Even a child had taken notice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Emotion tightened her throat. She sniffed hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry, Kev. Mommy won\u2019t upset your grandpa anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll both take good care of them, I promise.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Harold emerged from the kitchen with Buffalo wings and crispy\u00a0<\/p>\n
calamari, just catching her words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stopped, his eyes instantly reddening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All four stood emotionally charged when Minerva returned from\u00a0<\/p>\n
school.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Taking in the scene, she scratched her head awkwardly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShould I be crying too?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question broke the tension, bringing relieved laughter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCrying? Harold made all your favorites! Come eat!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the family settled around the table, Madeleine\u2019s phone\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 4\u00a0<\/p>\n
buzzed before she could take a bite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A voice message from Mary played accidentally, her high-\u00a0<\/p>\n
pitched voice filling the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie! Golf this weekend! Edward will be there. I\u2019ll find you\u00a0<\/p>\n
something stunning to wear. Guaranteed success! I\u2019ve even\u00a0<\/p>\n
booked you a room for afterwards\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The voice echoed unexpectedly through the room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine froze, feeling the weight of everyone\u2019s eyes turning\u00a0<\/p>\n
toward her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Harold slammed his fork down, his face immediately flushing\u00a0<\/p>\n
crimson as he struggled to keep his voice low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine! What is this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could she be so shameless, talking about her affair right\u00a0<\/p>\n
in Kev\u2019s face? Does she even remember she\u2019s married, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
she\u2019s a mother? Perhaps our decision to let her marry Roderick\u00a0<\/p>\n
was a mistake from the start!\u201d he wondered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beside him, Clarissa wore an expression of shock and deep\u00a0<\/p>\n
sorrow, placing a calming hand on her husband\u2019s arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 42\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her gaze held nothing but bitter disappointment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur daughter is truly beyond hope,\u201d she thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next to Madeleine, Kevin looked terribly worried, ready to fetch his grandfather\u2019s medicine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, no, it\u2019s not what you think!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine waved her hands in frantic denial, feeling utterly\u00a0<\/p>\n
trapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was at a loss for how to explain, especially with Kevin\u00a0<\/p>\n
present.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDamn that Mary and her big mouth!\u201d she cursed in her heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, Dad, please, it\u2019s a misunderstanding. That person is just\u00a0<\/p>\n
talking nonsense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t have feelings for Edward anymore. Why would I ever\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ugh, please believe me. The amnesia is real.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Any lingering belief her parents might have had evaporated with\u00a0<\/p>\n
that voice message.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, you finally bring Kevin home for a meal, and this is\u00a0<\/p>\n
how you treat us?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 42\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clarissa sighed wearily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHarold and I are getting older. We can\u2019t handle these dramas\u00a0<\/p>\n
anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She shook her head in resignation. \u201cI\u2019ve been thinking\u2026 If you\u00a0<\/p>\n
truly can\u2019t make it work with Roderick, then just get a divorce\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s eyes widened in disbelief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDid they give up on me completely?\u201d she wondered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wanted to argue further, but noticed Kevin trembling\u00a0<\/p>\n
slightly beside her, clearly affected by Clarissa\u2019s words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKev.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine quickly pulled him close.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be scared. Mommy and Daddy aren\u2019t getting divorced.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Your grandma was just joking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to Minerva. \u201cMina, could you take Kev to the other\u00a0<\/p>\n
room for a bit? I need to talk to your aunt and uncle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once they were gone, Madeleine faced her parents with grave\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 42\u00a0<\/p>\n
seriousness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMom, Dad, I\u2019m not lying. Roderick took me to the hospital for a check\u2013up today. They didn\u2019t find anything physically wrong\u2026 But my point is, I genuinely have no memory of the last eight years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her defense felt weak even to her own ears.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She never imagined her parents would distrust her this deeply.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew it wasn\u2019t their fault. Her actions over those years had\u00a0<\/p>\n
broken their hearts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what happened. It\u2019s like I was possessed these past few years. I can\u2019t even stand the person I became.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A bitter smile touched her lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy memory of Edward stops when our family sponsored him. Dad said he was a rare talent, that we could offer him a job\u00a0<\/p>\n
after graduation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took a shaky breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought he\u2019d become such an ingrate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 42\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clarissa stared at her, astonished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing these words from Madeleine was nothing short of\u00a0<\/p>\n
shocking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The old Madeleine had defended Edward with her life. They\u00a0<\/p>\n
never dared speak a word against him in her presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Calling him an ingrate had been forbidden, guaranteed to make\u00a0<\/p>\n
her explode.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, she was saying it herself?!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout that message\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine showed her phone to her parents.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is from Mary. You know who she is, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Harold nodded grimly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary had always encouraged Madeleine\u2019s worst impulses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook. She\u2019s been messaging me constantly, and I haven\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
replied to any of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine scrolled up, showing the message history.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 42\u00a0<\/p>\n
The screen was filled with Mary\u2019s messages: some criticizing\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick and Kevin, others praising Edward, plus numerous\u00a0<\/p>\n
invitations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine hadn\u2019t even bothered with a simple emoji response.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The latest voice message had been an accidental tap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Mary might be connected to why I changed so much. I\u00a0<\/p>\n
just wanted to understand what happened through her. That\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 43\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 43\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 42 Even a child had taken notice.\u00a0 Emotion tightened her throat. She […]<\/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-29296","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\/29296","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=29296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29296\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}