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?"

up-clearly caught

shock ran through the gathering.

one ever

Silverstein here tonight? Someone we

to the murmurs swirling around him, his expression

of amusement in his voice. "Then tell me, sir,

clearly joking-or, perhaps,

expression shifted, and almost involuntarily,

didn't hide her displeasure, her face stony as she shot Jarrod a withering look before turning sharply

her way to check on the older woman, raised an eyebrow, shooting Elodie a

handled it as well as anyone could, and, frankly, she was relieved he hadn't said more. The last thing she wanted was to become fodder for endless gossip as "Jarrod's ex." That was never the life

the topic down quickly; any further digging would only drag someone else into the spotlight, and he

Joseph had both been startled by the sudden turn, but Maurice recovered first. Slipping 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. Our Mr. Silverstein here of course he likes the idea

to keep people guessing. The ambiguity worked; it could mean anything, depending on who

those who'd been

it, we