Claudia POV
"It is part of my job as a psychiatrist to record every session I have with my patients. Don’t read too much into it," Ray replied calmly. "But this recording finally has its use with you, Claudia. I never knew that a certified General Practitioner like you has a goldfish mory."
Ray had a thin smirk, as if he were mocking for trying to avoid my responsibility.
"Or maybe your mory has dulled over ti since you beca Miles’ wife?"
"T-there is no correlation. I’m just stressed out over everything so far, so I forgot..." I muttered weakly.
Of course, I still rembered the promise. I simply shoved it to the back of my mind, because I thought he wouldn’t rember an insignificant woman like .
Besides, I was still scared of him after everything that happened between us back then, and how terrible our breakup was.
To make it worse, I ended up marrying his stepbrother, which must have felt like a betrayal to Ray.
Though it made wonder if Ray could actually feel betrayal. He never showed any genuine emotion except anger after all.
But then again, even that could be fake, right? Just like how he faked his love for , acting sweet in front of just to keep on a tight leash.
Unfortunately, as our relationship went on, I began to notice how rehearsed all his affection felt—as if he had researched and deduced everything that could make a woman happy, even if he felt no love for .
"All those scholarships and that perfect GPA amount to nothing once you’re married, huh?" he continued. "You’ve been reduced to nothing but a shattered woman compared to who you were before you ended up with him."
I lowered my head in sha once again as I was reminded of my failure as a woman.
Classic to his nature, Ray always spoke the cold truth, but it still stung badly.
"If... if all you’re going to do is insult , then I’ll leave," I said. "I don’t know what you need from , since you already have everything, Ray. So... I can only say thank you for your help before."
Just as I was about to stand, a tight grip closed around my wrist.
I looked down and saw Ray’s veiny hand clenching tightly, as if he had grown angrier the mont I decided to leave.
"Our deal is not over, Claudia," Ray said in a controlled tone, though I noticed his jaw clenching. "You are not allowed to leave until I say so."
I tried to yank my hand free, but he was too strong. I glanced toward the kitchen, hoping for Don’s help since it was impossible for to break free, but that usually carefree man had vanished and we were the only two people in this restaurant now.
"B-but if all you’re going to do is insult and my poor decisions, then there’s nothing to talk about, right?" I tried to reason with the devil.
Ray’s dark green eyes stared at unblinkingly, silently commanding to sit.
"Sit back down. We can enjoy our dinner first before we talk about the contract," Ray instructed.
In the end, I obeyed.
"I am not insulting you. I’m telling the truth," he said.
I knew it was the truth. I had been reduced to a helpless woman after marrying Miles.
I sacrificed everything about myself, including my identity as a high-achieving doctor. I let go of my chance at a dical residency to beco a neurologist and settled as a General Practitioner so I could support Miles’ career sooner.
Even when I was comfortable working at several clinics, I still had to quit because Miles persuaded that I needed to spend more ti with Aurora since he was busy with work.
I did want to be by my daughter’s side. But was it truly impossible for him to take turns with ?
In the end, I had been used and discarded. All my sacrifices ant nothing to him.
Ray had always been like this. He slapped you with undeniable truths, ignoring the pain they caused.
It was also one of the reasons we broke up. He dug up all my childhood trauma and studied it like it was a fascinating case.
Rembering how he dissected my past made bitter.
"And so what if you’re telling the truth?" I asked sharply.
"It’s good that you swallow the bitter pill first, so you realize Miles has been nothing but a leech all this ti," Ray said.
"I’ve learned my lesson and swallowed the bitter pill, Doctor," I sneered. "And now what? Are you going to ’study’ my misery, just like you studied my childhood trauma?"
For the first ti since we reunited, Ray showed a faint frown in front of . He seed to contemplate sothing while I remained silent after delivering that blow—if he even had a conscience.
The atmosphere grew tense as silence stretched between us.
Then Don suddenly appeared with our food.
"Alright, your orders are here!"
He placed my usual pasta in front of , and my stomach imdiately grumbled at the aroma. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday, so resisting was impossible.
The tension dissolved the mont I twirled a forkful of spaghetti and took a bite.
I glanced at Ray, who had ordered a slice of pizza.
It reminded of my student days when I used to buy one-dollar pizza from a local shop. It was my struggle al.
Ray never wanted it back then, even telling to buy sothing healthier than a dollar pizza with unknown and unregulated ingredients in it.
But that was understandable coming from him. He was the heir to a billion-dollar private bank. Street pizza must have seed too "dirty" for his caliber.
I swallowed my pasta and asked, "I thought you didn’t like local pizza. You prefer a genuine one from Italy or sothing like that, right?"
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