Chapter 211\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air conditioning in the luxury store was blasting, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine unconsciously rubbed her arms as soon as she\u00a0<\/p>\n
walked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca rolled her eyes and tossed her the light jacket that was\u00a0<\/p>\n
draped over her arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine grinned as she wrapped the jacket around herself\u00a0<\/p>\n
and walked right over to Fiona.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona turned her head and was a little surprised to see\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine, and even more surprised when she saw her walking\u00a0<\/p>\n
straight towards her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine\u2026?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After her surprised utterance, Fiona realized it was\u00a0<\/p>\n
inappropriate and quickly corrected herself, \u201cMrs. Livingston,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust call me Madeleine. I don\u2019t like being called Mrs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Livingston.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine shrugged, her fingers rubbing the cuff of her jacket.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 211\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona looked at her in surprise. \u201cYou don\u2019t like being called Mrs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Livingston?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aren\u2019t you on great terms with Mr. Livingston now? Why don\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
you like it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUs having a good relationship and me not liking that title aren\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
mutually exclusive, are they?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona was even more confused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the circle of wealthy wives, so many women were proud to\u00a0<\/p>\n
take their husband\u2019s name.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI am my own person, not someone\u2019s wife or someone\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
mother. I want people to know me for me. It\u2019s as simple as\u00a0<\/p>\n
that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona\u2019s mouth fell slightly open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sometimes she felt that Madeleine was so naive she didn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
seem like an adult.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But that naivety was exactly what she was missing now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona nodded and said her name. \u201cAre you guys here to shop\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 211\u00a0<\/p>\n
for clothes too?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess so.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine said, her gaze falling on the VIP fitting room that\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary had just entered not far away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s a piece of advice: stay away from Mary.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona\u2019s mind hadn\u2019t, caught up yet; she was still thinking about\u00a0<\/p>\n
what Madeleine had just said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When she snapped out of it, she looked up at Madeleine, her\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would you say that? Do you two know each other?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do more than just know each other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine sneered. \u201cDoes she often check in on you,\u00a0<\/p>\n
pretending to be your friend?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona nodded blankly. \u201cYeah, actually, I haven\u2019t known her for\u00a0<\/p>\n
that long.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s always following you around, eating and drinking without\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 211\u00a0<\/p>\n
ever paying, and she subtly and not\u2013so\u2013subtly gets you to buy\u00a0<\/p>\n
her things.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona nodded again, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t that much money\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was speechless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the most important part.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She narrowed her eyes slightly, \u201cShe often talked to you about\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward, telling you every now and then how great he was, how\u00a0<\/p>\n
perfect you two were for each other, and after every time, you\u00a0<\/p>\n
felt like you liked Edward even more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The color drained from Fiona\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her manicured fingers unconsciously gripped the armrest, her\u00a0<\/p>\n
knuckles turning white.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s words were like a sharp knife, precisely dissecting\u00a0<\/p>\n
everything that had felt wrong to her lately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could you know\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona\u2019s voice trembled a little, \u201cThese things\u2026 I\u2019ve never told\u00a0<\/p>\n
anyone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s gaze fell on Fiona\u2019s trembling eyelashes, and she\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 211\u00a0<\/p>\n
said softly, \u201cBecause she used to do the same thing to me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary\u2019s exaggerated laughter came from the direction of the\u00a0<\/p>\n
fitting rooms, but to Fiona, the sound seemed to become very\u00a0<\/p>\n
distant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Countless fragments flashed through her mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mary was always in her ear, telling her how outstanding Edward\u00a0<\/p>\n
was, how perfect they were for each other, and that Fiona\u00a0<\/p>\n
should be more proactive\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you noticed?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s voice was soft, but every word was clear, \u201cThat\u00a0<\/p>\n
after every time you meet with her, your \u2018liking\u2018 for Edward gets\u00a0<\/p>\n
even stronger?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona snapped her head up, her pupils constricting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She remembered having afternoon tea with Mary last week,\u00a0<\/p>\n
when Mary mentioned out of nowhere that Edward liked the\u00a0<\/p>\n
gentle, domestic type, and that very night, on some strange impulse, she had signed up for a flower arrangement class.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes\u2026 This, this isn\u2019t normal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 211\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona\u2019s voice was barely audible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course it\u2019s not normal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what\u2019s the reason!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona nervously grabbed Madeleine\u2019s hand, her eyes filled with\u00a0<\/p>\n
agitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve already hinted at the reason to you. I can\u2019t say it plainly,\u00a0<\/p>\n
you\u2019ll have to figure it out for yourself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had already done all she could by telling her this much.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona\u2019s hand slowly loosened, her fingertips still trembling\u00a0<\/p>\n
slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked down at her meticulously manicured nails and\u00a0<\/p>\n
thought how ridiculously fake it all was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took a deep breath, her gaze clearing. \u201cThank you,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine shrugged, looking relaxed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to Rebecca and asked, \u201cRebecca, do you still want\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 211\u00a0<\/p>\n
to look at the clothes here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I don\u2019t want any clothes that someone like that has tried\u00a0<\/p>\n
on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHehe, then let\u2019s go to another store. I\u2019ll buy them for you!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright, Madeleine, your company hasn\u2019t even launched and\u00a0<\/p>\n
you\u2019re already acting like a big shot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two of them were already leaving arm in arm, laughing as\u00a0<\/p>\n
they spoke.\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 ` 211 Chapter 211\u00a0 The air conditioning in the luxury store was […]<\/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-29508","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\/29508","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=29508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29508\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}