How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Elodie instinctively tightened her grip on her fork. "No, really, I'm fine. I've just been busy-skipping meals, that's all."

She'd lost a lot of weight since she got sick. Her appetite was gone, and nothing seemed to stay down, but neither Jarrod nor Ivan had noticed.

Only her grandmother, the one person who truly loved her, had sensed something was wrong right away.

But Elodie couldn't tell her.

Her grandmother was getting on in years, and after Elodie's mother passed away, she hadn't been able to handle any more shocks. Her uncle, Emile Thorne, had been in a care home battling liver cancer for months. If Elodie fell apart, how could either of them cope?

"Elodie, are you unhappy?" Rosemary watched her with concern, picking up on the unease in her demeanor. "Did you and Jarrod argue?"

Why else would Jarrod barely ever come by with her?

Elodie set down her fork and hugged her grandmother tightly. "No, honestly, we're doing just fine. Don't worry about me. Next time, I promise, I'll bring him here myself so he can tell you."

Just as soon as the divorce was finalized.

Then they could both move on.

For now, Rosemary just kept piling food onto Elodie's plate, wishing she could somehow make her put on twenty pounds overnight.

Even though the thought of eating made her queasy, Elodie smiled and ate everything her grandmother offered.

Before she left, she wrapped herself in the scarf her grandmother had knitted.

Monday.

to The Silverstein Group. She drove straight to VistaLink

her resignation, and she'd wrapped up her work. It was time

the men's scarf in the car and wore her own up to the

and Alexander were

had invested

at VistaLink Technologies had graduated from top universities in

comparison, was far from impressive-her

tech company, not a place for

only hire people with at least a Master's?" Elodie

degrees didn't seem to count

hand dismissively. "So what? Put all their degrees together and they still wouldn't be half as useful

from five years ago had already

I should get you in for an MRI," Alexander grumbled. "I need to make sure you're not still lovesick. If you bail

just stared at

old Alexander-blunt

you," Alexander's assistant knocked at

"Who is it?"

Ms. Fielding. She says she's here on

name, everyone's face soured except Elodie's. Especially Esmeralda, who folded her arms

Jarrod? Tell her