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 you to your family matters. I'm going

even care that Jarrod was parading his

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

on Ivan's back for a

you looking at?" Jarrod's cool, detached voice snapped her out of

up and met his deep, inscrutable

was cold, emotionless. "Care to

on you," Elodie

He almost sounded like he

Elodie frowned. "Why?"

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

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

be some kind of

inappropriate there-then

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

go of what

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

matter how she explained herself, it all

had nothing to

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

If photos like that

clear: there was a world of difference between