The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 479

This was probably the most tragic realization of our entire three-year marriage.

I originally had no intention of returning to Eden Gardens, but when my footsteps finally halted, I found myself standing right at the entrance.

I unlocked the door. The house was pitch-black and utterly deserted. In the kitchen, the dinner Ferris had cooked the night before was still sitting on the counter, long since gone stone cold.

I stared at the lifeless, dull food for a long time, eventually pulling my lips into a bitter smile as a warm, wet tear slid down the corner of my eye when I turned away.

It was absolutely hilarious.

Ferris had always been incredibly busy with work. For the entire three years of our marriage, I had always been the one washing my hands to make soup for him. Technically, this cold, untouched meal was the very first dinner Ferris had ever cooked for me.

But this food was nothing more than a prop. A tool Ferris used to coax me into accepting his twisted transaction.

It was beyond pathetic.

I casually wiped away the moisture from my eye and headed into the bathroom. As I soaked in the tub, a sudden wave of sheer exhaustion crashed over me.

I didn't know if my nerves had just been stretched too thin over the past couple of days, but the warm water enveloped me, providing a rare moment of deep relaxation.

Or perhaps it was because I hadn't been sleeping well to begin with, and with all the chaos recently, I was completely drained. The exhaustion finally caught up with me. My head grew heavier and heavier, until I didn't even have the strength to stand up and walk to the bedroom.

I simply leaned back against the edge of the tub and drifted into a hazy sleep.

In my daze, I slipped back into the past.

Our past.

A past that wasn't actually that long ago.

Honey?

Was I dreaming?

My consciousness slowly returned, and my body shifted slightly, only to realize I was no longer in the water.

I vaguely remembered falling asleep in the bathtub with the bathroom lights on, but as I opened my eyes, the surroundings were cloaked in dim shadows.

An arm was draped across my waist, holding me tightly against a broad, warm chest. By the faint moonlight filtering through the window, I turned my head and saw Ferris's familiar sleeping face.

As if sensing my movement, his arm tightened, practically crushing me against his chest.

I heard his hoarse, somewhat fragile voice again. "Honey, don't go... You promised you'd love me forever."