How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Her overseas projects couldn't run without her as chief engineer, and her schedule was relentlessly tight.

She barely had time to get measured and order her wedding dress before she was whisked away again.

This time, the company had assigned her a personal security detail and arranged a private jet for her travels.

Esmeralda Mercer was still abroad and hadn't returned yet, so Elodie needed to go oversee things herself.

Jarrod, on the other hand, didn't really voice any opinion about it.

He knew Elodie had a world of her own to conquer, and he was never going to be

the one to hold her back. He wanted to be the one who always had her back, ready to support her, wherever and whenever she needed it.

Even so, letting her go was never easy.

He couldn't help but think some of the higher-ups' work arrangements lacked basic compassion.

Jarrod had never been a fan of that "with great power comes great responsibility" mentality—just because someone was capable didn't mean they should be expected to carry more than their share.

But...

Watching Elodie in the passenger seat, completely absorbed in her iPad, scrolling through lines of code, he realized again how much she loved what she did. Nothing else came close.

When Elodie left the house that morning, her mind was a mess. Parting ways with Nadia had left her unusually unsettled. She'd never been the sentimental type, but when she saw Nadia clutch her hand and smile, she'd embarrassingly burst into tears before she'd even walked out the door.

Work was the only thing that could numb her, at least for a while.

picked up on

gently squeezed the back of her neck. "What if I bring Nadia and come with you?" he

be fine, but Nadia wouldn't last a day. That place is brutal-don't

clearly teasing, and seeing a bit of her old spark return, he turned to her. "When did I ever say I'd be fine? Honestly, I was just wondering if you don't make it back in time for the wedding, how

but scoff. "Then why did you insist on rushing the wedding? No

"It's for

He didn't elaborate further.

had always been the jealous

over things, but when it came to her, he

at him, not sure what to make of

They reached the airport.

the car, got out, grabbed all her luggage,

out. "You don't need

Just take

every day if water them when

"Alright."

to go out of your way-I just want to focus and finish the job as

"Alright."

you can make all the decisions. I don't really have any strong

"Alright."

thought he was almost too calm

a quizzical look. “Okay then, I'll

say to me?" Jarrod hooked a finger through the

back.