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.

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

care that Jarrod was parading his mistress around he

shot her a look. The girl's shoulders hunched;

gaze lingered on Ivan's back for a few

Jarrod's cool,

up and met his deep, inscrutable

was cold,

on you,"

phone." He almost sounded like he

Elodie frowned. "Why?"

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

face finally changed. She was so stunned her breath trembled. "You actually think I'd sneak photos

to be some

there-then

her skin prickle. "Three years ago you managed to invite the press to photograph us in bed. Is there anything Mrs. Silverstein

let go of what happened three years

was drunk. That she'd called in the reporters to publicize their affair. That she'd

herself, it all seemed weak

had nothing to

will make even bigger

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

a world of difference between her