How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Elodie didn't understand what Jarrod had just said, and for once, she didn't try to

hide how she felt. She'd always known that after the surgery, grief and pain would

hit her hard-but she hadn't expected it to come crashing down so violently,

impossible to dodge or ignore.

She locked eyes with Jarrod, noticing how hard he was trying to ease her burden,

to make things a little lighter for her.

"What person?" she asked, her voice raw. Was he talking about Sylvie-her

closest confidante?

Right now, nearly everyone she cared about was in Eldermere. A tiny circle, really.

She couldn't imagine who else could possibly matter this much.

Jarrod hesitated, taking in the deep hurt in her expression before speaking, slow

and deliberate: "It's a girl. As of today, she's been alive for six months."

Elodie's face tensed. "What do you mean?"

"She's... our child."

For a heartbeat after Jarrod's words, Elodie just sat there, numb, as if someone

had struck her squarely in the head. Her thoughts scattered, refusing to come

together.

It took her a long few seconds to find her voice, her words shaky and bewildered:

we ever-how

hand and led her over to a small, plush

for her. He knelt in

serious. "The procedure you had a few months ago wasn't

performed it, I flew in from overseas. It looked

doctor used a technology

embryo intact and transferred it into

went wide,

at him, completely unable to believe what she

possible now? Did such technology

must have read her doubts; his voice was steady, calm. "Don't

me like that. Medical science has reached

can't even imagine."

pinched her still-gaunt cheek, a

for

her

in ragged bursts,

from not having

forced

hoarse. Is

please-don't say this

make me feel better."

this was nothing but a desperate lie to ease her

grounding her. "Have I ever

isn't public

"It's

echelons of

world. The

astronomical-not many can afford

even most

It's only been in

a couple of

their own