The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 12

Ronan said coldly, "No."

Cordelia felt a pang of disappointment hearing his reply but didn't dare to push further. After all, she was just an intern, hardly someone who would catch Ronan's eye.

Just then, her phone buzzed, and she picked it up to check. There was a friend request on Messenger from someone named Jamie Colby. Cordelia didn't recognize the name, so she ignored it. The internet was crawling with scammers, after all.

"I'm hitting the sack," Cordelia announced, a tad nervously, then turned off her bedside lamp and snuggled into her bed. The air conditioning in the bedroom was cool, and the silk blanket was quite comfortable.

Ronan didn't turn his head and just murmured a soft acknowledgment. He seemed busy with his work.

Cordelia buried her face in the blanket, peeping out at Ronan with doe-like eyes. Her gaze inadvertently swept over his face, which was cold and stern. He looked nothing like Logan, except maybe a little when he smiled. But Ronan rarely smiled, and she had no idea how she mistook him for Logan that night.

Thinking of Logan made Cordelia's heart ache even more. His death was a tough pill to swallow. Cordelia buried her head into her pillow, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was crying so hard that she started sobbing.

"Am I making you this miserable?" Ronan's calm voice came from outside the blanket.

"No." Cordelia's voice sounded muffled from inside the blanket.

"Then why are you crying?" He asked again.

"I'm just a little homesick." She made up an excuse and turned around to sleep.

Ronan didn't ask further.

But despite her claims of wanting to sleep, she just couldn't drift off. That's when a picture frame on her nightstand caught her attention. She picked it up. In the picture was a young woman. Although the photo was a bit dusty, the woman was clearly very beautiful and only a few years older than Cordelia.

She turned the frame over and saw a name written on the back. Cordelia whispered it, "Deanna Stains."

She suddenly remembered the first night they spent together, Ronan called out a name. Could it be her? Was she the love of his life?