Cordelia’s shoulders were gently nudged as she sobbed. With puffy, red-rimmed eyes, she looked up to see who it was.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying here?” Petra handed Cordelia a tissue.
Cordelia grabbed her phone. “Nothing, just homesick.”
Cordelia didn’t want to reveal her feelings for Ronan in front of Petra, one of Ronan’s admirers.
Usually, people would ask, “Who do you have at home? Parents or a spouse?” But Petra didn’t. She only lowered her head and kindly offered, “Let me take you home.”
“Okay.” Cordelia put her phone in her bag, and the two women headed home.
Once home, Cordelia felt somewhat unwell and took to her bed.
Petra felt her forehead. “You’re a bit feverish. I’ll make you some hot lemon and honey tea.”
Saying this, Petra headed to the kitchen. By the time she came back with the hot lemon and honey tea, Cordelia had fallen asleep with tears still streaming down her face.
Petra tucked her in, brushing away the hair that stuck to her face with sweat and tears.
Cordelia was truly beautiful, with delicate skin, almost invisible pores, and a clean, smooth face. If she were to open her eyes, they’d resemble two clear springs. She was usually soft-spoken, a sweetheart, but she had her principles and her determination. Petra had seen it when she’d watched Cordelia study in the library. Cordelia would mumble to herself when she didn’t understand something, underline it, and then look up related material until she understood. She was a real student, unlike those who were just pretending.
“Ronan has good taste,” Petra thought.
Cordelia’s phone buzzed several times, and Petra saw that it was a message from “Brenda” on Messenger. [Forget about Ronan! Cordelia, don’t take it to heart. He’s not worth it!]
Every time Brenda mentioned this, Cordelia felt guilty. She sent Brenda a giftcard with a note. [Cheer up.]
Tristi also sent her a message. [Cordelia, Alana has been in the country recently. I ran into her again when I was out, and we took a selfie. Here, take a look.]
Attached to the message was a photo of Tristi and Alana. Tristi was quite pretty, but next to Alana, she paled in comparison. Alana had a star-like aura around her. Her glowing skin and elegant demeanor made the difference between her and an ordinary person obvious.
Cordelia couldn’t see the mole near Alana’s ear this time. She thought it might’ve been due to the angle of the photo or perhaps Alana had it removed.
Cordelia sent Tristi a message. [Nice! You took another photo with your idol. Introduce me to her when I come back, okay?]
Tristi readily replied with a single word. [Sure!]
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