The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 553

Cordelia had a nagging feeling that Ronan was out of sorts today, probably because her return wasn't for him.

"Petty," she muttered to herself after Callum had drifted off to sleep.

"If you're looking to pick a fight tonight, just come out with it," Ronan's calm voice cut through the silence, unrippled as ever.

What was he thinking? Did he believe Cordelia was up to something?

Ignoring him, Cordelia turned over and tried to sleep.

Meanwhile, Jamie was sprawled on his bed, drunk as a lord, when he received a gift from Cordelia. Deep down, he knew Marian wasn't the one he yearned for; his heart had always belonged to Cordelia, but fate was cruel, keeping them apart.

Fresh from her shower, clad in her pajamas, Marian stepped out of the bathroom just in time to see Jamie's phone light up with the notification of Cordelia's gift notification.

Her day had been a mess, thanks to Cordelia's antics at her own wedding, and this late-night transaction was the last straw. She suspected no good intentions. In a fit of rage, she hurled the phone at Jamie's head, narrowly missing and grazing his forehead, leaving a red scratch.

"What the hell?" Jamie sobered up instantly, sitting up to confront Marian.

"And what the hell do you think you're doing? Tell me, what's this bitch up to? She vanished for three years, then showed up out of the blue to stir trouble. Today she spilled the beans about your dad and that Alana woman at the wedding, causing my mom to have a fit. The wedding was a fiasco, and now she's pulling these stunts at night. Jamie, I need answers! My father didn't give me away to you so I could be miserable," Marian's voice cracked, tears blurring her vision. "Why didn't Cordelia just die abroad?"

Thomas looked utterly embarrassed. "That was ages ago. I barely remember what she looked like. I didn't even know you then, so how is it my fault? Which guy hasn't screwed up once in his life?"

"So, it did happen!" Ava burst into tears. She felt like she had been deceived by Thomas her whole life, and he even helped that woman set up a business. Ava swore she wasn't done with Alana.

With a heavy sigh, Thomas resigned himself to sleep.

"Go sleep in the spare room. Who said you could sleep here?" Ava said furiously.

Thomas trudged to the adjacent room, his spirits low. As he lay in bed, his mind wandered back to Alana's image on the TV screen—innocently seductive, her skin like diamond, and eyes sparkling with mischief. Her shy glance could unravel any man, and her figure was a vision of curves. Few men could resist her, and he was no exception.