Cordelia suddenly felt small compared to Ronan, insignificant. What was the point of being on the board of directors if she was just going to be spun around by Ronan's whims? Her education seemed worthless now. She lacked Ronan's reckless bravery, his willingness to throw caution to the wind. In comparison, she felt like she had nothing.
The topic of conversation shifted away from Brenda and Jordan.
Ronan lit up a cigarette, squinting through the smoke as he spoke, "A woman like you, who can let go of everything, is a rare find in this world."
He was likely fixating on Cordelia's time spent in the UK, where she had studied for three years. It nagged at him.
"I..." Cordelia found herself speechless. "We were talking about Jordan. Why bring me into this?"
"Mom, you're not leaving, right?" Callum had entered the room.
"No, honey, I’m not going anywhere. I'll stay with you," Cordelia said with a gentle pinch to her son's cheek.
"You're the best, Mom. Let's go out to eat," Callum urged, pulling her toward the door. "Janice said she's not feeling well and won't be joining us for dinner."
Cordelia wondered if Janice was upset because Harold had enlisted and was away, or if she simply didn't want to see Cordelia, given that the whole mess had been stirred up by her.
Cordelia had lost her appetite, and after dinner, Callum retreated to his room. When she tried to follow him, she found the door locked.
"Callum, what's this about? Why won't you let me in?" she asked, knocking.
"Nope! I'm a big boy now. I can't sleep with you anymore. You should go sleep with Daddy and work on your relationship," Callum's childish voice responded from inside.
Cordelia stood awkwardly in the hallway.
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