Cordelia knew that whatever Ronan was about to say wouldn't be pleasant. She was so anxious that she bumped her head against the door as she entered his study. Cradling her throbbing forehead, she stepped into the room.
Ronan glanced at Cordelia, then at the door. "Still as clumsy as ever, aren't you?" He asked.
Cordelia remained silent.
Getting to the point, Ronan said, "In this lifetime, you can only be a big sister to our child. Don't think about anything else."
Cordelia clenched her fists upon hearing this. She knew Ronan despised her and harbored no illusions of him forgiving her.
"I agree. I only came because our son needed me, and he called me," she said.
"No need for explanations," Ronan retorted, lighting a cigarette. The smoke swirled before his eyes.
Cordelia hesitated, unsure whether to leave or stay.
"Is there anything else?" Ronan asked.
"Could you quit smoking?" She asked.
Ronan's hand twitched slightly, and his tone softened a bit. "Hmm, why?"
"Callum is still young, he shouldn't be exposed to secondhand smoke," Cordelia replied.
Ronan scoffed. "I didn't expect you to actually care about your son."
She was left speechless by his mocking comment. She hadn't seen her child for three years, and now she was supposed to act like a caring mother.
Just then, Callum emerged from the bathroom. Cordelia also freshened up before accompanying Callum to his room. It was one of the few times she had shared a room with her son since his birth. She felt a sense of warmth and intimacy as a mother at that moment.
"Callum, who usually sleeps with you at home?" Cordelia asked, turning off the lights.
"Dad. But then I got my own room," Callum replied.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Contracted Ever After