The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 20

Sell myself? For a good price?

I stared at Ferris in absolute disbelief. For a second, I genuinely thought I had misheard him.

He actually used the word "sell."

Lucille was equally horrified by his accusation. Her jaw dropped as she sputtered, "No, Ferris, you misunderstand! I was just looking out for your future! Selena has been completely devoted to you! Saying things like that will break her heart!"

Ferris's face was completely terrifying. He glanced at the list again and snarled, "You've got an incredibly detailed registry here. Selena, the two of you have calculated this perfectly, haven't you?"

He said "the two of you."

He was lumping me in with Lucille.

In his mind, I had schemed and clawed my way into a marriage with him, and my entire family was just leeching off his wealth.

He used to maintain at least a thin veneer of politeness, but now he was openly screaming at my mother right in front of me.

What did that make me?

The dull ache in my chest exploded into a suffocating wave of despair. Three years of memories with Ferris flashed through my mind like a cruel movie, and all the blood violently drained from my face.

I finally saw the devastating truth. Ferris never intended to give me a proper title. Not from the very beginning.

A bitter, broken smile touched my lips. I met his furious gaze and said softly, "My apologies for making you worry, Dr. Sterling."

Before anyone could react, I snatched the wedding registry right out of his hand. My heart bled as I stared at the demands.

The Sterlings could afford everything on this list a hundred times over. But Ferris would never give any of it to me.

With a sharp rip, I tore the premium cardstock into shreds.

Suddenly, Ferris and I were the only ones left in the room.

He stood over me like a towering monolith. The overhead lights hit his sharp features, casting cold, brutal shadows over his eyes and jawline.

He was standing right in front of me, yet he felt oceans away.

Defeated, I lowered my head. My eyes locked onto the torn pieces of the registry scattered across the floor. The names "Groom: Ferris Sterling" and "Bride: Selena Hayes" had been ripped cleanly in half. Just like the real us, permanently separated by an unbridgeable chasm.

Hot tears spilled down my cheeks. I choked back a sob and slowly forced my heavy legs to move.

That final act of defiance had drained every last drop of my energy. My knees buckled, and I instantly collapsed.

Ferris lunged forward and caught me.

I weakly tilted my head up, my eyes tracing the perfect, icy lines of his face. My voice was nothing but a broken whisper. "Are you satisfied now, Dr. Sterling?"