The next morning, the housekeeper arrived with Jarrod's younger sister, Octavia.

The girl had just turned seventeen, all long limbs and bright eyes. As soon as she walked in, she tossed her purse onto the couch without a care.

"Where's Elodie Thorne?" Octavia blinked at Jarrod, feigning innocence.

Jarrod finished knotting his tie and glanced her way. "Is that how you address people?"

Octavia pouted. "You don't even like her, so why should I call her my sister-in- law?"

Their mother had said it often enough-Elodie had married up, clinging to the Silverstein family, and ought to devote herself entirely to them. There was a word for that, wasn't there?

A glorified housekeeper?

Jarrod shot her a cold, knowing look. "Alright, out with it. What's your scheme this time?"

Octavia's eyes sparkled. "Aren't you busy today, big brother?"

"And if I am?"

"Mom's at a fashion show, Dad's out of the country, and Grandma's not well enough to come to my parent-teacher meeting." Octavia swung her legs, putting on her best pleading voice. "So let Elodie go. She eats your food, spends your money, and does nothing all day. She's got all the time in the world."

Jarrod hesitated. "You can ask her yourself."

know, she won't dare refuse." Lately, Octavia had become obsessed with watching Sylvie's lectures on aerospace engineering from abroad, and her grades had slipped. She had no intention of letting her mother or brother hear about it from her

his coat and headed for the door. "Fine. I'll clear it with

fever. These days, her body seemed to rebel at the slightest provocation; her immune system

already called in sick the day before, and today she meant to go to the hospital to consult her

lobby,

her vision blurred and the floor rushed

"Elodie!"

woman's voice

everything went

was her

irritation. "What the hell has Jarrod been

skipped. She tensed, afraid her secret

your brain?"

was Esmeralda broadcasting her illness all over Eldermere-the

up here?" Elodie

in the ER with alcohol poisoning. I came to

awful.

knew Jarrod was married, and yet the internet was obsessed with his so-called fairytale

Disgusting. Both of them.

long since burned out. "I'm divorcing him," she said quietly. "Once the waiting period's over, these

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