A faint trace of relief and gratification, one she herself didn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
even notice, flickered deep in her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was quickly replaced by her familiar competitiveness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She reached out and gripped Madeleine\u2019s hand tightly, so hard\u00a0<\/p>\n
it almost hurt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s see if you can even keep up with my training intensity\u00a0<\/p>\n
before you talk big.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona snorted, but the corner of her mouth uncontrollably\u00a0<\/p>\n
curved up into a tiny smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After Madeleine left, Leona let out a long sigh and leaned\u00a0<\/p>\n
against the window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She took out her phone and called her teacher.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKatherine Hill, she agreed. I\u2019d like you to send me the hellish\u00a0<\/p>\n
training plan you designed back then.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 267\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I\u2019ll be training her specially for three months.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot good enough?\u00a0<\/p>\n
No, you don\u2019t have to worry about that. She just danced for me,\u00a0<\/p>\n
and I have to admit\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona took a deep breath. \u201cShe\u2019s an incredibly talented dancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even after not dancing for a few years, and even having a child,\u00a0<\/p>\n
her skill level is far beyond that of a professional dancer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona thought to herself with a bitter smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s even better than many people in our dance troupe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Katherine on the other end of the line was clearly surprised, her\u00a0<\/p>\n
voice rising slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBetter than many people in our troupe?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona, that\u2019s quite a statement\u2026 She\u2019s been out of practice for\u00a0<\/p>\n
years, and she\u2019s had a child. Her physical condition, her muscle\u00a0<\/p>\n
strength, how could that be possible\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Katherine was a titan in the country\u2019s ballet world, famous for her sharp eye and strict standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona, whom she had personally trained, was already a\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 267\u00a0<\/p>\n
standout among the younger generation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For her to give an assessment that someone was better than many in the troupe was simply unbelievable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona gazed out the window, the image of Madeleine\u2019s recent movements\u2013unpracticed yet undeniably graceful\u2013appearing\u00a0<\/p>\n
before her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Especially that fleeting, unique lightness that was all her own.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her tone was certain, even carrying a subtle pride she herself didn\u2019t notice, as if sharing in the honor:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKatherine, I saw it with my own eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her muscle memory and physical foundation are astonishingly good, and her flexibility is coming back quickly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMost importantly\u2026 that sense for the music and the charm of her movements, it\u2019s etched into her bones. It can\u2019t be lost.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just that her strength and stability are much weaker now, and her technique is rusty. She needs systematic, hellish\u00a0<\/p>\n
training to get it back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Katherine was silent for a long while after hearing this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 267\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she\u2019s the demon that\u2019s been weighing on your heart all\u00a0<\/p>\n
these years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona was a bit embarrassed, looking down and smiling sheepishly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBack then, when she suddenly withdrew from the competition,\u00a0<\/p>\n
I moved up as the runner\u2013up to represent the city in the\u00a0<\/p>\n
nationals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice grew heavy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone said that award should have been hers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If she hadn\u2019t withdrawn, if she hadn\u2019t had that breakdown\u2026 my win wasn\u2019t honorable. It was like I just picked up what she didn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
want.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sky outside gradually darkened, and the glass reflected\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona\u2019s slightly furrowed brow and complex expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLater, nasty rumors started spreading. Even without any proof,\u00a0<\/p>\n
that talk never really died down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe better I danced, the more awards I won, the more people\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 267\u00a0<\/p>\n
would bring her up, bring up that victory that \u2018should have been\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s\u2018.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona\u2019s fingers unconsciously picked at the window frame.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKatherine, you know?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even before every competition, people would look at me with\u00a0<\/p>\n
that \u2018what a shame about Madeleine\u2018 look, as if my very\u00a0<\/p>\n
existence was a waste and a stain on her talent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice was filled with years of pent\u2013up frustration and\u00a0<\/p>\n
indignation, but more than that, a sense of powerlessness from\u00a0<\/p>\n
being unable to prove herself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI practiced like crazy, worked myself to death. I wanted to\u00a0<\/p>\n
prove I could make it on my own. I wanted to dance so well that\u00a0<\/p>\n
everyone would shut up and admit I was the best\u2026 but.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leona gave a bitter smile. \u201cAs long as she wasn\u2019t dancing\u00a0<\/p>\n
anymore, as long as she was gone from this field, I could never truly escape that \u2018what if\u2018.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat \u2018If Madeleine were still here, would Leona even have a\u00a0<\/p>\n
chance?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat hypothetical is like a thorn stuck deep in my heart. It\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 267\u00a0<\/p>\n
become my inner demon.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t just want to win. I want to beat her. Beat her fair and square, just once, when she\u2019s at her absolute best.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or\u2026 even if I lose, I want it to be a clear\u2013cut loss!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Katherine hummed in understanding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew Leona\u2019s way of thinking was a bit extreme, at least in\u00a0<\/p>\n
the eyes of an ordinary person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a dance fanatic like Leona, an obsession like this could trap\u00a0<\/p>\n
her for a lifetime.\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 ` 267 A faint trace of relief and gratification, one she herself […]<\/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-29564","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\/29564","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=29564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29564\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}