The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan)

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. Content is © by NôvelDrama.Org.

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?"

"Sure," Cordelia agreed, suspecting that Petra must have already known who she was. Otherwise, why

would she suddenly invite a stranger to lunch?

They ate at a restaurant. Their conversation was shifting from academics to personal life. Cordelia

always felt that Petra was laying the groundwork to discuss the college reunion.

"Cordelia, I actually knew about you before. I never expected to bump into you here at school. I saw

you and felt familiar. You're Ronan's ex-wife, right? After the reunion, someone showed me your photo.

I know who you are," Petra said. "I didn't want any misunderstandings. I'm not the person our

classmates make me out to be. I didn't avoid the reunion because he got married."

"Why didn’t you attend then?"

As expected, after a long preamble, Petra brought up the reunion.

Petra paused, "Let's not talk about it. Let's eat. I wasn't in a good place back home, that's why I applied

to be a visiting scholar. I didn't expect to run into you."

Cordelia hated it when people didn't finish their thoughts, leaving her in suspense.

Petra mentioned the incident but did not provide any explanation. Her evasive language seemed to be

hinting at something, like "My absence at the reunion has something to do with Ronan."

After that, she clammed up and started slurping her noodles, as if trying to swallow all the memories of

a sorrowful past. It made Cordelia feel awkward and guilty. Petra had studied so hard for Ronan, only

to have him snatched away by Cordelia.

It seemed as if Petra was the top student, and was studying diligently every day, while Cordelia was

just a student who cheated during the exam, copying Petra's answers, and somehow scoring better

than her.

Now, Petra was showing the composure of a top student, and was not holding grudges, which made

Cordelia feel even more guilty!

At first sight, Cordelia didn't have a good impression of Petra. In fact, she found her quite off-putting.

After their meal, the two women returned to their respective homes.