How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Chapter 380

Despite being well into his eighties, Raleigh was as sharp and energetic as ever, his voice still carrying effortlessly through the room. The moment he spoke, the atmosphere seemed to hush, as if his words had pressed pause on the evening. All around, heads turned their eyes homing in on Jarrod, suspicion flickering in their glances.

It wasn't just curiosity; it was genuine surprise.

Jarrod, however, looked entirely unfazed by Raleigh's question.

He drummed his fingers loosely on the back of his chair. "My wife, you say?"

Even Elodie couldn't hide her surprise at how things had suddenly turned. She had no idea why Raleigh would ask such a thing. Divorce or not, with or without that confidentiality agreement about their past marriage, the last thing she wanted was to have their former relationship dragged into the open. Instinctively, her brow knit tight, frustration clouding her eyes.

And then, just as she looked up, her gaze collided with Jarrod's.

He glanced over, almost carelessly, but that single look made her fingers curl unconsciously against her palm. She hated this-being thrust under the spotlight, as if someone had yanked the rug out from beneath her.

But Jarrod's attention didn't linger. He offered only that fleeting glance before turning back to Raleigh with a faint, detached smile, waiting for what would come next.

Raleigh squinted at him. "Jarrod, weren't you married before?"

who had been half-distracted, looked up-clearly

the gathering. "Mr. Silverstein? Married?

no one

Silverstein here tonight? Someone we know,

murmurs swirling around him, his

the eye, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Then tell me, sir, just where is this wife

clearly joking-or, perhaps,

almost involuntarily, he glanced

displeasure, her face stony as she shot Jarrod a withering look before turning sharply and leaving the room. So much for a pleasant evening- ruined, just like

older woman, raised an eyebrow, shooting Elodie a knowing smile and a shrug that said,

relieved he hadn't said more. The last thing she

Jarrod wasn't about to let anyone probe deeper. He'd shut the topic down quickly; any further digging would only drag someone else into the spotlight, and he wasn't about to

an arm around Jarrod's shoulder, he glanced over at the retreating Henrietta, then beamed at the crowd. "Let's not take it too seriously, folks. Just a bit of banter, nothing more.

to keep people guessing. The ambiguity worked;

those who'd been eavesdropping

get it,