The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 452

Eden Gardens was massive, empty, and exceedingly cold.

Especially a year into our marriage, as Ferris and my relationship grew increasingly distant and cold, this house lost all sense of warmth. He rarely spoke to me. He was always busy, and whenever he had some downtime, he was always alone in his study.

After Zoey appeared, Ferris came home even less. He frequently stayed out all night, leaving this place feeling even emptier and colder.

So much so that walking into this house right now felt surreal, almost like a hallucination.

The heating was on full blast. Stepping inside, the warmth melted away the freezing chill I carried. Ferris lounged on the sofa in a set of soft gray loungewear. The warm lighting cast over his face surprisingly softened his usually icy demeanor.

Even his voice, though urgent, sounded gentle.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Let's eat." He stood up and walked toward me, a mild smile actually playing on his lips. "I made some soup today. The food was ready ages ago, but since you weren't back, I kept it simmering on the stove."

It was only then I noticed the rich aroma of food wafting through the house.

Who cooked?

There was no third person in this house.

Did Ferris actually cook?

That surreal, dreamlike feeling deepened.

Why did everything in front of me feel like an illusion? Ferris was miraculously home, had cooked dinner, and was actually smiling at me when I returned.

Was this really Ferris?

Why would he cook for me? And specifically wait for me to come home to eat?

Yes, this was more like it.

I was used to the icy, sharp, and aggressively offensive Ferris. It was much better when he faced me with this expression.

When he was gentle, I didn't know how to handle it.

He really did care about my relationship with Leon. He was terrified that I'd get together with Leon the second we divorced, worried I'd get in the way of him and Zoey.

If it were before, I might have been willing to explain clearly that Leon and I weren't dating. We were just friends, we just bumped into each other today and grabbed a meal.

But right now, looking at Ferris's fury-filled dark eyes, his tightly pressed lips, and his knuckles turning white from clenching his fists in anger, I suddenly lost the desire to explain anything.

It really was just a manipulation tactic.