How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

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."

she won't dare refuse." Lately, Octavia had become obsessed with watching Sylvie's lectures on aerospace engineering from abroad, and her

mull it over, then shrugged on his coat and headed for

a low fever. These days, her body seemed to rebel at

the day before, and today she meant to go to the hospital

lobby, her legs felt like

vision blurred and the floor rushed up

"Elodie!"

woman's voice shouted

everything went

up, the first thing she saw was her best friend, Esmeralda Mercer, sitting at her

was a mix of worry and irritation. "What the hell has Jarrod been putting you through? The doctor says you collapsed from

skipped. She tensed, afraid her secret might have been

fry your brain?"

she needed was Esmeralda broadcasting her illness all over Eldermere-the

end up here?"

himself in the ER with alcohol poisoning. I came to check

gave Elodie a hard look. "But you look awful. Is this because of Jarrod

people knew Jarrod was married, and yet the

Disgusting. Both of them.

divorcing him," she said quietly.