The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 174

Lucille had slapped me.

It wasn't the first time she had hit me, but the force behind it was more vicious than I remembered. I thought I would cry, but no tears came.

Reflecting on the emotional rollercoaster of this day, I had stood at the edge of a breakdown more times than I could count. I craved comfort, yet the very people I cared about were lining up to drive daggers into my heart.

I was so utterly broken that I couldn't even shed a tear.

"You... you think you're untouchable now!"

I stared at Lucille, my resolve hardening into solid steel. "If this had happened a month ago, maybe I would have taken the fall for Ferris. But things are different now. I, Selena Hayes, will not destroy my own future for a man who isn't worth it. Not now. Not ever!"

Lucille's jaw dropped. She gaped at me in stunned silence. When she finally snapped out of it, her expression shifted to sheer panic as she stared at something behind me.

A second later, she stammered, "F-Ferris, when did you get back? Haha... don't listen to Selena's nonsense, she's just a bit out of her mind right now... she's..."

Lucille was so terrified her tongue practically tied itself in knots.

"It's late," Ferris's voice came from behind me, laced with heavy exhaustion. "I'll have the driver take you home."

Recognizing the blunt dismissal, Lucille shot me a frantic look and replied politely, "No need, I can find my own way back. You two newlyweds take your time and have a good talk."

Then, she practically sprinted out the door.

The sprawling living room fell dead silent, leaving just Ferris and me.

His footsteps grew closer as he bypassed the foyer. He walked to the fridge, opened it, closed it, and finally sank onto the sofa right in my line of sight.

Now that he was closer, the heavy scent of alcohol washed over me.

Ferris had been drinking.

"Sit," he commanded, gesturing to the space beside him with typical brevity.

Ferris didn't respond immediately. For a fleeting moment, an unsettling, heavy silence engulfed the massive living room.

Just when I thought he had nothing left to say, his hoarse voice pierced the quiet. "Just a liar."

There it was. After everything, that was still all he thought of me.

The next morning, the buzzing of my phone dragged me out of sleep. It was a call from Leon.

It was barely seven o'clock.

"Dr. Hayes, I found Terrence. I just texted you the address."

At the mention of Terrence's name, all my lingering drowsiness vanished. "Thank you, Leon. Wait for me, I'm heading there right now."

I ended the call, grabbed my coat, and walked out of the bedroom—only to crash straight into Ferris's dark, evaluating gaze. A second later, his sharp interrogation hit me. "Did you take my warning as a joke, Selena?"