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

was also the chance the operation would fail, that

short-to just

to remove her uterus

own.

everything else was a burden

to carry.

she told herself. Jarrod

But with something as

dangerous-for him and

finished peeling the orange, he held out a

her mouth, and he simply waited, hand suspended in the air,

to withdraw.

were locked in a silent

let

a good chance

your heart and your

to

see me as a burden right

was

feels like

But a few

the line things

don't want to

of one-sided situation,

it's best

really not willing to try with me?" he

segment to her lips. "Why not

ask me if I

tangy sweetness burst in her mouth as she finally accepted

no pretense. "Is any part of

the first time, Jarrod met her gaze

love you," he said, his

His dark

as

fragile face.

in a way, he