we\u00a0<\/p>\n
went to high school together!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She conveniently left out the messier details.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That day, Mary had been at the golf course with a wealthy\u00a0<\/p>\n
playboy, only to get caught by his furious wife.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman had pounced, leaving Mary battered and bruised\u00a0<\/p>\n
until Madeleine stepped in, smoothing things over and saving\u00a0<\/p>\n
her from further humiliation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGolf\u2026\u201d Madeleine muttered, poking at a delicate bubble of molecular gastronomy on her plate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t even like golf.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t, but your husband does,\u201d Mary said with a knowing grin. \u201cYou pulled out all the stops to win Edward over.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s fork slipped, hitting the plate with a sharp ring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband\u2026 you mean Edward?\u201d she asked, her voice barely concealing her shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d Mary said, rolling her eyes. \u201cThat\u2019s what you\u2019ve always\u00a0<\/p>\n
called him in front of me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s gaze drifted to the perfume bottle on the table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No wonder the scent felt so familiar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019d caught a whiff of it that night at Phelrania, when she\u2019d\u00a0<\/p>\n
crossed paths with Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her thoughts began to spiral, pieces clicking into place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If her suspicions were right, her body had been taken over-\u00a0<\/p>\n
hijacked by someone else with a purpose she couldn\u2019t yet\u00a0<\/p>\n
grasp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary was probably just a pawn in this stranger\u2019s game\u2013an NPC\u00a0<\/p>\n
in whatever bizarre mission had been set in motion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Approaching Edward, obsessing over him\u2026 that must have\u00a0<\/p>\n
been her goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But why?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why use her body to get close to Edward, even to obsess over\u00a0<\/p>\n
him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Had she succeeded? And if she had, why was Madeleine- eighteen\u2013year\u2013old Madeleine\u2013here now, trapped in this\u00a0<\/p>\n
unfamiliar life?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her head throbbed, a dull hammering pulsing behind her temples. The more she tried to untangle the mystery, the worse\u00a0<\/p>\n
it got.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She pressed a hand to her forehead, her face paling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only when she forced her mind away from the thoughts did the\u00a0<\/p>\n
pain finally ease.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, you okay? You look like you\u2019re about to pass out,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary said, her voice tinged with concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d Madeleine murmured, shaking her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She excused herself to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face to dull the pain. When she returned, she felt steadier\u00a0<\/p>\n
but no less wary of Mary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t like Mary\u2013never had, really. But over the years, it seemed she\u2019d spilled her secrets to her, and today, that loose\u00a0<\/p>\n
tongue was proving useful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary had let slip plenty: how Madeleine had quit ballet because Edward once sneered at her \u201cugly\u201d dancer\u2019s feet and how she\u2019d started wearing pink because Edward had ogled a starlet in a\u00a0<\/p>\n
pink gown at some glitzy event.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward\u2019s name clung to her past like a shadow, shaping every\u00a0<\/p>\n
choice she\u2019d made.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It made Madeleine\u2019s blood boil.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t understand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why had she let herself revolve around him? Why had she bent\u00a0<\/p>\n
so far to please him?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re acting weird today, Maddie,\u201d Mary said, tilting her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s with all the nostalgia?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 26\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine forced a smile. \u201cMy memory\u2019s been fuzzy lately. Just\u00a0<\/p>\n
trying to jog it, you know? Keep the past from slipping away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s face lit up, and she reached for Madeleine\u2019s hand, her\u00a0<\/p>\n
grip a little too eager.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019ve got you. I\u2019ll help you remember everything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine pulled her hand back, her smile tight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks. You done eating? Let\u2019s get out of here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCool, you grab the bill,\u201d Mary said breezily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine raised an eyebrow. \u201cMe?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s expression shifted to a pitiful pout, her eyes wide and pleading.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, you know my family\u2019s broke. I can\u2019t afford it! You always said I\u2019d never have to pay when we\u2019re out together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 27\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 27\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 26 But she didn\u2019t dare snap at Madeleine. Instead, she waved over\u00a0 […]<\/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-29279","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\/29279","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=29279"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29279\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29279"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}