How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

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It felt as if he'd been gutted, left with nothing but an empty shell.

A long, heavy silence settled between them.

Lucinda was the first to break it. "Can we talk?"

Jarrod's eyes were icy. "Go ahead."

Lucinda led him to a quiet alcove, then looked up at him. "Your grandmother's worried sick-she's been calling, but you didn't pick up. I managed to calm her down and keep her from coming over to make a scene."

After all, it was supposed to be a birthday celebration.

Not that it hadn't already descended into chaos.

"How's Elodie doing now?" Lucinda glanced toward the patient rooms, her expression conflicted.

She'd never really approved of Elodie before, but she'd never imagined someone so young would fall seriously ill.

pain's under control for now." Jarrod pinched the bridge of his nose, trying

the diagnosis? Uterine cancer? How serious is it? What did the

need surgery. The prognosis

her lips before she could stop herself. "Will this affect her ability to have

to look at

into a faint, mocking smile. "What do you

his tone confirmed

do you really think it's practical to never have children? And especially not by choice-because you're forced into it. You're

few people would

more so for

being pragmatic-pointing out a simple

Jarrod

said, his voice cold and flat. "You can leave the Silverstein family now, go

flushed at the

love is everything, that you're willing to give up anything for her, and maybe that's true-for a while. But ten years from now, twenty years

regret comes,

security. Without that, it's just a matter of time before