The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 464

Ronan made his way to the local jail, as he had requested a visit with Tabitha.

Tabitha was garbed in a striped prison jumpsuit, her face void of makeup. She looked frail and pale.

A girl in the bloom of her youth, she seemed strikingly out of place in this grim environment.

"Whose child is it?" Ronan asked.

The police had asked the same question during their interrogation. Tabitha had claimed the child was hers, the result of an illicit affair, but she adamantly refused to reveal the identity of the child's father.

Deanna had been instructed to deliver something to Ronan, and an argument had ensued. Things had escalated, and Deanna ended up seriously injured.

The police suspected that the child was Ronan's, which was why they had called him back from Birchwood and even conducted a paternity test, but the results were negative.

Ronan explained that he had offered to help because he knew how hard it was for Tabitha to raise a child on her own. Tabitha had once visited his house, so they were somewhat acquainted.

"Yours," Tabitha replied, her tone flat and unchanging.

Ronan snorted coldly, "Are you still not going to tell the truth? You know Deanna is still unconscious, right?"

The mention of Deanna caused a flicker of emotion on Tabitha's face. Her lips quivered, but she said nothing.

"She might die, and if she does, you'll be charged with murder. You might never get out. Your kid might end up in an orphanage, bullied and beaten. With a mother like you, he might end up a criminal too. If you talk, I might be able to help."

Tabitha's face betrayed a hint of emotion, and she realized something. If Deanna survived, she would surely make Buddy's life miserable. "Will you take care of Buddy?" she asked.

Ronan laughed, "Think before you speak."

"The only condition: you take care of Buddy. If you don't, he'll be exploited by bad people."