The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 175

"Here's the money I owe you." Cordelia said.

Ronan nonchalantly put the card aside, "What's up? You wanna call off the deal?"

"Nope, Barney's sick, I'm not calling it off. My mom knows we were married by agreement and she asked me to give this back. She said feelings are precious, not something money can measure, and I don't need the rest of the cash," Cordelia was sitting on the edge of the bed, hugging her knees, and smiled as she said, "Even though compared to you, I'm dirt poor, but I have feelings too, right?"

As she smiled, tears began to well up in her eyes.

"All that effort wasted? From a virgin to... no regrets?" Ronan asked her.

"My mom was right. When it comes to divorce, I gotta keep my dignity. At least..."

"At least what?" Ronan lit up a cigarette and asked.

"At least I did the right thing, getting to know you," Cordelia said with a smile.

Ronan's smoking hand paused, "If you're not with me, you won’t get to know me?"

"Of course not that kind of knowing. To me, you're a high and mighty CEO, and we would never cross paths, but knowing you, I've never regretted it. Even before, I felt really happy."

"Before? Before what?" Ronan took a drag on his cigarette and leaned against the bedpost, too. He was shirtless, looking sideways at Cordelia, the two of them talking by the bed.

"Before the thing with Jamie happened, I thought you were a good guy. Even thought that if we had to divorce, it would be cruel. I didn't want to let you go." Cordelia said it sincerely.

The way she looked as she cried with a smile on her face made people feel sorry for her.

"You know now, right? Didn't you eavesdrop on everything?" he asked.

"But I still can't see through you."

"Then keep working on it." he looked at her, his tone carrying a hint of jest, but within the jest, there was also some sincerity.

"Everyone says they hope to grow old together with their partner when they get married. Especially in our case," Cordelia said, accepting the fickleness of life, "And you don't like me."

"True, I don't."

Cordelia thought: If you didn’t like me, that was fine. But why hurt me by saying it?

"You like Deanna, right, I know."

"Not her," Ronan said, his cigarette was almost done, "I had a cornea transplant before. Did you know? Before the transplant, there was a girl, she would wait for me every time I went to get water. To this day I still can't forget the sandalwood scent on her."