How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Elodie hadn't been looking well lately.

She'd noticed it herself the last time-now, she'd fainted again.

Did Jarrod... know about any of this?

Elodie didn't sleep a wink that night.

When morning came, she felt drained, her nerves frayed. The looming issue with the gallery hung over her like a guillotine, impossible to ignore. She couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't over yet.

After turning it over in her mind, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

She called Jarrod, but whatever he was doing, he didn't pick up. Or maybe-he just didn't want to.

Either way, Elodie no longer cared about the why.

She headed straight for The Silverstein Group.

She'd worked there for three years-long enough that the receptionist recognized her. Elodie phoned Keith in the executive office; his voice was as chilly as ever. "Mr. Silverstein is busy, Ms. Thorne. You'll have to wait."

Elodie made her way upstairs and settled into the lounge.

but didn't bother with a greeting, just

assistants who knew Elodie well. In the past, she'd made a point to befriend them—lunches, coffee breaks, a

small talk, one of them said, "You might be waiting a while, Elodie. Mr. Silverstein's

a wink. "More like the apple of his eye." Elodie didn't need to ask-she knew they meant

too swamped with work to see her. He was with Sylvie—and had left Elodie cooling her heels

in and out of The Silverstein Group like she owns the place. No restrictions, no appointments-Mr. Silverstein's door is always open to her. I even heard..." "Yesterday, when Ms. Fielding left his office, her lipstick was totally

talking about some office

feeling like a spectator in

wife, had to make appointments and wait her turn, while

else cleared the

Elodie a cup of tea, then

nearly two hours. People came and went from the executive suite, but no one came

realized she couldn't just sit here forever. She spotted Keith

still

of files in

that supposed

left with Ms. Fielding for lunch

was no mistaking the cool calculation in his

kept Jarrod in the dark about her being here? Or