The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 225

Cordelia spent quite a while exchanging pleasantries with Barney.

He didn’t want Cordelia to leave, but he didn’t voice his desire.

Around eight-thirty, Barney decided to retire to his room, his hand clasping Cordelia’s all the while. The older you got, the more childlike you became. Barney was an intellectual, and Cordelia had never seen him so childlike, but now she did. His reluctance to let her go was just like a small boy.

Cordelia felt an incredible pang of guilt.

As she left Barney’s room, she saw Ronan still sitting on the couch.,“Come here,” he said to Cordelia. Then, he headed upstairs without waiting for her.

Cordelia guessed he might have been getting the divorce papers, so she followed him upstairs. To her surprise, when they reached the bedroom, Ronan was sitting on the couch, lighting up a cigarette.

“Barney has at most three months left. Think about it, whether you want to stay with him or not,” he said, looking up at Cordelia.

Ronan was the man who had killed her mother, but Barney was innocent. Cordelia remained silent.

“Here are the divorce papers. I’ve already signed them. Take a look,” Ronan said, handing a stack of papers to Cordelia.

“That’s not a divorce certificate?” Cordelia questioned, her eyes flashing with anger.

“Barney’s last three months. I don’t want any accidents. You’ve been pretending for so long. You don’t want to ruin everything at the last minute.” Ronan replied.

Cordelia was at a loss, but divorce was indeed a matter between two people. If he didn't want to, she had no way out.

Moreover, Ronan had used a word - pretending. All her past affection was just an act.

She carefully read the conditions on the paper. It asked her to stay with Barney for his last three months, and in return, she would receive a hundred million dollars. Additionally, two apartments in Millstone would be given to her.

That was a lot of money. A hundred million dollars was probably what Cordelia could have earned if she had been working from ancient times until now. Moreover, she was currently studying and not making any money. She was living only on the twenty million dollars Ronan had given her.

But she didn’t want the money. “I cheated first. I don’t deserve that much money,” she said, putting down the papers.

“You know you cheated?” Ronan stared at Cordelia with a cold, killer gaze.

“So, since you know I cheated, why would you give me so much money? I should be leaving with nothing,” Cordelia retorted.

Speaking those words, her chest began to heave with emotion. Ronan was only giving her so much money because he had killed her mother. It was his guilt, compensation for Cordelia!

He knew that Jamie had also gone to UC Davis. He knew that Jamie and Cordelia must have met. He knew that the bracelet on Cordelia’s wrist was a gift from Jamie. He even knew that the baby in Cordelia’s belly was Jamie’s.

Cordelia’s tone was soft and tender. When she finished the call and turned back to Ronan, her tone changed.

“I agree,” she said. “But before I agree, I must set three conditions. If you agree, I'll stay. If not, I can't.”

“Go on.”

“First, there’s a time difference between us. I sleep during the day and study at night. Given the time difference, I must sleep separately from you. Second, I’m pregnant, you can’t touch me. If anything like yesterday happens again, I’ll jump off a building. Third, you must give me the divorce certificate when the time comes. I’ll only return to the US after I get it. I believe your verbal promise is binding,” Cordelia said.

“Agreed. I’ll have someone bring your things from the hotel tomorrow.”

Cordelia turned around and went to the adjacent room to sleep. It was the room Ronan had once let her sleep in alone, a room she was somewhat afraid of. But today, after experiencing her mother's fall and the lonely and difficult days in the US, she suddenly felt unafraid. People probably grew like this, accompanied by thorns all around.

As she lay in bed and covered herself with the blanket, she kept having nightmares. This nightmare was one she often had when her mother had just passed away, and now it was haunting her again. In her dream, she saw her mother looking bloody and broken, falling from the building, while Ronan was laughing from above.

Cordelia woke up in a panic. Awake, she heard noises from Ronan’s room that lasted for quite a while.