The Cold Surgeon's Contract Bride novel Chapter 869

Maxwell wasn't waking up. Despite all of Ferris's medical interventions and efforts, the man remained lost to the world. Perhaps it was his own subconscious choice—a desperate desire to remain in the sanctuary of a coma rather than face the nightmare waiting for him in the real world.

The staircase he had thrown himself down hadn't been steep, and it was thickly carpeted. The physical trauma shouldn't have been severe enough to cause permanent brain damage. It was entirely possible that the sheer terror of facing Theodore had paralyzed his will to live.

The holiday that was supposed to be filled with warmth and celebration was instead suffocated by a blanket of grim sorrow. Sabrina hadn't lashed out at me.

But the simmering resentment in her eyes was unmistakable. Maxwell hadn't been pushed, but he had been driven over the edge by Theodore's blackmail. Even though Maxwell had his own dark dealings with the Thorne family, and the blackmail could have been entirely unrelated to me, Sabrina stubbornly clung to the belief that my presence had painted a target on his back.

She loathed me. She tried her best to bite her tongue, but the hostility radiated off her in waves. That afternoon, our paths crossed in Lucille's hospital room. Sabrina stared at me, a violent storm of pure hatred brewing in her eyes.

Had Lucille not been gripping her wrist with surprising strength, I had no doubt she would have lunged at me. She barely maintained her composure, her voice dripping with venom. "Listen to me, Selena. My father owes you absolutely nothing anymore. But the debt you owe my mother? You won't be able to repay it in a lifetime."

Facing her icy glare, a profound sense of helplessness washed over me. I opened my mouth, desperate to defend myself, but the words died in my throat.