Chapter 66\u00a0<\/p>\n
She shoved Edward away, stumbling back two steps until her\u00a0<\/p>\n
back hit the cold wall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice trembled, the bangs on her forehead already soaked\u00a0<\/p>\n
with cold sweat. \u201cEdward, don\u2019t be so full of your\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before she could finish, the sound of hurried footsteps\u00a0<\/p>\n
approached.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick strode closer, holding Kevin. The moment he saw the\u00a0<\/p>\n
two of them, his steps came to an abrupt halt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air seemed to freeze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine saw Roderick\u2019s gaze suddenly turn cold. The eyes\u00a0<\/p>\n
that always looked at her with such tenderness were now like\u00a0<\/p>\n
ice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She opened her mouth to explain but found her throat was too\u00a0<\/p>\n
dry to make a sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy,\u201d Kevin suddenly spoke, his small hand clutching\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 66\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s collar. \u201cIt\u2019s Mommy\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The child\u2019s innocent voice broke the dead silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had regained his composure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He strode forward and pulled Madeleine behind him with one arm, his movement assertive yet gentle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
he asked in a low voice, his fingertips gently brushing against\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s cold wrist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine shook her head, subconsciously grabbing his sleeve.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She could feel Roderick\u2019s body was tense, like a fully drawn\u00a0<\/p>\n
bow, yet he was still restraining himself from lashing out right\u00a0<\/p>\n
there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When did he get here? Did he see everything?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Does this mean he doesn\u2019t believe me?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s mind was clogged with questions, but the words\u00a0<\/p>\n
just wouldn\u2019t come out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 66\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward saw Roderick\u2019s murderous glare and raised his hands in\u00a0<\/p>\n
a shrug.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Livingston, your wife was the one who threw herself at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t believe me, there should be security cameras here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right, Mr. Carroll.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick gritted his teeth. \u201cThere are cameras here. I\u2019ll be sure\u00a0<\/p>\n
to investigate thoroughly how Mr. Carroll just so happened to enter this haunted house at the same time as my family.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s low words helped Madeleine collect her thoughts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s right, why was Edward here? And how could he have\u00a0<\/p>\n
shown up in the haunted house with them so coincidentally?\u00a0<\/p>\n
This doesn\u2019t make sense!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you following me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward scoffed. \u201cMe, follow you?\u00a0<\/p>\n
What a joke.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what he said, but in the dim light, his expression was\u00a0<\/p>\n
visibly ugly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 66\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward thought this was insane. Her eyes couldn\u2019t lie, and he\u00a0<\/p>\n
could clearly see there was no love in her gaze as she looked at\u00a0<\/p>\n
him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he didn\u2019t believe someone could change so quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019s faking it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was sure of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her desperate struggle to get out of his arms just now was\u00a0<\/p>\n
probably because Roderick had shown up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Roderick wasn\u2019t here, if it was just the two of them\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward\u2019s heart tightened. He realized something was off with\u00a0<\/p>\n
him today. He used to get annoyed every time he saw her, so\u00a0<\/p>\n
what was wrong now?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking at her fair skin and delicate features, he was surprised\u00a0<\/p>\n
to feel a flicker of anticipation about being with her again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was interested in Madeleine?\u00a0<\/p>\n
No way. What a joke!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward felt irritated. He knew he shouldn\u2019t have come. He\u00a0<\/p>\n
tugged at his tie, ready to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 66\u00a0<\/p>\n
He turned to leave, but then whipped back around and mouthed\u00a0<\/p>\n
to Madeleine, \u201cNice act.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was trembling with anger when she felt Roderick\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
warm hand on the small of her back, steadily supporting her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s icy gaze met Edward\u2019s, and a murderous intent\u00a0<\/p>\n
flared in both their eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The haunted house, already blasting the AC, felt even colder\u00a0<\/p>\n
now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCan you walk?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick asked in a low voice, and the concern in his eyes\u00a0<\/p>\n
made Madeleine\u2019s nose sting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nodded, and Roderick started walking out, holding his son\u00a0<\/p>\n
with one arm and shielding her with the other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His broad, straight back completely separated her from Edward,\u00a0<\/p>\n
like an unbreakable barrier.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As they stepped out of the haunted house, the night breeze hit\u00a0<\/p>\n
her face, and Madeleine realized her back was soaked with\u00a0<\/p>\n
sweat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 66\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin leaned out from his father\u2019s arms, his small hand gently\u00a0<\/p>\n
wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. \u201cDon\u2019t be scared,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mommy. Kev will protect you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick silently watched the distant Ferris wheel, the colored\u00a0<\/p>\n
lights reflecting on his chiseled profile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a long moment, he finally spoke, \u201cDo you want to head\u00a0<\/p>\n
back?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine knew he was giving her a choice: continue their date\u00a0<\/p>\n
or end this awful night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took a deep breath and reached for Roderick\u2019s hand. \u201cThe\u00a0<\/p>\n
fireworks are about to start. Let\u2019s go watch.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s fingers twitched, then he gripped her hand tightly in\u00a0<\/p>\n
return.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His palm was warm and dry, enveloping Madeleine\u2019s small\u00a0<\/p>\n
hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
he said softly, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dazzling fireworks exploded overhead. Everyone looked up,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 66\u00a0<\/p>\n
smiling, their faces filled with wonder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But neither Madeleine nor Roderick was really watching them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick turned his head, his gaze landing on Madeleine.\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 66 Chapter 66\u00a0 She shoved Edward away, stumbling back two steps until […]<\/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-29329","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\/29329","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=29329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29329\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}