How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Elodie had just arrived at the airport. After checking her luggage, she finally replied, "Around four thirty."

There was a brief silence on the other end. "Got it. Wait for me when you land. I'll drive you back into the city."

She could only assume it was her grandmother who'd nudged him into making this call.

Still, after what happened last night, she hesitated.

Jarrod seemed to pick up on it. His tone was almost amused, "Grandma asked me to bring you home."

He was using her grandmother as a shield. Elodie frowned, her brow tightening. "...When are you planning to tell her?"

"Jarrod, they're starting to board." Sylvie's voice suddenly broke in from his side of the call.

Then-beep, beep, beep.

He'd hung up.

She wasn't even sure he'd heard what she said.

And as for what happened last night, it was as if it hadn't even registered with him.

If she'd heard right just now... the boarding announcement on his end sounded exactly like hers.

Were they on the same flight?

Elodie almost laughed.

was he supposed to give her a ride home

to waste any

to Eldermere took about two hours. After landing,

a lift back to the

found a seat and tried calling

No answer.

once he'd sorted out whatever he

laptop and got to work, determined not to waste time just sitting

waiting area. Eventually, her neck

forty minutes

word

the mood to keep waiting. She closed her

arrived at the taxi stand, her phone buzzed.

the hospital for a saline IV-tonsillitis, can you believe it?—and who do

up at the gray, wintry

crept through her

collar tighter before climbing

Well. That explained everything.

Sylvie. He hadn't even bothered to let her know, or answer her call. She'd been left behind and

her a ride if he was never going to follow

her eyes for a moment and asked gently,

one thing-Sylvie must have had some sort of crisis, one that made Jarrod drop everything and

hardly talk, but seeing those two? I was so mad I nearly