How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Andrea hadn't even had time to notify the rest of the Silverstein family.

By the time Elodie was wheeled out of surgery, it was nearly midnight. Her arm had been reattached and was now encased in a stiff cast.

Ivan's face had been drawn and pale the entire time. He'd stayed right by her side, escorting her all the way to her hospital room. If he hadn't managed to subdue Malcom after his outburst, none of this would have happened tonight.

He sat beside Elodie's bed, gripping her hand tightly, his eyes bloodshot with worry as he watched her face, still drained of color.

The anesthesia wore off quickly. As Elodie slowly came to, she felt someone holding her hand and, in her half-awake haze, instinctively wondered-was it Jarrod?

Her eyes fluttered open.

She found herself looking straight into Ivan's face, relief flooding his features as he leaned in. "You're awake! Does it still hurt? Let me call the nurse to see if you need more painkillers?"

As her mind cleared, Elodie glanced down at her hand trapped in his and gently pulled it free. "No need."

A deep ache throbbed in her head. She didn't even have the energy for polite pretense.

Ivan saw the distance in her eyes, and the hope on his face faded. "You're worried about Jarrod, aren't you?"

Elodie met his gaze, her voice quiet but firm. "Shouldn't I be?"

struck, his expression briefly twisting with hurt and

out of surgery. He's still

Elodie's heart seize

her limbs, she pushed herself upright,

stop her. "He's not going

of warmth. "Do you have a reason to stop me? Ivan, you know exactly why Malcom

his face growing rigid and cold bit

scattered words. Someone had deliberately provoked him, escalating

With effort, she swung her legs over the edge of

soon ran into Andrea, who

him-Jarrod lying unconscious in bed. He hadn't woken yet. An oxygen mask covered his face, and his body was wrapped in

had never seen Jarrod like

throat closing, unable to breathe. She pressed her good hand to the glass,

did the doctors say?" she

was furrowed. “Mr. Silverstein has a deep knife wound on his back, lost a lot of blood. And when you fell, that made

too. It's going to be a

before... he wakes up."

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