She was wearing soft loungewear, her hair was a bit messy, and\u00a0<\/p>\n
there were faint dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn\u2019t\u00a0<\/p>\n
slept well either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCharlotte.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley\u2019s throat was terribly dry, the words felt like they\u2019d been\u00a0<\/p>\n
scraped with sandpaper, stuck in his throat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked at her, the swirling emotions in his startlingly bright\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes almost threatening to drown a person.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the end, he just asked in a low voice, his tone one of extreme\u00a0<\/p>\n
exhaustion, even a hint of weakness:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAren\u2019t you going to invite me in to sit down?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or\u2026 get me a glass of water.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He really looked like he was about to collapse. His face was\u00a0<\/p>\n
pale, and his lips were a bit dry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was as if all his strength had been drained, and he was\u00a0<\/p>\n
running on willpower alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 284\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlotte was struck by this unprecedentedly vulnerable side of\u00a0<\/p>\n
him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All her questions and the slight hurt from being ignored by him\u00a0<\/p>\n
earlier were instantly replaced by worry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She quickly stepped aside to clear the doorway. \u201cCome in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley followed her into the apartment, his steps unsteady.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room wasn\u2019t large, a standard studio apartment layout. It\u00a0<\/p>\n
was neat but felt a bit cold, as if the owner didn\u2019t plan on\u00a0<\/p>\n
staying long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlotte closed the door and turned to get him some water,\u00a0<\/p>\n
but she didn\u2019t expect Bradley to be right behind her, extremely\u00a0<\/p>\n
close.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The moment she turned, she almost bumped right into his\u00a0<\/p>\n
chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2026\u201d Charlotte looked up, wanting to ask him why he had\u00a0<\/p>\n
suddenly shown up here, and in such a state.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But before the words could leave her mouth, it was as if Bradley\u00a0<\/p>\n
had finally used up his last ounce of strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n
!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 284\u00a0<\/p>\n
His body swayed, he stumbled, and his whole body sagged\u00a0<\/p>\n
forward, his forehead resting heavily on her shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley\u2019s weight pressed down on her unexpectedly, carrying\u00a0<\/p>\n
the dampness of sweat and a burning heat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The weight made Charlotte stagger back a step, and she\u00a0<\/p>\n
instinctively reached out to steady his waist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She felt his lean muscles, now completely relaxed, under his\u00a0<\/p>\n
tight, sweat\u2013dampened shirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBradley?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlotte jumped, her voice changing pitch, \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with\u00a0<\/p>\n
you?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t scare me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man leaning on her shoulder let out a very soft, very tired\u00a0<\/p>\n
whimper, with an almost imperceptible hint of grievance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCharlotte\u2026 my heart feels a little weird.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour heart?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 284\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m calling an ambulance right now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley reached out and hugged her, his arms tightening a little.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice was muffled in the crook of her neck, the heat of his\u00a0<\/p>\n
breath warming her skin. \u201cI just didn\u2019t sleep all night, then\u00a0<\/p>\n
climbed twelve floors, and did a round of CPR\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He paused, as if gathering his strength, then complained in a\u00a0<\/p>\n
weak tone that was both whiny and self\u2013righteously indignant:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy heart\u2019s beating so fast, it\u2019s uncomfortable, and I\u2019m dead\u00a0<\/p>\n
tired.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPulling an all\u2013nighter, plus intense exercise and emotional\u00a0<\/p>\n
stress\u2026 Charlotte, it feels like an easy way to just drop dead.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said that last part almost against her ear, his voice a faint,\u00a0<\/p>\n
breathy whisper, full of a touching vulnerability.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlotte\u2019s body instantly went rigid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His hot breath was on the side of her neck, the strength of his\u00a0<\/p>\n
arm trapping her waist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man was leaning almost his entire body against her,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 284\u00a0<\/p>\n
radiating heat and the faint smell of sweat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t unpleasant. It mixed with his unique scent, something\u00a0<\/p>\n
like antiseptic and crisp cedar, creating an aggressive,\u00a0<\/p>\n
masculine aura that completely enveloped her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlotte\u2019s heart inexplicably skipped a beat at his mention of \u201csudden death,\u201d her hands feeling the heat from his firm waist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was torn between pushing him away and not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet up first. Go sit on the sofa, I\u2019ll get you some water.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlotte tried to turn her head to avoid his scorching breath,\u00a0<\/p>\n
using a bit of strength to push him away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley didn\u2019t let go. He pushed his luck, burying his head even deeper, the tips of his hair brushing against the sensitive skin of\u00a0<\/p>\n
her neck, sending a faint shiver through her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He let out a muffled, dissatisfied mumble, full of grievance and\u00a0<\/p>\n
exhaustion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no energy\u2026 I can\u2019t move.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bradley\u2019s voice was muffled and hoarse, \u201cCharlotte, just let me\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 284\u00a0<\/p>\n
lean on you for a bit, just a little while\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing him say her name in that low, raspy voice made\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlotte\u2019s heart tremble, and the hand that was, about to push\u00a0<\/p>\n
him away suddenly lost its strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had never seen Bradley like this before.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He seemed so vulnerable, and even a little\u2026 shameless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But his earlier comment about \u201csudden death\u201d still had her on\u00a0<\/p>\n
edge, and she didn\u2019t have the heart to really push him away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He really did look completely exhausted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 285\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 ` 284 She was wearing soft loungewear, her hair was a bit […]<\/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-29581","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\/29581","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=29581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29581\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}