But seeing the look on Roderick\u2019s face now, she guessed she\u00a0<\/p>\n
must have done something utterly foolish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She touched her nose awkwardly and said she needed to fix her\u00a0<\/p>\n
makeup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After she went inside, Roderick steadied himself and picked up\u00a0<\/p>\n
his phone to make a call.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp me contact that craftsman in Malikania.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, the one who made the wedding rings back then. I want\u00a0<\/p>\n
him to make another pair, same size.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
***\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that moment, a taxi pulled up outside the villa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary stepped out. Using her phone as a mirror, she fixed her\u00a0<\/p>\n
makeup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo calls, no replies\u2026 Madeleine, I really want to see what\u00a0<\/p>\n
you\u2019ve been up to lately.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 55\u00a0<\/p>\n
She let out a cold snort.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Life hadn\u2019t been easy for her recently. Last time she went out\u00a0<\/p>\n
with Madeleine, she had spent quite a lot, and now she was\u00a0<\/p>\n
broke. She needed to squeeze more money out of that woman.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had found out that Edward was going to the golf course\u00a0<\/p>\n
today, so she arranged to meet Madeleine ahead of time,\u00a0<\/p>\n
intending to take her along.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As always, every time she leaked a bit of news about Edward to\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine, the woman practically spewed money like a printing\u00a0<\/p>\n
press.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the years, Mary had already treated Madeleine as her\u00a0<\/p>\n
personal ATM.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This time would be no exception.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The only thing that unsettled her was Madeleine\u2019s husband. She\u00a0<\/p>\n
feared he might throw her out again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then she thought about it. Madeleine was such a fool that she\u00a0<\/p>\n
would surely hold her husband back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as she reached out to press the doorbell, the door opened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 55\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary froze, eyes widening at the sight before her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What were they wearing!?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Matching family outfits!?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is insane\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not only were the three of them dressed alike, but all of them\u00a0<\/p>\n
were smiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick took a few steps and then bent down to pick up his\u00a0<\/p>\n
son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beside him, Madeleine kept chattering, making the father and\u00a0<\/p>\n
son laugh even brighter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary stared, a bad hunch rising in her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Could it be that this woman had changed her mind again?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo way. That\u2019s impossible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine had done countless irrational things for Edward in\u00a0<\/p>\n
the past. Anyone could see how madly obsessed she had been.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And she would give him up so easily? Mary refused to believe it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 55\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the three of them were about to get in the car, Mary\u00a0<\/p>\n
stretched her hands through the iron gate and shouted,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine! Hey, Maddie, it\u2019s me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine turned at the noise, her smile immediately fading.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why was it that someone always had to ruin her mood when\u00a0<\/p>\n
she was happy?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick also recognized the intruder, his gaze darkening.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked down at Madeleine. Her smile had faded, and no one\u00a0<\/p>\n
could tell what she was thinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the past, whenever she saw Mary, Madeleine would chase\u00a0<\/p>\n
her to ask about Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, Mary was still shouting without pause.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine turned to Roderick. \u201cWait a second. I\u2019ll go check.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without waiting for his response, she jogged to the gate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s face lit up with joy when Madeleine approached.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew it! The woman hadn\u2019t changed at all. Her heart and\u00a0<\/p>\n
mind were still full of Edward, desperate to use her as a\u00a0<\/p>\n
strategist and informant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 55\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, finally! What happened to you these days? Is your\u00a0<\/p>\n
phone broken?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine didn\u2019t open the gate. She only smiled faintly at her\u00a0<\/p>\n
from behind it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNope.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo? Then Roderick\u2019s keeping you on a tight leash, not letting\u00a0<\/p>\n
you use your phone?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary frowned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither? But you haven\u2019t replied to me for days.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine feigned ignorance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally? I didn\u2019t get anything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary pulled out her phone to check, but she didn\u2019t press her on\u00a0<\/p>\n
the matter and instead shifted the topic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFine, fine, forget about that. Maddie, I\u2019ve got something\u00a0<\/p>\n
important to tell you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 55\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gripping the bars of the gate, she leaned closer. \u201cCome on,\u00a0<\/p>\n
open the gate!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever it is, just say it here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell\u2026 fine. I found out that Edward will be at the golf club\u00a0<\/p>\n
today. I made a booking, too. I can take you with me. How\u00a0<\/p>\n
about it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyebrows arched as she spoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was already bracing for Madeleine to rush out and hug her\u00a0<\/p>\n
in excitement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That woman always went crazy at the mere mention of Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was no way she would miss such a chance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Madeleine only smiled faintly, fiddling with her freshly\u00a0<\/p>\n
painted nails.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh? Edward, well\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary nodded eagerly. \u201cYes, yes! He even asked about you the\u00a0<\/p>\n
other day!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d Madeleine suddenly turned, calling out sweetly to the\u00a0<\/p>\n
man not far away. \u201cDarling, she says Edward wants to see me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 55\u00a0<\/p>\n
She stunned not only Mary but also Roderick. He paused in\u00a0<\/p>\n
surprise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He walked over with their son in his arms, eyes narrowing\u00a0<\/p>\n
dangerously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Carroll is so idle, is he?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary paled instantly, stammering. \u201cMr. Livingston, don\u2019t get me\u00a0<\/p>\n
wrong.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d Madeleine tilted her head innocently. \u201cWeren\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
you just saying you\u2019d take me to see Edward?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sighed and spread her hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what a pity, I don\u2019t have time. I\u2019m going to the amusement\u00a0<\/p>\n
park with my husband and son. Don\u2019t bother me with these\u00a0<\/p>\n
things again.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s jaw dropped in shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin perched proudly in his father\u2019s arms, lifted his chin, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
declared in his childish voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMa\u2019am, did you hear that? My mommy said not to come\u00a0<\/p>\n
looking for her anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 55\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary was speechless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary was right about her hunch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She clutched the gate so hard that her nails dug into the metal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t believe that the happy woman in front of her was\u00a0<\/p>\n
the same Madeleine who once knelt just to see Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If that was true, then her cash machine was gone!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine ignored her. Instead, she looped her arm sweetly\u00a0<\/p>\n
around Roderick\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDarling, we\u2019re running late. Let\u2019s go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick looked down at her and silently nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The three of them turned, got into the car, and drove off, leaving\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary dumbstruck at the gate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat on earth\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She still couldn\u2019t believe what she had just seen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was it real? Or just a show?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, Kirsten came out to buy groceries. Mary rushed over\u00a0<\/p>\n
to grab her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 55\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the Livingston maid, right? Tell me what\u2019s wrong with\u00a0<\/p>\n
your madam lately? Is she sick or Crazy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten knew Mary. She knew exactly what she had done in the\u00a0<\/p>\n
past. With disgust, she shook off her hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the crazy one! Our Mrs. Livingston is perfectly fine. But\u00a0<\/p>\n
you! You\u2019re always trying to stir up trouble. What are you\u00a0<\/p>\n
plotting?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unwilling to give up, Mary grabbed her again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t fool me. How could Madeleine suddenly change? Her\u00a0<\/p>\n
heart belongs to Mr. Carroll!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was before. Now, Mrs. and Mr. Livingston are deeply in\u00a0<\/p>\n
love, and Mr. Kevin clings to his mother all day. I\u2019d advise you to\u00a0<\/p>\n
stop wasting your energy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a scornful glare, Kirsten walked away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Really, what a vile woman! She came here only to sabotage the\u00a0<\/p>\n
bond between the couple.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary bit down hard, grinding her teeth, but then paused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In love?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 55\u00a0<\/p>\n
Impossible. How could Madeleine and Roderick be in love?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her frown eased as she recalled overhearing Edward once\u00a0<\/p>\n
talking about \u201cplaying hard to get\u201c. Suddenly, everything clicked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that\u2019s it. She\u2019s pretending.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Madeleine, you\u2019re really willing to go that far for Edward,\u00a0<\/p>\n
acting with a man you don\u2019t even love.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t worry. I\u2019ll help you get back to Mr. Carroll.\u201d\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 55 But seeing the look on Roderick\u2019s face now, she guessed she\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-29318","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\/29318","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=29318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29318\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}