The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 724

Ronan lounged on the couch, tilting his head curiously towards Whitney. "Where's Cordelia?"

"Oh, she's in class. I have to dash off and pick up Callum from school," Whitney replied, glancing at her watch before heading out the door.

Left alone, Ronan watched as Alana, seemingly awakened from a daze, started reminiscing about the old days with a visitor who had just walked in after years apart.

Soon, the sound of keys jangling in the lock broke the nostalgia.

Cordelia stepped in, her eyes widening at the sight of the unexpected guest sitting cozily with her mother in the living room.

Her gaze then flicked towards Ronan, her eyebrows knitting together tightly. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Shouldn't I be?" Ronan countered casually.

"Callum will be out of school soon. Just wait," Cordelia dismissed him without much interest, still trying to process the visitor's presence.

Despite several days having passed, the sting of recent events hadn't fully left Cordelia. The loss of Jayson still loomed large; never again would there be such a child in the world.

August lifted his head, looking at Cordelia with recognition. "You're... Cordelia?"

"Yeah." She had been trying to place the man's face, but as she watched her mother holding his hand and studied his features, a wave of emotion surged through her. Her lips parted as if to speak, but the words were slow to come.

This man was August.

Her father.

A warmth rushed to Cordelia's throat. "Dad... Daddy."

It had been years since she'd used that word.

August nodded affirmatively, "That's my girl, that's my girl."

Cordelia's anger flared, as if she was the one to blame for keeping father and son apart.

This time, she was determined not to let Ronan off easy. If she did, he wouldn't take the situation seriously and might do something even more inhumane in the future—worse than death, though Cordelia couldn't imagine what that could be.

"Is this... my grandson?" August finally asked.

"Yes, say hi to grandpa," Cordelia instructed Callum.

"Hi, Grandpa," Callum said, somewhat shyly.

Tears instantly streamed down August's cheeks as he stroked Callum's hair. After all these years, not only did he have a daughter, but also a grandson. He murmured "That's my boy, that's my boy," his voice choked with emotion, unable to articulate the joy he felt.

Cordelia turned to Ronan, "You can head home. I've got a lot to talk about with Dad."

"What's up? Having a tiff?" August inquired, noting the tension. "Why the cold shoulder to Mr. Evans the moment he walks in?"