The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 448

How incredibly gentle.

My footsteps faltered as the streetlights hummed to life above me.

In the distance, the warm glow of city windows offered a sense of comfort. Closer by, the neon signs of storefronts flashed with vibrant energy, while the amber streetlights cast a cozy, inviting haze over the pavement.

Hearing Ferris speak with such softness made my mind drift, pulling me back to two years ago.

No, three years ago.

We had only been married for a short while, officially together for barely two weeks.

I was still riding the high of my long-held dreams finally coming true, filled with hope for our life as a married couple. Back then, I practically brought him meals and fresh clothes every single day.

It was on this very street. I had come to walk him home from work. As we strolled side by side beneath the glow of the streetlights, he suddenly reached out and took my hand.

I had been completely stunned. We had always kept our marriage a strict secret. Even when I visited him, we maintained a professional distance to avoid suspicion from his colleagues. Walking side by side was the most we ever did. We certainly never held hands this close to the hospital.

But that night, not only did he interlock his fingers with mine, but he also pressed a small plastic card into my palm.

I looked at him in confusion. "What is this?"

The amber light softened the sharp angles of his face. He stopped right there beneath the streetlamp, reaching out to adjust my scarf with a faint smile. "My paycheck card. I'm handing it over."

"I can't take this. It's your money. Besides, I don't really have anything to spend it on..." I instinctively tried to refuse, though my heart was soaring with joy.

Just being married to Ferris was more than I had ever hoped for. I hadn't expected anything else.

Eventually, that warmth faded from his eyes. His affection hadn't lasted long—maybe a year at most—before he turned completely cold.

I had noticed the shift and blamed myself, trying even harder to be the perfect wife. I poured everything into caring for him, his parents, and maintaining the family's image.

I had desperately hoped we could go back to the way things were. I wanted that tenderness back.

But it never returned. Eventually, I gave the card back to Vivian, asking her to return it to him. From that point on, our relationship didn't improve; it only spiraled downward.

And now, it had completely shattered, leading us straight to divorce.

I never expected that at the very end of it all, I would hear that exact same tone of indulgent affection from him again.