The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan)

Chapter 541

After arriving at school, Cordelia suggested that Ronan and Callum go grab some lunch.

"Be back early. Don't waste your time," Ronan said to Cordelia with a cold expression.

"Yeah, I got it," Cordelia replied, now realizing Petra’s cunning nature. It seemed likely that Petra had

spread the love letter herself, intending to stir up old gossip throughout the school about Cordelia and

Ronan's rumored past, forever linking the two in people's minds. Even though Cordelia had only met

Ronan later, there was no stopping some people from whispering that she had stolen him from his

childhood sweetheart, and despite being blameless, Cordelia was now saddled with such a reputation.

If ever there was a conflict between Cordelia and Petra, it seemed natural that people might side with

Petra.

Despite Petra’s protests, Cordelia followed her home, insisting on making sure she was safe. Upon

reaching Petra’s place, Cordelia found it in disarray, with countless love letters strewn about, filling an

entire box.

“Do you think I’m ridiculous?” Petra asked, her eyes still red and swollen as she tidied up, her face

etched with sorrow. “How could I have been so infatuated with someone? I can’t even explain it. I just

liked him so, so much, and now you’ve seen it, and it’s embarrassing.”

“It’s okay,” Cordelia said, catching just a glimpse of one of Petra’s old letters to Ronan that read, “You

are my ray of light; with you, I’ve come to know the beauty of life.”

“He sent all these letters back. Besides, I later fell for my husband, and all of this is in the past. Today,

this kid dug them up,” Petra continued.

Cordelia remained silent. Although she hadn’t known Ronan back then, the thought of another woman

calling him her ray of light made her incredibly uncomfortable.

“Have you eaten?” Cordelia asked Petra. “Let me whip up something for you.” With that, Cordelia

headed to the kitchen.

As the pot of water went from calm to boiling, Cordelia didn’t feel like she had saved Petra from the

brink; instead, she felt trapped and extremely uneasy.

Watching Petra finish her pasta, Cordelia’s phone buzzed. It was Jamie. It had been a while since

Jamie had been in touch with Cordelia, and thinking back to the last mystery guest on the forum and

the big hug Jamie had given her, Cordelia felt a warmth in her heart.

In this life, a romantic connection with Jamie wasn’t in the cards, but friendship was still possible, right?

[Hey Cordelia, I’m probably getting hitched this Saturday!] Jamie texted.

[To whom?] Cordelia inquired.

[Marian, you know her. Fancy coming over for a toast?]

After a moment’s thought, Cordelia remembered Marian’s hostility towards her. If she went, it would

surely make everyone uncomfortable, and if things got messy, it would be less than ideal. [I’m

swamped with schoolwork and might not be able to make it, but I’ll definitely send you a generous gift,]

Cordelia replied.

Jamie had anticipated that Cordelia wouldn’t come, given how Marian had treated her. If he were in her

shoes, he wouldn’t come either.

After putting away her phone, Cordelia sighed. Time waited for no one. Jamie was getting married. He

probably wasn’t head over heels for Marian, but from a business standpoint, their union made perfect

sense.

“Something on your mind, Cordelia?” Petra asked, noticing Cordelia’s sigh.

“A friend of mine is getting married,” Cordelia replied, her tone disinterested.

“What’s their name? Do I know them?” Petra asked, her tone equally nonchalant.

“You wouldn’t know him. Jamie Colby, a friend from my Millstone days,” Cordelia said.

“Mhm,” Petra murmured before returning to her meal, seemingly moving past the topic. But inside, she

was calculating, “Jamie? Jamie Colby? What was his relation to Thomas?”