How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

She turned her head, her gaze steady and calm. "If the surgery goes perfectly, if

the prognosis is good and they manage to remove all the tumor and cancer cells,

and if I can walk away whole-that would be the best-case scenario. But the truth

is, no one can make that promise."

Given how far her illness had progressed, and the earlier miscarriage that forced

her into surgery, it was clear she'd been through more than anyone should have

to bear.

"Jarrod, you really don't have to-"

"I reached out to some specialists in Europe," he interrupted, his voice low.

"They're working together to come up with the best possible treatment plan." He

turned away, grabbed an orange from the fruit bowl, and started peeling it with

careful, deliberate motions. He didn't look at her, focusing instead on removing

every strand of pith from each segment. If you looked closely, though, his hands

were trembling ever so slightly.

He'd cut her off before she could finish.

Elodie stared at him, silent. She didn't want to give him false hope-she wasn't

even sure what to hope for herself. No matter how she looked at it, the road

ahead was bleak.

In the best-case scenario, the surgery would be a success. She'd need regular

checkups, but her daily life and everything else would go back to normal. But

operation would fail, that complications would

just two, maybe five

to remove her uterus entirely.

own.

best outcome, everything else was a

to carry.

told herself. Jarrod wasn't

really. But with something as serious as this,

dangerous-for him

finished peeling the orange, he held out

he simply waited, hand suspended in the air,

to withdraw.

they were locked

last, Elodie let out a slow

a

heart and

I hate to admit

see me as

was right

now, love feels

But

things might

I don't want to end

one-sided situation,

it's best if

try with me?" he said, reaching out

orange segment to her lips. "Why not wait

me if

sweetness burst in her mouth as she finally accepted

the eye, no pretense. "Is

first time, Jarrod met her gaze

he said,

His dark

pain as he

pale, fragile face. He

in a way, he was