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.

didn't go to The Silverstein Group. She drove straight to

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

the car and wore

Alexander were

invested her

had graduated from top universities in the

from impressive-her

this was a tech company, not a place for

hire people with at least a Master's?" Elodie said, looking around in surprise after

degrees didn't seem to count for

together and they still wouldn't be half as useful as you.

U.N2 project from five years ago had already blown the competition

grumbled. "I need to make sure you're not still lovesick. If you bail halfway through the project, who am I supposed to cry

stared

Alexander-blunt

someone here to see you," Alexander's assistant knocked at

"Who is it?"

says she's here on behalf of

soured except Elodie's. Especially Esmeralda, who folded her

represent Jarrod? Tell her