Madeleine was a little speechless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re the one who stopped mid\u2013sentence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can tell you, but you\u2019ll have to wait three months.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThree months?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona narrowed her eyes slightly, pondering for a few seconds\u00a0<\/p>\n
before speaking: \u201cThree months. I want you to get back to your\u00a0<\/p>\n
old level, so we can have a good, fair competition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a moment, Madeleine thought she must have misheard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She shows up out of nowhere, says all this, and brings up the\u00a0<\/p>\n
past, all just to compete with me?\u00a0<\/p>\n
But when she looked up and met Leona\u2019s earnest gaze\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, it wasn\u2019t just earnestness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was an almost paranoid obsession, a pride that refused to be\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 266\u00a0<\/p>\n
buried by time and misunderstanding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even\u2026 there was an imperceptible, clumsy\u2026 attempt to save\u00a0<\/p>\n
her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a flash, Madeleine suddenly understood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona wasn\u2019t trying to humiliate her at all, nor was she simply\u00a0<\/p>\n
trying to settle old scores.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was using the most extreme method, the one most in line\u00a0<\/p>\n
with her personality, to force her to come back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Forcing her to pick up the passion and glory she had \u201cthrown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What she couldn\u2019t stand was perhaps not just Madeleine\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
decline in skill, but her apparent attitude of \u201cgiving up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Leona\u2019s black\u2013and\u2013white world, someone who once stood\u00a0<\/p>\n
beside her shouldn\u2019t be indulging in ordinary \u201ccomfort,\u201d even if\u00a0<\/p>\n
that comfort hid Madeleine\u2019s unspeakable pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t understand any of that; she only recognized the\u00a0<\/p>\n
stage and strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, she chose the most direct method: a challenge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 266\u00a0<\/p>\n
Using an undeniable \u201cthree\u2013month pact,\u201d a peak that had to be\u00a0<\/p>\n
climbed, to forcibly pull Madeleine back onto the track she\u00a0<\/p>\n
believed Madeleine was destined to be on.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She wasn\u2019t pushing Madeleine away; she was using all her\u00a0<\/p>\n
strength to pull back that former rival\u2013and perhaps the only\u00a0<\/p>\n
person who could understand her extreme pursuit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor three months, I\u2019ve taken a leave from the dance troupe. I\u2019ll\u00a0<\/p>\n
coach your training.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona took a step forward, her gaze fixed directly on\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine. \u201cDo you dare?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That \u201cDo you dare?\u201d wasn\u2019t just a simple provocation. To\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s ears, it held a different meaning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hidden within it was Leona\u2019s brand of concern, her\u00a0<\/p>\n
unwillingness to accept defeat, and her almost harsh belief in\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cperfection\u201d and \u201cpurity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The stuffiness and embarrassment in Madeleine\u2019s chest, born\u00a0<\/p>\n
from the harsh criticism, suddenly dissipated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In its place was a complex emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was bitterness, a sense of realization, and a faint warmth\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 266\u00a0<\/p>\n
from being so intensely \u201cneeded\u201d and \u201caffirmed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked at Leona. This woman before her, with her still\u2013cold\u00a0<\/p>\n
and sharp features, seemed to have something more to her\u00a0<\/p>\n
than the girl from her memories who only knew competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine didn\u2019t immediately answer \u201cI dare\u201d or \u201cI don\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She just tilted her head slightly, her gaze carefully tracing\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona\u2019s tightly pressed lips and stubborn eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She suddenly let out a very soft sigh, her tone carrying a\u00a0<\/p>\n
knowing helplessness and a hint of imperceptible emotion:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLeona.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said her name, her voice calm. \u201cGoing around in such a\u00a0<\/p>\n
huge circle\u2026 if you wanted to help me get back on my feet,\u00a0<\/p>\n
couldn\u2019t you have just said so?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona stiffened almost imperceptibly, her eyes flickering as if\u00a0<\/p>\n
she wanted to argue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But in the end, she just looked away, her jaw tightening, a faint\u00a0<\/p>\n
blush creeping up behind her ears, her voice even harsher:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t flatter yourself. Who wants to help you?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 266\u00a0<\/p>\n
I just want a chance for a fair fight, to clear my name!\u00a0<\/p>\n
She frowned impatiently.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018Cut the crap. Just tell me, are you going to accept or not?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her defensive reaction only confirmed what Madeleine\u00a0<\/p>\n
suspected.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine looked at her fierce but fragile act, found it rather\u00a0<\/p>\n
amusing, and the last bit of her resentment vanished.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She even felt a little mischievous, deliberately drawing out her\u00a0<\/p>\n
words:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOhhh\u2013so that\u2019s how it is.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just for your own sake\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona whipped her head back around to glare at her, her tone sharp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine finally couldn\u2019t help it and smiled, her eyes crinkling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 266\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took a step forward, closing the distance to Leona and\u00a0<\/p>\n
extending her right hand, her smile shedding its earlier\u00a0<\/p>\n
confusion and self\u2013mockery to become bright and determined,\u00a0<\/p>\n
shining with a rekindled fighting spirit:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I accept your challenge.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine said clearly, her gaze burning, \u201cI will take back what I\u00a0<\/p>\n
lost with my own two hands.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCoach Harmon,\u201d she paused, a challenging glint in her smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be in your care for the next three months.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t go crying when you lose.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona looked at the hand offered to her, then at the long-\u00a0<\/p>\n
unseen, vibrant, and sharp smile on Madeleine\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She froze for a moment, as if seeing the shadow of the girl from years ago who was always competing with her in the\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 ` 266 Madeleine was a little speechless.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re the one who stopped […]<\/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-29563","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\/29563","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=29563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29563\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}