The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 371

Cordelia thought to herself, Why did this woman look so familiar? It suddenly came to her that she had seen a photo of Petra in the dormitory window when she and Ronan had visited Birchwood College. Because the photo they had seen was small and it was night time, Cordelia didn't recognize her immediately.

It was Petra.

"I'm Cordelia," she said, extending her hand for a handshake.

Cordelia wondered if Petra knew who she was. After all, at the previous college reunion, her name and face had become known among their classmates. Someone might have told Petra.

Now standing in front of Petra, Cordelia was unsure how much Petra actually knew about her. This made her feel a tad nervous.

Moreover, one was a woman who had once pursued Ronan, and the other was Ronan's ex-wife. The dynamic between the two women was complex. In Cordelia's heart, she felt a mix of sympathy, envy, and a sense of comparison towards Petra.

Petra had a knack for pulling Cordelia away from her scholarly persona and reminding her of the mundane realities of life.

"Did you lose your wallet?" Cordelia asked.

"Yep," Petra replied, a lot less chatty than Cordelia, as she continued her search. "There isn't much money in it, but there's a picture of someone very important to me, someone I love dearly."

Cordelia wondered, “Could she be talking about Ronan?”

From high school to the time she was doing her Ph.D., was Ronan not the one she loved?

Petra couldn't find her wallet. "I can't find it," Petra said with disappointment etched on her face. She glanced at her wristwatch. It was already past eleven. "It's not every day you bump into a fellow countryman. Why don't we grab lunch together, Cordelia?"