Chapter 154\u00a0<\/p>\n
He felt a little gratified.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kevin rarely used to ask him for anything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It seemed the therapy sessions lately were having an effect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick nodded in agreement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKirsten, help us take the picture.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten took Roderick\u2019s phone. The father and son stood\u00a0<\/p>\n
together in front of the sofa, with Kevin holding up the collage\u00a0<\/p>\n
in his hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten glanced into the camera at the man and boy, who\u00a0<\/p>\n
looked strikingly similar.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hmm\u2026 even their stern expressions were identical.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUm, sir, Kevin, how about a smile?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 154\u00a0<\/p>\n
Anyone who didn\u2019t know better would see the photo and think\u00a0<\/p>\n
something terrible had happened to their family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Kirsten\u2019s reminder, the father and son finally managed to\u00a0<\/p>\n
pull at the corners of their mouths.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten looked at the phone and grimaced.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If they don\u2019t smile, it looks like a family tragedy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If they do smile, it looks like a tragedy drove them insane.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten was out of ideas. After thinking for a moment, she said,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about this, try thinking about Chase.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That sentence was like a switch, instantly lighting up Roderick\u00a0<\/p>\n
and his son\u2019s faces with much brighter smiles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kirsten seized the opportunity and snapped the picture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGot it!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva changed her clothes and came to the dance studio,\u00a0<\/p>\n
looking around joyfully.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis mirror is huge, and there\u2019s no seam in the middle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 154\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe floor feels familiar to walk on too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels so amazing to practice dancing here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine came in behind her, a proud smile on her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re welcome to come practice at my place anytime.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva touched the barre and couldn\u2019t help but sigh, \u201cRoderick\u00a0<\/p>\n
is so good to you, Madeleine. I want to find a good man like\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick someday too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u104b\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRoderick is indeed very good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine nodded, walked in front of Minerva, her smile fading\u00a0<\/p>\n
slightly. \u201cBut it\u2019s not because I was lucky to meet him. It\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
because\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m worth it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those three words landed with a thud on the smooth wooden\u00a0<\/p>\n
floor of the dance studio, Madeleine\u2019s eyes shining with a\u00a0<\/p>\n
determined light.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She patted Minerva\u2019s shoulder. \u201cI\u2019m not bragging. I just want to\u00a0<\/p>\n
tell you that you only deserve to be loved when you become\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 154\u00a0<\/p>\n
good enough yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva was still young, after all, and didn\u2019t quite understand\u00a0<\/p>\n
what Madeleine was saying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But she could see that the Madeleine of today was different\u00a0<\/p>\n
from before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She seemed to be shimmering with a light, the light of\u00a0<\/p>\n
confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A feeling quietly welled up inside Minerva.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wanted to become a person like Madeleine too!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, little sis, let\u2019s start practicing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine took off her jacket, revealing the form\u2013fitting ballet\u00a0<\/p>\n
leotard underneath.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She walked gracefully to the barre, her long neck arching\u00a0<\/p>\n
slightly like a swan\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, the warm\u2013up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s voice suddenly became professional and steady.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFifth position, prepare.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 154\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva quickly got into position, only to see that Madeleine\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
stance was completely different from hers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s feet were in a perfect one\u2013hundred\u2013and\u2013eighty-\u00a0<\/p>\n
degree turnout, forming a straight line from heel to toe, as if\u00a0<\/p>\n
she was born to stand that way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her knees bent slowly, but her body remained perfectly straight,\u00a0<\/p>\n
like an elegant bamboo stalk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every movement was astonishingly precise, the lines of her\u00a0<\/p>\n
muscles faintly visible under her practice clothes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMake sure your knees are aligned with your toes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s voice was gentle but firm, \u201cMinerva, turn your right\u00a0<\/p>\n
foot out a little more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva bit her lip as she adjusted her position, only to see\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine had already moved on to the next exercise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Music had started playing at some point, and Madeleine\u2019s body\u00a0<\/p>\n
unfolded with the melody.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her every extension seemed endless, the lines of her arms soft\u00a0<\/p>\n
yet full of strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 154\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she slowly lifted her right leg to a ninety\u2013degree angle, her\u00a0<\/p>\n
body remained as steady as a rock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Minerva watched, completely captivated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t just a simple warm\u2013up; it was clearly a small\u00a0<\/p>\n
performance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And nobody told her Madeleine was this amazing!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine\u2026 have you really not danced in years?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because\u2026 you can\u2019t tell at all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine smiled and lowered her leg, her breathing still even.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m nowhere near as good as I used to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBallet isn\u2019t about showing off, it\u2019s about control.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She walked over to Minerva and gently straightened her\u00a0<\/p>\n
shoulders. \u201cWe\u2019ll take it slow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though she hadn\u2019t danced in years, with Madeleine\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
foundation, teaching Minerva was no problem at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They danced for two hours, and she helped Minerva correct\u00a0<\/p>\n
quite a few issues.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 154\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both of them were drenched in sweat and panting from the\u00a0<\/p>\n
dancing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, let\u2019s call it a day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine smiled and wiped her sweat. \u201cI have to go spend\u00a0<\/p>\n
time with my husband and son.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to practice a bit more to let it all sink in!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine nodded and walked towards the elevator with her\u00a0<\/p>\n
back straight.\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 154 Chapter 154\u00a0 He felt a little gratified.\u00a0 Kevin rarely used to […]<\/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-29451","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\/29451","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=29451"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29451\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}