The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 339

The sharp metallic tang of blood lingered in my mouth, and my pulse raced wildly from the confrontation, but my heart felt like an icy, desolate wasteland.

This was the stark reality.

Ferris's obsession with my relationship with Leon had nothing to do with him caring about me. It was purely driven by a man's territorial possessiveness and bruised ego.

He had cornered me to interrogate and threaten me, demanding I behave so I wouldn't embarrass him. Every word out of his mouth was either a venomous threat or a mocking insult.

Zoey was the only one he actually cared about. That was why he always defended her, pampered her, and spoke to her with such tender, unwavering devotion.

"Ferris, I thought you got lost," the girl murmured, her voice laced with anxiety. Then, noticing something, she gasped in distress. "What happened to your lip? You're bleeding..."

"It's nothing. I just accidentally bumped it against my teeth and scraped it," Ferris replied smoothly, his lie utterly flawless.

The girl sounded entirely heartbroken. "That must hurt so much."

"How could I feel any pain when you're right here with me?"

A low chuckle followed, dripping with flirtatious intimacy.

I refused to listen to another second of it. I cranked the faucet, letting the rushing water drown out the girl's sweet, sickeningly bashful giggles. I scrubbed aggressively at my face and my lips.

I scrubbed until my mouth was raw and swollen. Staring blankly at my reflection in the mirror, a bitter, hollow smile twisted onto my face.

I had lost again.

I hadn't wanted to be the clown, but that was exactly what I had become. Ferris always knew exactly how to rip my defenses apart, manipulating my emotions effortlessly to leave me completely devastated and humiliated.

*We left to give you two your space, so you can keep flirting with your precious Ferris without us ruining the mood.*

That was what I wanted to say. Instead, I sent a generic reply: "Dr. Lennox had an emergency, so we left early. Enjoy your meal."

Zoey replied almost instantly: "Oh, so you two ran off to enjoy a private date! Fine, I won't bother you then. I'll treat you to dinner another time."

I frowned, tossing the phone aside without replying.

But strangely enough, I sat at The Nocturne Lounge for two straight hours, and Leon never showed up. I didn't even get a text or a phone call.

It was completely out of character for him. Leon was a man of his word; he never flaked on a promise.

What kind of massive emergency had he run into that was so impossible to handle?