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.

Silverstein, I'll leave

his mistress around he

looked like she wanted to say more, but Jarrod shot her a look. The

Ivan's back for

you looking at?" Jarrod's cool, detached

met

was cold, emotionless.

wasn't spying on you," Elodie

phone." He almost sounded like he believed

Elodie frowned. "Why?"

out and plucked the phone from her hand. His long fingers tapped

her breath trembled. "You actually think I'd sneak photos of

be some kind

glanced through-nothing inappropriate there-then handed her

it made her skin prickle. "Three years ago you managed to invite the press

go

of him when he was drunk. That she'd called in the reporters to publicize

herself, it

had nothing to prove her

really worried that your thing with Sylvie will make even bigger

a look. "She's different. If photos like

was a world of difference between her