How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Chapter 132

Elodie walked to the entrance and sat on the stone steps for a moment to catch her breath.

The specialist the doctor mentioned had no set return date. Besides, if this expert was as renowned as they claimed, getting an appointment wouldn't be easy.

If only she had some way to contact him directly—maybe she could buy her uncle some precious time.

"Ms. Thorne?"

Elodie looked up.

Joseph was approaching, studying her with a concerned gaze. He noticed how pale she still looked and was reminded of the last time he'd rushed her to the hospital.

"Are you feeling unwell again?" he asked, lips pressed in a tight line.

Elodie drifted for a second, then shook her head. "No, I'm fine."

Her answer was a little curt, so she tried to soften it, asking politely, "You're here for...?"

Joseph lifted the pharmacy bag in his hand. "Freya's asthma medication. I come by to pick it up regularly."

Elodie nodded in understanding. Freya had struggled with asthma for years—her health had never been strong. Joseph, though, was a devoted brother, always looking out for her.

She and Joseph had never been close. Their past interactions were anything but friendly, leaving them with little to talk about now.

An awkward silence settled between them.

Joseph noticed it too and chose to break it. "So, what brings you to the hospital today?"

"I spoke with my uncle's doctor about treatment options," Elodie replied politely.

down by worries. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Are you having trouble with something? Do

skepticism. Given Joseph's previous indifference toward her, she was surprised by his

trying to

"What's his diagnosis?"

"A malignant tumor."

eyes, visibly unsettled. With everything going on, she couldn't afford

searching for words of

a steady look and said, "I know a leading doctor in that field. If you'd

him,

her eyes, as if she

her doubt. He pressed his lips together, pulled out his phone, and tapped a few times. A moment later, Elodie's phone

friend of mine," Joseph explained. "He's been working abroad for years and is highly respected.

silent, still processing the

at her phone-a

she asked before she

to avoid her. He wasn't as openly hostile as Maurice, but he'd made it clear

to

he simply said,

he'd just given her a lifeline. Joseph came from one of the

exhaled and, for the first time, spoke with genuine gratitude. "Thank

her continued reserve

he'd never treated

you headed? I can give you a

you don't have to

Joseph met her eyes, sincere. "You're probably heading back to VistaLink Technologies, right? I'm headed that way-it's no trouble

the shop-Esmeralda had taken it in for servicing

refusing