He continued applying medicine, his fingertips brushing\u00a0<\/p>\n
unintentionally against the sensitive arches of her feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHey\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She instinctively pulled her foot back, but he gripped it more\u00a0<\/p>\n
firmly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t move,\u201d his voice was low and husky. \u201cI\u2019m not finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
yet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine dared not move again. Her heartbeat sped up. Afraid\u00a0<\/p>\n
he might notice, she shut her eyes, pretending to be sleepy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick handled it well. Soon, he gently placed her foot back\u00a0<\/p>\n
on the bed and packed up the medicine box.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stood by her bed for a while. Seeing she hadn\u2019t opened her\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes, he quietly walked out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only after the door closed did Madeleine let out a long breath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPhew\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 45\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had never been in love, but she knew how it felt to have a\u00a0<\/p>\n
crush on someone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why did it feel like that just now?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She shook her head vigorously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Falling for Roderick? That was absurd.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sure, he wasn\u2019t as unbearable as before, but that didn\u2019t mean\u00a0<\/p>\n
she could fall in love with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From sworn enemies to friends. That could be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From sworn enemies to lovers?\u00a0<\/p>\n
No way!\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps it was the exhaustion from dancing that afternoon. That night, Madeleine slept very well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the morning, when Kirsten came to wake her, she was even having a romantic dream, dreaming that she was in love with a\u00a0<\/p>\n
tall, handsome man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 45\u00a0<\/p>\n
But before she could see his face clearly, Kirsten shook her\u00a0<\/p>\n
awake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAh!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was frustrated, sitting up with annoyance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beside her, Kirsten turned pale from fright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy apologies, Mrs. Livingston.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine rubbed her head awkwardly and coughed. \u201cAh, it\u2019s nothing. I just get a little grumpy when I wake up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only then did Kirsten breathe easier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Livingston, yesterday you asked me to wake you up. You\u00a0<\/p>\n
said you\u2019d take Mr. Kevin to school and then head to work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After speaking, she hesitated, hardly believing her own words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you really going to work?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine nodded, rummaging through her wardrobe for\u00a0<\/p>\n
something suitable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 45\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone else goes to work. I can\u2019t just sit idly at home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten was stunned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just that morning, she had bet with Meagan, who insisted\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine would never go to work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meagan thought perhaps this was just another scheme to\u00a0<\/p>\n
trouble Roderick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She might just be saying. Yet in reality, she would use his\u00a0<\/p>\n
money to fool around outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all, it had happened before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet Kirsten defended her then.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was in the past. Haven\u2019t you noticed she\u2019s changed lately?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe she really intends to work properly this time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meagan only laughed at her na\u00efve thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, hearing Madeleine chatter on about becoming Roderick\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
assistant, Kirsten was still dazed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten? Kirsten?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine waved a hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 45\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you thinking about?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it, Mrs. Livingston?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp me pick an outfit. Which of these two looks better?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had never worked before, so her wardrobe lacked proper business clothes. She found only a pencil skirt with a blouse and a more modest long dress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten waved her hands, saying she couldn\u2019t give good advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the past, whenever Kirsten had voiced her opinion, Madeleine always mocked her as a country bumpkin with no taste.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over time, she stopped expressing her views.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cForget it. I\u2019ll wear this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine chose the blouse with the pencil skirt. In her opinion, that was the standard look of a professional woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Oh right! Heels were essential.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yet she had hurt her feet dancing yesterday, so walking in heels\u00a0<\/p>\n
was quite painful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTurns out being a working woman isn\u2019t easy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 45\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sighed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Roderick was already in a phone meeting with a\u00a0<\/p>\n
foreign company. Because of the time difference, he had gotten up early.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine had breakfast with Kevin, and it wasn\u2019t until they got in the car that Roderick noticed her outfit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Holding his phone while speaking in German, he fixed his gaze on her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d she mouthed silently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He raised a hand, signaling it was nothing, and continued his\u00a0<\/p>\n
call.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Puzzled, she pouted and whispered to her son, \u201cAm I not pretty today?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, you are!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin answered excitedly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To him, Mommy was especially beautiful today. He couldn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
explain how, but she just looked different.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine smiled, ruffling his hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 45\u00a0<\/p>\n
She reviewed her style over the years and realized that she had been dressing to fit Edward\u2019s preferences all the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But with her height and build, that princess\u2013like style he liked\u00a0<\/p>\n
never suited her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s mature, professional look fit her much better.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For once, she had the time to hold Kevin\u2019s hand and personally\u00a0<\/p>\n
walk him to kindergarten.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick stayed in the car, still working, but his eyes followed\u00a0<\/p>\n
them closely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hand in hand, they approached the kindergarten gate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was just about to greet the teacher with a smile\u00a0<\/p>\n
when she heard the teacher speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHello, Kev! Is this your dad\u2019s secretary?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 46\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 45 He continued applying medicine, his fingertips brushing\u00a0 unintentionally against the sensitive […]<\/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-29308","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\/29308","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=29308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29308\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}