The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 556

The next morning, the two set off at the crack of dawn, leaving Janice to watch Callum.

Yawning incessantly, Cordelia seemed to drag herself with every step.

"Didn't even break a sweat, and you're already pooped?" Ronan teased her playfully.

"Aren't you tired?" Cordelia shot back.

"Getting old, so I need less sleep," Ronan quipped with a mock sigh.

"Yeah right, pushing forty and losing steam in certain departments, huh?"

"That's right, definitely losing it. Used to be a daily drill, and now it's an every-other-day thing," Ronan said with feigned seriousness, though his relaxed demeanor betrayed him. "Last night, you put a stop to it, and now you're complaining?"

"Me, complain?" Cordelia retorted, a mix of frustration and humor in her voice. "I was just making an offhand comment about your sleep schedule, not the risqué business you're implying."

Ronan just chuckled without another word.

The day was shrouded in thick fog. For safety, Ronan drove at a snail's pace, barely able to make out the figures in the haze. Cordelia, overwhelmed by fatigue, curled up and dozed in the passenger seat. At a red light, Ronan glanced over at Cordelia, who was wrapped up in her coat, her face obscured. They seemed like travelers forgotten by the world in the midst of the fog.

"This fog's so dense I can hardly recognize you," Ronan jested.

Cordelia knew a jibe was lurking behind his words, so she chose not to retort. Instead, she wrapped herself tighter and shrank down in her seat, staying silent, anticipating a bit more banter. "You recognized me last night, but not this morning,” Cordelia muttered under her breath.

“Right, without the clothes, sure. But all dressed up, who are you?” Green light. Ronan started the car again.

Cordelia just sighed and didn’t bother responding for the rest of the drive to Birchwood.