The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 269

I practically ordered them out.

My blunt dismissal caught both Ferris and Zoey completely off guard.

The younger woman looked at me with wide, panicked eyes, then glanced at Ferris. "Selena, Ferris rushed all the way back here just to check on Mr. Lowell. And now you're—"

"There's no need," I cut her off. I looked at Ferris, my voice perfectly calm. "From today onward, Director Sterling, you no longer have to worry about my uncle. I've already filed a request with the hospital to change his attending physician. I'm sure you'll receive the formal notice shortly."

The words left everyone stunned. Even Ferris, who had been standing there with an air of detached indifference, furrowed his brow sharply.

I knew he was furious.

As his colleague—and an intern in the anesthesiology department at that—I naturally had no right to disrespect him like this.

But as the patient's family, I knew with absolute certainty that I possessed the right to fire him.

Didn't he want to avoid taking responsibility for Silas's condition? Wasn't he terrified that my uncle's case would tarnish his flawless reputation?

Fine. I was doing him a favor.

Rather than fighting with him every single time something went wrong, it was better to sever the tie completely.

But my decision clearly outraged Zoey. Like a loyal guard dog, she forced an awkward laugh. "Selena, Ferris was in charge of Mr. Lowell's surgery from the very beginning. Demanding to switch doctors in the middle of his recovery... don't you think that's a bit inappropriate?"

"Since you're so familiar with hospital regulations, Zoey," I replied, my tone flatter than I expected, "you should know that the patient's family has every right to request a new attending physician, shouldn't you?"

This time, Zoey had absolutely no comeback.

But today, I was fully embracing that madness.

I knew Zoey's excuses were technically valid. As an attending physician, Ferris had the right to eat, to date, and to clock out. But our relationship was supposed to be more than just doctor and patient's family.

That marriage certificate existed. It was real. Even though I constantly reminded myself I was merely his wife in name, the three years we spent sleeping in the same bed weren't fake. The eight years I spent loving him weren't fake either. If the person lying in that ICU bed had been a stranger, maybe I could have accepted his negligence. But that was my own flesh and blood.

Moreover, Dr. Hudson had made it clear. The post-operative hydrocephalus could have been caught with just a little extra vigilance. For a surgeon of Ferris's caliber to miss it?

Was his skill lacking? No. He simply didn't care enough to look.

Or rather, compared to my uncle's life, he was far more concerned with making a good impression at dinner with Zoey's parents.

My heart broke, and the rose-colored glasses I had worn for years shattered completely. The Ferris standing before me was no longer the devoted medical saint who worked tirelessly for his patients. His halo was gone. In that instant, I finally realized that underneath it all, he was just as tragically flawed and ordinary as the rest of us.