Chapter 342\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 342\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the empty garage, there was nothing but the sound of their\u00a0<\/p>\n
ragged breaths and soft, intimate murmurs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t know how long it was before he reluctantly let her go,\u00a0<\/p>\n
his thumb gently tracing her swollen, glistening lips. His eyes\u00a0<\/p>\n
were dark with lingering desire and deep satisfaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just the beginning,\u201d he said, his voice hoarse and full of\u00a0<\/p>\n
promise. \u201cFrom now on, I\u2019m going to make up for everything I\u00a0<\/p>\n
owe you, bit by bit.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine leaned into his embrace, her cheek against his warm\u00a0<\/p>\n
chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. She felt\u00a0<\/p>\n
completely wrapped in a blanket of overwhelming happiness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was as if the bitterness of the past was truly being soothed and smoothed away by that deep kiss this morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRicki.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHmm?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you hiding something from me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 342\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s body tensed almost imperceptibly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was just for a moment, then he chuckled, \u201cWhat could I\u00a0<\/p>\n
possibly be hiding from you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine looked up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLast week, I went to your office, and you stopped talking to Gerry halfway through when you saw me. The day before\u00a0<\/p>\n
yesterday, you took a call during dinner, and you turned away\u00a0<\/p>\n
from me to take it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She frowned slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd today, why did you kiss me for no reason?\u00a0<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve known each other for over twenty years. Don\u2019t even think\u00a0<\/p>\n
about hiding things from me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick looked away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He always looks away like that when he\u2019s feeling guilty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine\u2019s heart sank. She had only been testing him, trying to\u00a0<\/p>\n
get a reaction, but now it seemed there really was something\u00a0<\/p>\n
wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She nervously grabbed Roderick\u2019s jacket.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 342\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there something wrong with your health? Are the side\u00a0<\/p>\n
effects back?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have a headache? A stomachache? Does anywhere\u00a0<\/p>\n
hurt?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you seen Edward recently?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ricki, say something!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine grew anxious and couldn\u2019t help but stomp her foot,\u00a0<\/p>\n
her eyes turning red.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick quickly held her by the shoulders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked so many questions at once. At least give me a\u00a0<\/p>\n
chance to answer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing her so anxious she was about to cry, Roderick felt both\u00a0<\/p>\n
sorry for her and a little helpless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He sighed, pulling Madeleine back into his arms, his large hand\u00a0<\/p>\n
gently stroking her back.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, my health is fine. Don\u2019t worry. It\u2019s just work stuff. I\u2019ve been a bit busy lately, that\u2019s all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cReally?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 342\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine sniffled, looking up at Roderick, still unconvinced.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The feeling of loss was too painful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the past few years, she had been like a body with a trapped\u00a0<\/p>\n
soul, feeling love drain away every single second.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was terrified of enduring that kind of pain a second time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even more terrified of making Roderick feel that pain too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, really.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick said, glancing at the time, \u201cI have a meeting soon. I\u2019ll\u00a0<\/p>\n
take you to Leona\u2019s place first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo need. If you\u2019re in a hurry, just drive to the office. I\u2019ll get a\u00a0<\/p>\n
cab or wait for Mathew to come back and get me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t let you do that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really fine. Your work is more important.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss the corner of\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGo on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 342\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s taillights disappeared around the corner. Madeleine\u00a0<\/p>\n
stood there, the doubt in her heart not completely gone despite\u00a0<\/p>\n
his reassurance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her twenty\u2013plus years of knowing him told her that while\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick\u2019s explanation was reasonable, his initial stiffness and\u00a0<\/p>\n
averted gaze meant it was more than just being busy with work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She sighed and took out her phone to call a car.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sitting in the taxi, watching the street scenes fly by, Madeleine\u00a0<\/p>\n
felt more and more uneasy the more she thought about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She needed to talk to someone, to vent her frustration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. On the\u00a0<\/p>\n
other end, Rebecca\u2019s voice came through:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMadeleine, why are you calling me so early in the morning?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Did you miss me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca, are you busy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really, I\u2019m not too busy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rebecca said, switching the phone to her other hand and asking\u00a0<\/p>\n
in a low, worried voice, \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? Did something happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 342\u00a0<\/p>\n
over there?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Madeleine hesitated for a moment before finally saying,\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRebecca, I think Roderick is hiding something from me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She told Rebecca everything she\u2019d observed, detail by detail,\u00a0<\/p>\n
including the conversation in the garage, and ended with a\u00a0<\/p>\n
frustrated summary:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said it was about work, but I just feel like something\u2019s off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Do you think\u2026 maybe something\u2019s wrong with his health again, and he\u2019s not telling me because he doesn\u2019t want me to worry?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line, a silence\u00a0<\/p>\n
that felt strange to Madeleine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Normally, Rebecca would have already jumped in to help her\u00a0<\/p>\n
analyze the situation, or just declared she was going to find\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roderick and demand an explanation.\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 ` 342 Chapter 342\u00a0 Chapter 342\u00a0 In the empty garage, there was […]<\/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-29639","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\/29639","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=29639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29639\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}