How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Chapter 119

She never finished her sentence.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded at the doorway.

A low, cool male voice cut through the room. "I'm not late, am I? Darling?"

Elodie's words were snatched from her lips.

She whipped around, stunned, half-convinced she must have misheard.

Everyone else in the room looked over, just as surprised.

Jarrod strode in, calm and assured.

Seeing him, Ivan's brows knit in surprise. He hadn't expected Jarrod to give Elodie such respect-calling her "darling" in front of everyone.

But then again, Ivan realized, today it was just the Thornes-no outsiders, no need to keep up appearances. Jarrod could afford the pretense of

acknowledgment. If even one unknowing guest were present, Elodie would never hear such a word from him.

Tall and impeccably dressed in a black suit, Jarrod crossed the room. He glanced at Elodie, then nodded politely to Rosemary. "Business kept me for a while," he said, voice even. "My apologies, Grandma."

Elodie's expression cooled.

"darling" had almost cracked her composure. The shock she felt at the

was he playing? Willing to go this far

these years of marriage, he'd never

accepted that Jarrod was with Selma and Sylvie today. Why had he

was plain black, not the red-patterned one Sylvie had given him—appropriate for

made

rested on her, his tone casual. "What's

did Elodie realize the look she'd been giving him. With Rosemary and the others still watching, she forced herself to

"Work."

let it drop. It wasn't her place to dig deeper,

softened. As the family matriarch, she chose not to press further. She simply

the ritual with

on? Aren't

with him. Either way, since he's here,

Jarrod really hadn't shown, Alexander would have told Elodie to get a rabies shot in memory of

none of this made sense. By rights, Jarrod should have been

highlight-wasn't until tonight. That would

wondered the same. The third anniversary memorial would wrap up before noon; she figured Jarrod would leave as soon as the ritual was over. That way, he could maintain appearances and still

motionless, playing dumb, but a faint smile touched his lips as he greeted Jarrod. "I thought Mr. Silverstein might be too busy today

had really