The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 140

To my mother, my sole purpose in life was to serve as the glue holding our family to Ferris's bank account. Whether I was happy, or what I actually wanted, meant absolutely nothing.

Even if it meant violently selling my soul to him in the process.

It was the dead of night by the time we returned to Eden Gardens. I watched Ferris head straight for the master bedroom. Lingering in the foyer for a long moment, I finally gathered my shattered courage and followed him in.

Because I was rushing, I completely forgot about the storage bin I'd left near the door and violently tripped over it.

Sitting casually on the lounge chair, Ferris glanced up at the commotion. His dark, predatory eyes locked onto my face, assessing me with amusement for a few seconds before dropping to the bin at my feet. "Well, Mrs. Sterling?" he mocked. "Still eager to sleep in the guest room?"

He knew exactly why I was here, yet he deliberately chose to humiliate me.

Because he swiped his black card, and because he manipulated the situation to get my dad the VIP treatment, my entire family owed him yet another massive debt.

I opened my mouth, struggling for air before forcing out the words. "I'll write that IOU right now."

"You know damn well that's not what I want," he cut in before I could even turn around. His gaze slowly dragged down the length of my body. "Mrs. Sterling knows exactly what I require."

Of course I knew what he meant. But in that second, my legs felt like they were cast in concrete. I tried to mentally force myself forward, but the revulsion was paralyzing.

Seeing me frozen in place, Ferris scoffed and casually waved his phone in the air. "Our dear mother just sent me a groveling thank-you text. How do you suggest I respond to her, darling?"

Ferris stiffened. His obsidian eyes bored into mine, a furious scowl twisting his perfect features. "What the hell are you doing? Acting like a martyr while you're supposed to be fulfilling your duties as my wife? You think anyone wants you when you look this miserable?"

With that, he stood up abruptly. Losing my balance, I crashed hard onto the floor. A second later, the front door slammed shut with a deafening bang.

He was gone.

Yet I didn't feel a single ounce of relief. I knew I should have been thrilled to escape his touch. But I wasn't.

As my tears hit the hardwood floor, my mind cruelly flashed back to the exorbitant price on that two-bedroom apartment contract. My father's life-saving medical bills were absolute pennies compared to what he spent on Zoey. Yet, for those pennies, he demanded I sell him my dignity, while he treated his precious little intern like a fragile treasure he couldn't even bear to defile.