\u201cWhat did you just say?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine shook her head, her chest feeling tight again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had almost forgotten about it, so why was she thinking of it\u00a0<\/p>\n
again?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick turned off the faucet, walked closer, and squatted\u00a0<\/p>\n
down to look Madeleine straight in the eye, his voice serious\u00a0<\/p>\n
but coaxing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? Talk to me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He could tell Madeleine was holding something back, or else\u00a0<\/p>\n
she wouldn\u2019t look so upset.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine was about to hold it back, but when he asked, she\u00a0<\/p>\n
couldn\u2019t help but let it all out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBack then, you couldn\u2019t tell if you liked me or not. Wasn\u2019t it\u00a0<\/p>\n
because you had someone else in your heart?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 226\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine pouted, feeling that ten\u2013year\u2013old jealousy, and poked\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s chest with her finger.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick looked completely baffled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What was that?\u00a0<\/p>\n
When did he ever have someone else in his heart?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on in that noggin of yours? Who\u2019s been telling\u00a0<\/p>\n
you things?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who else could there be but you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really can\u2019t remember?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine got angrier the more she spoke.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not that I can\u2019t remember, it\u2019s that it never happened.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLeona!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine put her hands on her hips and spat out the name\u00a0<\/p>\n
irritably.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s eyes showed a brief moment of confusion, then he\u00a0<\/p>\n
seemed to recall some fragments.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 226\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that the Leona from the year above us?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine immediately seized on his weak spot. \u201cSee? See? I\u00a0<\/p>\n
told you you remembered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
You\u2019re just pretending.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just a moment ago you were acting all clueless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But you even remember she was in the year above us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe name sounds a little familiar.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick said honestly. He didn\u2019t remember what she looked\u00a0<\/p>\n
like, but it seemed like Madeleine had been bullied by her back\u00a0<\/p>\n
then.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, that\u2019s not the point.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The point is, she suspects the person in his heart was Leona!\u00a0<\/p>\n
?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick laughed out of exasperation and patted Madeleine\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
little noggin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 226\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine huffily pushed his hand away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see what nonsense you\u2019ve got in there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRoderick!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick held back a laugh, and seeing she was getting a little\u00a0<\/p>\n
angry, he finally said seriously, \u201cNo more jokes. I\u2019ll explain it to\u00a0<\/p>\n
you properly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although Madeleine was angry, she still sat obediently to listen\u00a0<\/p>\n
to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was one good thing about her. Ever since she was little,\u00a0<\/p>\n
even if someone got her really mad, as long as they were willing\u00a0<\/p>\n
to talk, she could control her emotions and listen patiently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine had a fiery temper, but she wasn\u2019t the type to\u00a0<\/p>\n
explode at the slightest provocation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was never anything between me and Leona. I never liked\u00a0<\/p>\n
her, I barely even knew her. Did you hear something from\u00a0<\/p>\n
someone?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo I need to hear it from anyone? It was all over school back\u00a0<\/p>\n
then. Leona was the \u2018goddess\u2018 of the year above us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 226\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick heard the jealousy in her voice and actually chuckled\u00a0<\/p>\n
lightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tapped the tip of Madeleine\u2019s nose.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know about the year above us, I just know the goddess\u00a0<\/p>\n
of our year was you. A lot of guys were after you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHmph.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine pouted smugly but couldn\u2019t help smiling, pursing her\u00a0<\/p>\n
lips to blow a stray strand of hair from her forehead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not wrong. I was pretty popular back then. My dad was\u00a0<\/p>\n
so worried I\u2019d run off with some punk that he personally picked\u00a0<\/p>\n
me up from school every day for a while.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After saying that, she frowned strangely. \u201cHuh, it was only for a\u00a0<\/p>\n
little while, though. He stopped coming after that. Why?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick thought for a moment, then said darkly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was probably because I told your dad I\u2019d keep an eye on\u00a0<\/p>\n
you, and if you dared to date anyone, I\u2019d break your legs for\u00a0<\/p>\n
him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine: \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 226\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just listen to that!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Is that something a childhood sweetheart should say?\u00a0<\/p>\n
If that\u2019s not an arch\u2013nemesis, what is!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Knowing there was nothing between Leona and Roderick, the\u00a0<\/p>\n
heavy stone in Madeleine\u2019s heart seemed to lift away instantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She grinned broadly, her gaze falling on the water in the\u00a0<\/p>\n
bathtub.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs the water cold now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have the nerve to ask? I\u2019ll run you a new one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick showed no impatience, turning to crouch down, drain\u00a0<\/p>\n
half the cold water, and refill the tub with hot water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine propped herself up on the chair, unable to stop\u00a0<\/p>\n
smiling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An idea struck her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki, want to join me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her cheeks flushed as she spoke, \u201cAnyway, my period hasn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
really started yet\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 226\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick, of course, heard the invitation in her voice; his Adam\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
apple bobbed as he fought for control before turning back to\u00a0<\/p>\n
say:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you\u2019re already starting to feel uncomfortable. Go lie down\u00a0<\/p>\n
and rest properly after your bath.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAww.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine giggled, \u201cOkay, I\u2019ll listen to you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Once the water was ready, Roderick lifted Madeleine into the\u00a0<\/p>\n
tub before finally leaving the room.\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 ` 226 \u201cWhat did you just say?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cNothing.\u201d\u00a0 Madeleine shook her head, […]<\/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-29523","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\/29523","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=29523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29523\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}