Roderick nodded. Although his tone was cold, his reply was polite.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Owen supported Mrs. Miller, glancing at the two as he passed,\u00a0<\/p>\n
then put his focus back on Mrs. Miller.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine let out a long sigh and looked down to find\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s arm was still around her waist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He seems to be getting addicted to holding me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Feeling Roderick\u2019s warmth, Madeleine couldn\u2019t help but\u00a0<\/p>\n
remember the scene of them sleeping together last night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And that kiss\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine couldn\u2019t help but shiver, quickly breaking free from Roderick\u2019s hand and taking half a step back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick glanced at his empty right hand, said nothing, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
casually slipped it into his pocket.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust now, Mrs. Miller hadn\u2019t even said anything, and you already believed me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 77\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine tried hard to distract herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stupid brain, forget what happened last night!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick gave a calm \u201cmm\u201c.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you believe me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re my wife, why wouldn\u2019t I believe you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s answer was so natural it made Madeleine\u2019s question\u00a0<\/p>\n
seem a bit stupid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing her complicated expression, Roderick said in a low\u00a0<\/p>\n
voice, \u201cBefore you lost your memory, you did some outrageous\u00a0<\/p>\n
things, but you never went so far as to hurt others.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After saying this, Roderick paused, refuting his own words in his\u00a0<\/p>\n
mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You didn\u2019t hurt others, because the only one you ever hurt was\u00a0<\/p>\n
me\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Look at what you did to my heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot to mention you\u2019ve forgotten that part of your memory now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You have no grudge against Mrs. Miller, so why would you hurt\u00a0<\/p>\n
her for no reason? Are you that bored?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 77\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine thought this analysis made a lot of sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She asked again, \u201cI didn\u2019t hurt other people before?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo physical harm. The wounds were all emotional.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s tone became a few shades deeper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was probably recalling those bad memories, and the light in\u00a0<\/p>\n
his eyes dimmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During that time, Madeleine acted so unreasonably, breaking\u00a0<\/p>\n
the hearts of everyone around her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But she wasn\u2019t some horrible person. She didn\u2019t like being\u00a0<\/p>\n
around Kevin, but the most she ever did was lock him out of a\u00a0<\/p>\n
room. She never laid a hand on him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
C\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even with Mathew and Kirsten, her demands were difficult and\u00a0<\/p>\n
harsh, but she wouldn\u2019t really do anything if they didn\u2019t do\u00a0<\/p>\n
things her way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everything she did was because of her obsession with getting\u00a0<\/p>\n
closer to Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Madeleine listened, a few familiar feelings flickered in her\u00a0<\/p>\n
mind, but when she tried to grasp them, they slipped away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 77\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her head started to hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine swayed, unsteady on her feet, and reached out to\u00a0<\/p>\n
grab Roderick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hesitated, then asked the same question she had asked her\u00a0<\/p>\n
mother today:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past few years, have you ever felt like my soul\u2026 was\u00a0<\/p>\n
replaced by someone else\u2019s?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick frowned, confused at first, then he realized what she\u00a0<\/p>\n
was asking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He raised his hands and held both of Madeleine\u2019s arms,\u00a0<\/p>\n
bending slightly to meet her gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, he said slowly and deliberately:\u00a0<\/p>\n
C\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, you are you. You are Madeleine. That hasn\u2019t changed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was on the verge of tears, her voice trembling. \u201cBut\u00a0<\/p>\n
why did I become like that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ricki, you\u2019ve known me for so many years. You should know I\u2019m\u00a0<\/p>\n
not that cold\u2013hearted, not that stubborn.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 77\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she finished speaking, the tears she\u2019d been holding back\u00a0<\/p>\n
finally fell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His heart aching, Roderick held his breath and raised his hand,\u00a0<\/p>\n
gently wiping her tears away with his fingertips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know. Of course, I know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His tone softened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why for the past eight years, I\u2019ve hoped every day that\u00a0<\/p>\n
you would\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick choked up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What he wanted to say was that he\u2019d hoped every day you\u00a0<\/p>\n
would turn around and see me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the words that came out were: \u201cI\u2019ve hoped every day that\u00a0<\/p>\n
you would go back to the way you were.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine couldn\u2019t stop crying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So\u2026 had she really lost her memory?\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was no so\u2013called soul transmigration or soul possession.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had really just lost eight years of her memories\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 77\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine sobbed, her shoulders hitching, just like Kevin when\u00a0<\/p>\n
he cried.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTake me to the hospital, quickly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s eyes sharpened. \u201cWhere are you feeling unwell?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I want to get my brain checked again, to see how I lost my\u00a0<\/p>\n
memory.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After saying that, Madeleine\u2019s face paled, and she shook her\u00a0<\/p>\n
head like a rattle drum. \u201cNo, no, better not get it checked. What\u00a0<\/p>\n
if they find the cause and my memory comes back?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What she feared most right now was turning back into the\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine they all described, the one everyone disliked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t overthink it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick watched her tears still welling up, sighed, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
continued to wipe them away for her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s good like this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It would be best if things just stayed this way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 77\u00a0<\/p>\n
No accidents, no changes. Madeleine was still the 18\u2013year\u2013old\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine. That was good.\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 77 Roderick nodded. Although his tone was cold, his reply was polite.\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-29348","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\/29348","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=29348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29348\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}