With that thought, Madeleine squatted down, cupped her chin\u00a0<\/p>\n
with one hand, and asked Kevin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaddie, are you and Aunt Rebecca good friends?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin nodded, \u201cAunt Rebecca is Dad\u2019s good friend. Dad says\u00a0<\/p>\n
she\u2019s someone you can trust.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hiss\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine narrowed her eyes, thought for a moment, and asked\u00a0<\/p>\n
again, \u201cThen what about Aunt Rebecca\u2019s relationship with\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mommy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUh?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The little guy was stumped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her relationship with Mommy?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why is she asking me?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 80\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was just a kid, after all. Since she asked, he answered\u00a0<\/p>\n
obediently:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: Just as I thought.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin continued, \u201cAunt Rebecca and Mommy both hate each\u00a0<\/p>\n
other. Dad said you two\u2026 your star signs don\u2019t match or\u00a0<\/p>\n
something.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur star signs don\u2019t match.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s lips twitched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy, don\u2019t be mad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin suddenly came over and took Madeleine\u2019s hand, \u201cI like\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aunt Rebecca, but I love Mommy the most. No matter what\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mommy becomes, I\u2019ll always love you the most.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
adeleine was amused and tapped the little guy\u2019s nose with\u00a0<\/p>\n
her index finger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKev, who taught you that? You\u2019re so young and you already\u00a0<\/p>\n
know how to say such sweet things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDaddy!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 80\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daddy said it. He loves Mommy no matter what she becomes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick?\u00a0<\/p>\n
He actually thinks that way\u2026?\u00a0<\/p>\n
He just said that I\u2019ve always been Madeleine, that I\u2019ve never changed. That means, even though I was so wicked for the past\u00a0<\/p>\n
eight years, he could still put up with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isn\u2019t he a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s train of thought jumped so fast it amused her. She\u00a0<\/p>\n
chuckled, and then it hit her\u2013she realized something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick likes her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
nd he likes her a lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In that instant, Madeleine\u2019s heart seemed to skip half a beat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She subconsciously turned her head, her gaze passing through\u00a0<\/p>\n
the several Welcoming Pine Trees in the courtyard, then\u00a0<\/p>\n
through the carved glass window, landing on Roderick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As if by telepathy, Roderick, who had been focused on his\u00a0<\/p>\n
conversation, suddenly glanced over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 80\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their eyes met, and a hint of a smile appeared in Roderick\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine quickly looked away, but it was like a stone tossed\u00a0<\/p>\n
into a calm lake, the ripples spreading out layer by layer, as if\u00a0<\/p>\n
plucking at her heartstrings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yes, Roderick likes her. She finally realized it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that can\u2019t be right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick, it\u2019s Roderick!\u00a0<\/p>\n
How could he possibly like her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick had seen her at her most embarrassing, her ugliest,\u00a0<\/p>\n
her worst.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two of them bickered the moment they met, never a kind\u00a0<\/p>\n
word passing between their lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Roderick to like her\u2026 uh, well, he has good taste!\u00a0<\/p>\n
It only took Madeleine 0.01 seconds to accept this fact. After\u00a0<\/p>\n
all, for the past eighteen years, she had always thought\u00a0<\/p>\n
everyone loved her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What about her?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 80\u00a0<\/p>\n
Does she like Roderick?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was stumped by her own question, turning her head\u00a0<\/p>\n
to sigh at the chubby Koi Carp in the pond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy, why are you sighing?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm\u2026 I feel a little sorry for the Koi Carp.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry for them?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t you think they look hungry?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin glanced at the chubby fish again and nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yep, if Mommy said they\u2019re hungry, they must be hungry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He ran over to get the fish food. \u201cMommy, here you go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine took it with a smile, tossing the food into the pond\u00a0<\/p>\n
listlessly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she tossed, she counted in her head-\u00a0<\/p>\n
Loves Roderick?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Loves Roderick not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Loves Roderick?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 80\u00a0<\/p>\n
Loves Roderick not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As she kept tossing, Madeleine\u2019s mind drifted back to the text\u00a0<\/p>\n
message from that morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wait a minute.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Ricki liked me, why was he still playing nice with other\u00a0<\/p>\n
women?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Was it because my past self from a few years ago liked Edward,\u00a0<\/p>\n
so he moved on too?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Based on what she knew of Ricki, that was definitely something\u00a0<\/p>\n
he would do.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ricki was famous for hating to lose!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back in elementary school, their little group of brats insisted on\u00a0<\/p>\n
having a spicy food eating contest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She tricked Roderick, claiming a mild pepper was a hundred\u00a0<\/p>\n
times spicier than the real ones, and then ate the whole thing in\u00a0<\/p>\n
front of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s eyes went wide, and refusing to be beaten, he\u00a0<\/p>\n
grabbed a handful of the real spicy chilis and stuffed them in\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 80\u00a0<\/p>\n
his mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t handle spicy food to begin with, but he had to act tough. In the end, he was drooling and sweating, hissing and panting that he\u2019d go home, practice, and definitely win next\u00a0<\/p>\n
time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few days later, Roderick ended up in the hospital with a stomachache. When Clarissa heard about it, she immediately knew Madeleine was behind the mischief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine felt wronged too. All that kid had to do was admit defeat. Did he really have to eat himself into the hospital?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Looking back now, yeah, he really did.\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 80 With that thought, Madeleine squatted down, cupped her chin\u00a0 with one […]<\/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-29377","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\/29377","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=29377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29377\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}