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.

Elodie's awkward predicament. "Mr. Silverstein, I'll leave you to your family

didn't even care that Jarrod was parading his mistress around he wasn't going to get

her a look. The girl's shoulders hunched; she bolted without another

Ivan's back for a few

Jarrod's cool, detached voice snapped her out of

met his deep,

gaze was cold, emotionless.

spying on you," Elodie

Give me your phone." He almost sounded like he believed

Elodie frowned. "Why?"

the phone from her hand. His long

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

be

glanced through-nothing inappropriate there-then handed

were cold and sharp, his tone so indifferent it made her skin prickle. "Three years ago you managed to invite the press

couldn't let go of what

still believed she'd shamelessly taken advantage of him when he was drunk. That she'd called in the reporters to publicize their affair. That she'd forced

how she explained herself, it all seemed weak and

to

really worried that your thing with Sylvie will make even bigger headlines?" Her voice

different. If photos

implication was clear: there was a world