\u201cWhat is there to apologize for?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked up, her brow furrowed, \u201cWhat they said was\u00a0<\/p>\n
really nasty.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian pondered for a few seconds, then leaned down slightly\u00a0<\/p>\n
to bring his gaze level with Rebecca\u2019s, looking seriously into her\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re gossiping because we\u2019ve broken some kind of\u00a0<\/p>\n
convention they understand. In their eyes, a powerful female\u00a0<\/p>\n
entrepreneur should be with an equally prominent partner in a\u00a0<\/p>\n
strategic marriage, or a househusband willing to stay in the background. And I happen to be neither.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked down, holding Rebecca\u2019s hands with both of his.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSo they\u2019ll be confused, they\u2019ll speculate, and they\u2019ll use their\u00a0<\/p>\n
limited imaginations to label our relationship in all sorts of\u00a0<\/p>\n
ways.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Adrian spoke, he suddenly chuckled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBut what does that have to do with us?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 310\u00a0<\/p>\n
He gently squeezed her fingers, the corners of his mouth\u00a0<\/p>\n
curving into a gentle smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know why I\u2019m standing here\u2013it\u2019s because of you. You know\u00a0<\/p>\n
why you brought me here\u2013it\u2019s because of me. We both know\u00a0<\/p>\n
each other\u2019s value, and that\u2019s what\u2019s most important. The noise\u00a0<\/p>\n
from others, just filter it out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca looked at him, meeting the unwavering certainty in his\u00a0<\/p>\n
eyes, and the restlessness and guilt in her heart slowly\u00a0<\/p>\n
subsided.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In its place was a more solid warmth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s right, why should she care so much about what other\u00a0<\/p>\n
people think?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca stared at Adrian for a moment, then suddenly tilted\u00a0<\/p>\n
her head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cProfessor Shaw, there\u2019s a kind of magic in the way you speak.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian was caught off guard by her sudden change of topic and\u00a0<\/p>\n
didn\u2019t understand what she meant for a moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 310\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca pulled her hand away and wrapped her arm around\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you\u2019d be a great teacher. If you were my teacher, I\u2019m\u00a0<\/p>\n
sure I\u2019d do better on my exams because\u2026 I can understand\u00a0<\/p>\n
everything you say.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t a confession of love, but those words were sweeter\u00a0<\/p>\n
than any declaration of love.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Staring at her slightly upturned face, Adrian saw his own\u00a0<\/p>\n
reflection in her eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The calm and restraint he always relied on suddenly failed him\u00a0<\/p>\n
in that moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the distance was the noisy chatter of guests.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before him was his entire world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The world around them seemed to fall silent for a moment as\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian lowered his head, his warm lips precisely covering hers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An unexpected, yet tender and lingering kiss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It instantly made Rebecca\u2019s heart flutter, and her body\u00a0<\/p>\n
softened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 310\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian was too tall. She had worn low\u2013heeled shoes for\u00a0<\/p>\n
socializing today, so now, to find a comfortable angle, she had\u00a0<\/p>\n
to stand on her tiptoes as much as she could.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suddenly, someone approached.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMiss Whitman\u2026 oh, I\u2019m so sorry!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca quickly pulled back, her cheeks flushing a visible\u00a0<\/p>\n
shade of red.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Turning her head, she saw it was a waiter and could only\u00a0<\/p>\n
awkwardly call out to him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The waiter\u2019s face turned red too, and he glanced curiously at\u00a0<\/p>\n
the man beside her, who looked as calm as if nothing had\u00a0<\/p>\n
happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis\u2026 someone just dropped this off and said it had to be\u00a0<\/p>\n
given to Miss Whitman.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca took it. It was a cardboard box, and she couldn\u2019t tell\u00a0<\/p>\n
what was inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho brought this over?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 310\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know. The security guard at the entrance took it. The\u00a0<\/p>\n
person didn\u2019t have an invitation, so they couldn\u2019t come in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca nodded, \u201cOkay, thank you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the waiter left, Rebecca turned and placed the cardboard\u00a0<\/p>\n
box on the table behind her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She untied the ribbon on top. The moment she opened the box,\u00a0<\/p>\n
a faint, musty smell, characteristic of old paper, mixed with a\u00a0<\/p>\n
barely\u2013there hint of mildew, wafted out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was nothing horrifying in the box, just a slightly worn\u00a0<\/p>\n
hardcover notebook and a bundle of letters carefully tied with a\u00a0<\/p>\n
ribbon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On the envelope, five words were written in a scrawled, forceful\u00a0<\/p>\n
script.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For Rebecca\u2019s eyes only.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like a sudden clap of thunder, it shattered Rebecca\u2019s\u00a0<\/p>\n
memories,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Leo\u2019s handwriting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 310\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, the person who just delivered this\u2026 was his sister?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca practically held her breath, her fingertips trembling\u00a0<\/p>\n
almost imperceptibly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Beside her, Adrian took in the change in her expression.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t look to see what was in the box, but walked over\u00a0<\/p>\n
worriedly and placed a hand on her shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s nothing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca took a deep breath and closed the lid.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t want to open these in front of Adrian.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAdrian, I want to find a place to rest for a bit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Adrian thought for a moment and said, \u201cI\u2019ll go ask if there\u2019s a\u00a0<\/p>\n
lounge here. I can take you there, okay?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMhm.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing Adrian about to leave, she suddenly grabbed his arm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 310\u00a0<\/p>\n
again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 311\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 311\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 ` 310 \u201cWhat is there to apologize for?\u201d\u00a0 Rebecca looked up, her […]<\/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-29607","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\/29607","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=29607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29607\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}