\u201cI, Fiona, no matter how much I like someone, have always been\u00a0<\/p>\n
proud, have always had my dignity!\u00a0<\/p>\n
I would restrain myself, I would think things through, I would\u00a0<\/p>\n
stay clear\u2013headed!\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t be like this\u2026 so pathetic, so out of control, knowingly jumping into a fire pit!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice grew louder, filled with a self\u2013loathing despair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy is it that when it comes to you, I revolve around you like\u00a0<\/p>\n
an idiot, begging for a scrap of your attention like a beggar?\u00a0<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t me at all.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not supposed to be like this!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust why\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just as Fiona completely lost control and was about to collapse\u00a0<\/p>\n
to the floor-\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a soft click, the door to the hospital room was pushed\u00a0<\/p>\n
open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 334\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine watched everything in the room with cold eyes and\u00a0<\/p>\n
said indifferently:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause we\u2019re all just a means to an end.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A strong sense of empathy and sorrow welled up in Madeleine as she looked at Fiona, who was usually so radiant but was now a complete mess, painfully questioning why she wasn\u2019t herself\u00a0<\/p>\n
anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She slowly walked into the room, her voice calm, yet it landed\u00a0<\/p>\n
like a heavy stone in a turbulent lake.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHaven\u2019t you realized yet? When you\u2019re near Edward, all your emotions become involuntary, beyond your control.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur only purpose is to serve as his backdrop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe difference is, the person I originally loved was Roderick.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She paused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFiona, you\u2019ve truly fallen in love with Edward.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A deafening silence echoed in the hospital room.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward and Fiona froze, both staring in disbelief at Madeleine,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 334\u00a0<\/p>\n
who had appeared out of nowhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What did she just say?\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was like they couldn\u2019t understand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But her words were like a thread, stringing together all the\u00a0<\/p>\n
uncertain beads.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A means to an end, a foil\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
It sounded too bizarre.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona slowly turned her head, her gaze falling back on Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward was just as shocked as she was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine walked up to them, breaking the silence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know this is hard to believe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She gave a bitter smile, opening her hand to look at her fingers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter all, admitting you\u2019re actually a fictional character is no\u00a0<\/p>\n
different from hearing a ghost story, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine, what the hell are you talking about!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward\u2019s suppressed roar came out, his pupils trembling. He\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 334\u00a0<\/p>\n
was clearly flustered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine looked at Edward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She knew that Edward, influenced by his plot armor, was\u00a0<\/p>\n
sometimes a bit overconfident.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he was smart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Otherwise, he wouldn\u2019t be the main character.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So when he heard what she said, combined with his own\u00a0<\/p>\n
situation, he clearly understood what she meant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already know what I\u2019m talking about, don\u2019t you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s voice was soft, but it struck Edward\u2019s heart like a\u00a0<\/p>\n
heavy hammer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She looked into Edward\u2019s eyes, which were beginning to waver\u00a0<\/p>\n
violently, and continued her calm statement:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThink about it. Hasn\u2019t your journey been a little too smooth?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The things you seemed to get through your own ability and\u00a0<\/p>\n
charm\u2013do they really hold up to scrutiny?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave everything I had to help you get started, Fiona invested\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 334\u00a0<\/p>\n
in you against her family\u2019s wishes, and all those countless\u00a0<\/p>\n
influential patrons who just happened to appear whenever you needed them\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEdward, do you really think all of this was just a coincidence, that you were just lucky and irresistibly charming?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward\u2019s face grew paler and paler. These words were the\u00a0<\/p>\n
same as what Roderick had said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine then looked at Fiona, who was still in a state of\u00a0<\/p>\n
immense shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYour feelings for Edward, when did they start?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Weren\u2019t they abnormally intense?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even though you knew it was inappropriate and wouldn\u2019t work\u00a0<\/p>\n
out, you couldn\u2019t stop yourself from being drawn to him, even\u00a0<\/p>\n
willing to lower your standards again and again?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fiona clapped a hand over her mouth, tears welling up again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yes, those feelings had come on too abruptly, too intensely, too\u00a0<\/p>\n
unlike anything Fiona would normally feel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She had always thought she was just deeply in love, but\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 334\u00a0<\/p>\n
thinking back now, it felt more like\u2026 a predetermined program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2026\u201d Fiona\u2019s voice trembled. \u201cOur consciousness and\u00a0<\/p>\n
feelings\u2026 could they all be manipulated?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least part of them are.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine confirmed her suspicion, her gaze shifting back to\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward. It held a complex mix of emotions\u2013some sympathy,\u00a0<\/p>\n
but more calm scrutiny.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you, Edward, you are the absolute center of this story.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All the good luck and appeal might just be to ensure that you,\u00a0<\/p>\n
the main character, follow the established script toward a so-\u00a0<\/p>\n
called successful and perfect ending.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo\u2026 impossible!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edward finally found his voice, growling hoarsely as he tried to\u00a0<\/p>\n
mask his inner panic with anger, \u201cI\u2019m not some main character,\u00a0<\/p>\n
and I don\u2019t have a script.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that so?\u201d\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 ` 334 \u201cI, Fiona, no matter how much I like someone, have […]<\/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-29631","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\/29631","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=29631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29631\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}