How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Chapter 180

Maurice was genuinely surprised.

Elodie was being all businesslike?

Cold, detached, as if they were discussing a merger and not the end of a

marriage.

But that veneer cracked in an instant.

A faint crease appeared between Elodie's brows as she scanned the rest of the agreement. Whatever charitable assumptions she'd made about Jarrod's intentions vanished without a trace.

She'd found the other two conditions.

The first: for one year, she was forbidden from telling Henrietta the truth about the divorce.

The second: unless Jarrod gave explicit permission, she was not allowed to reveal to anyone that they'd been married for three years, nor was she allowed to disclose the exact date of their divorce.

If she broke the terms, Jarrod had the right to defend his reputation and reclaim the house, the shops, the financial settlement-everything he'd promised her. And if she breached the agreement, he could demand "reasonable compensation." The definition of "reasonable" would be up to Jarrod.

Elodie's fingers curled slowly into a fist. She looked up at him across the table.

mean?" Her voice was cool, but there was steel

indifference. "Which part don't you understand? Albin can clarify

tell your

not in good health," Jarrod replied, his tone almost gentle. "I

a slow breath.

eyes flickered, just a hint of a

perfectly

divorce to protect himself. This was

knew when Sylvie had come into the picture, no one could accuse her of

bending over backward to keep

"And if I

its rightful owner." Jarrod set a

She recognized it instantly-the Thorne family heirloom

would

the ring, had been for nothing. Jarrod had intended to use it

Sylvie at the charity gala simply out

Elodie would have to play along with Jarrod's charade, surrendering a measure of her freedom. The other condition was even more insidious-a silent pressure, forcing her, the discarded wife, to protect the

offered weren't out of fairness-they were

magnanimous, but really,

fell with the weight of it. "Ms. Thorne, what's there to hesitate about?" Maurice grinned, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Go on, sign it." He was clearly enjoying the drama, convinced that Elodie was only making trouble to get Jarrod's attention. He wanted to see how far

don't have to sign today. I can negotiate with