His Adam\u2019s apple bobbed, but he just reached out to tuck her in,\u00a0<\/p>\n
his tone calm. \u201cIt\u2019s late, you should be sleeping.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Madeleine wouldn\u2019t have it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no early meeting tomorrow, we can go in a bit later.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s talk for a while.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s eyebrow arched. He thought the kid was acting a\u00a0<\/p>\n
little strange tonight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ever since she dropped Bradley off, she seemed to have gotten\u00a0<\/p>\n
especially clingy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to talk to me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMhm.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine nodded. \u201cTalk about the past, or the future?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Anything is fine, really.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick was kneeling on the bed with one leg, propped up by\u00a0<\/p>\n
one hand, an uncomfortable position.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 105\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked at his own posture. \u201cWell, I can\u2019t exactly talk to you\u00a0<\/p>\n
like this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without a second thought, Madeleine patted the space beside\u00a0<\/p>\n
her. \u201cThen get in bed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After she said that, Madeleine noticed the surprise in Roderick\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes, followed by a flicker of joy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the one who said it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick said it quickly, giving Madeleine no chance to back\u00a0<\/p>\n
out, and immediately threw back the covers and got into bed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine jolted and sat up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not what I meant! You, don\u2019t get the wrong idea. We\u2019re\u00a0<\/p>\n
just going to talk under the covers, you get it? Just talking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I get it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick put his hands behind his head, looking completely at\u00a0<\/p>\n
ease.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t do anything to you unless you give me the green light.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With those words, Madeleine\u2019s tense body finally relaxed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 105\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t really know what was wrong with her tonight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Knowing what Roderick had done for her over the past few\u00a0<\/p>\n
years, she felt not only moved, but also a little lost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She instinctively wanted to get closer to him, but she didn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
know how to express this overwhelming emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She slowly lay back down, turning on her side to face Roderick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Only a warm, yellow bedside lamp was on in the bedroom, its\u00a0<\/p>\n
soft light outlining his sharp features.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki, do you have a membership at a beauty salon or\u00a0<\/p>\n
something?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s mouth twitched.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This was the \u201ctalk\u201d she\u2019d lured him into bed for?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He spat out the word through gritted teeth, glancing at her\u00a0<\/p>\n
small face, completely speechless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine rested her head on her arm. \u201cHey, then how come\u00a0<\/p>\n
you\u2019re better looking than when you were a kid? You really\u00a0<\/p>\n
haven\u2019t had any work done?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 105\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. It\u2019s just beauty in the eye of the beholder.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick said smugly, and lay down too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was very close to Madeleine, but he didn\u2019t turn to look at\u00a0<\/p>\n
her. He stared straight at the ceiling, suppressing his body\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
most primal desires and impulses.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTch, you\u2019re not my lover.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMhm, I\u2019m your husband.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t be bothered to argue with him; he\u2019d always been a\u00a0<\/p>\n
smooth talker, and Madeleine knew she probably couldn\u2019t win.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sighed and said quietly, \u201cFor a few days after I lost my\u00a0<\/p>\n
memory, I thought you\u2019d really grown up and changed. But you\u00a0<\/p>\n
haven\u2019t changed much, Ricki. You\u2019re just like you were when we\u00a0<\/p>\n
were kids.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow am I the same?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as childish, and just as annoying.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick chuckled. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t seem like you hate me that\u00a0<\/p>\n
much anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 105\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s \u201cReally?\u201d lacked conviction. Roderick was right; she\u00a0<\/p>\n
didn\u2019t really hate him that much anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In fact, whenever she was with him, a strange sense of security\u00a0<\/p>\n
would wash over her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRoderick, why did we get married?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor love, of course.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWere we really in love?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick stared at the ceiling, his eyes deep and dark, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
answered in a hoarse voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMm.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine let out a soft \u201cah\u201d and scratched her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what now? I\u2019ve forgotten everything. Even if I really did like you, or love you, that\u2019s all in the past.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick turned his head to look at her. \u201cWhat are you afraid of?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had plenty of ways to make Madeleine fall in love with him\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 105\u00a0<\/p>\n
again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not that I\u2019m afraid, I\u2019m just worried. If I never remember our\u00a0<\/p>\n
past, what will you do?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air was quiet for a few seconds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we\u2019ll make new memories.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice was soft, but firm. \u201cDay by day, year by year, until the\u00a0<\/p>\n
new memories outnumber the old.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air grew still again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, that\u2019s not right.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There seemed to be the sound of a heartbeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine lay on her side, staring at Roderick, her heart feeling\u00a0<\/p>\n
like it was about to leap out of her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She felt like she should take back what she\u2019d said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who said Ricki hadn\u2019t changed?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The troublemaking brat who used to love messing with him was\u00a0<\/p>\n
never this smooth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 105\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words weren\u2019t overly sentimental or exaggerated, but they\u00a0<\/p>\n
were enough to make her entire heart melt completely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine murmured, her voice soft and gentle.\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 105 His Adam\u2019s apple bobbed, but he just reached out to tuck […]<\/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-29402","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\/29402","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=29402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29402\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}