How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

She clenched her fingers and said evenly, "No one wants to get a stye. Just so everyone's aware."

She didn't want to explain, nor did she feel the need to.

Jarrod studied her, his expression unreadable.

"Stop making excuses. If I hadn't caught you, you'd never have admitted it," Octavia complained, glaring at her. "This is so annoying. This is a guesthouse- everything's taken care of here. Why are you even following us around? We don't need you."

For the past three years, to escape her mother's nagging, Octavia often spent weekends or holidays at her brother's place. Elodie had always fussed over her like a housekeeper.

Octavia had gotten used to it, so she automatically assumed that Elodie was using the pretense of looking after her to stir up trouble for everyone.

"What's going on?" Queenie and Ivan came out one after the other.

Ivan glanced at the isolated, outnumbered Elodie and grinned. "Mr. Silverstein, why's the mood so tense?"

Octavia, though young, could read the room. She knew Ivan was, at least in name, Elodie's brother, so she just pursed her lips and fell silent.

But Elodie understood-Ivan was offering her a way out, a chance to move past this.

Sylvie didn't comment, just turned to Queenie. "Let's go grab a bite."

Queenie wasn't interested in the drama either, and left with Sylvie.

as if he hadn't even noticed Elodie's awkward predicament. "Mr. Silverstein, I'll leave you to your family matters. I'm going to

didn't even care that Jarrod was parading his mistress

she wanted to say more, but Jarrod shot her a look. The girl's shoulders hunched;

lingered on Ivan's back for a few

at?" Jarrod's cool, detached voice snapped her

up and met his deep,

was cold, emotionless. "Care

on you," Elodie replied

me your phone." He almost sounded like

Elodie frowned. "Why?"

the phone from her hand. His

stunned her breath

to be some kind

inappropriate there-then handed her phone

her skin prickle. "Three years ago

still couldn't let go of what happened three years

she'd shamelessly taken advantage of him when he was drunk. That she'd called in the

matter how she explained herself,

nothing to prove her

that your thing with Sylvie will make even bigger

"She's different. If photos like that got out,

was clear: there was a world of difference