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.

voice was cool, but

with the same practiced indifference. "Which part don't you understand? Albin can clarify for

we tell your grandmother

his tone almost gentle. "I hope you

in a slow breath.

flickered, just a hint of a smirk. "It's exactly what it

laughed. She knew perfectly well what

preventing her from disclosing their marriage or the date of their divorce to protect himself. This was all

Sylvie had come into the picture, no one could accuse her of being the other woman. The timeline would

bending over backward to keep Sylvie's hands

"And if I refuse

Jarrod

recognized

never would have

Baxter here, to negotiate the return of the ring, had been for nothing. Jarrod had intended to

she wondered if Jarrod had bought the ring for Sylvie at the charity gala simply out of kindness

her freedom. The other condition was even more insidious-a silent pressure, forcing her, the discarded

The generous terms Jarrod had offered weren't out of fairness-they were hush money,

magnanimous, but really, it was

and 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

well. "Ms. Thorne, if you're not satisfied, you don't have to sign today. I can negotiate with Mr.