How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Elodie glanced sideways at Esmeralda, catching the dreamy, hopeful look in her friend's eyes. For all her usual bravado, Esmeralda wore her heart plainly tonight.

Thinking of Fleming Mercer, Elodie could only hug Esmeralda lightly and murmur, "Next month, we'll finally have our wedding celebration. Once we wrap up work, we'll head home together. And hey, your big day isn't far off either."

For a split second, Esmeralda's smile faltered, but she quickly brushed it off with a carefree wave. "Right now, your wedding's the main event! Mine can wait."

She didn't want Elodie to know the real reason Jarrod was safe-it was because she'd made a deal with Fleming, trading away her own engagement. Esmeralda knew that admitting this would only make Elodie feel guilty and burdened, and she refused to let that happen.

She'd simply wait until they were home, then find an opportunity to quietly announce she and Fleming "just weren't right for each other."

Still... since that decision, she hadn't seen Fleming again, nor had they spoken about breaking off the engagement. Maybe he was avoiding her, worried she might change her mind. And although she sometimes ran into Adrian, he always looked as though he wanted to say something but held back, his mood clouded.

Esmeralda never pressed Adrian to explain. If Fleming himself wouldn't come see her, why bother chasing answers from someone else? Especially when the engagement was all but over.

In the weeks that followed, Elodie and Esmeralda threw themselves into work. This international project was a massive undertaking, and VistaLink Technologies' involvement had been mandated by the top brass, so every last detail had to be meticulously handled.

sent her. The dress was understated yet exquisite-not heavy or fussy, but light as air, with hand-sewn Australian pearls

wedding, she

Jarrod called her on video every day, always making sure she saw little Nadia. Sometimes he'd tease, "By the time you

little jealous. It only made her more determined to finish work and fly

was ever simple. No matter how efficient Elodie tried to be, deadlines stayed tight. A last-minute project test meant another week's delay-throwing all her

flight home with Esmeralda and the rest of

1.11 x

the airport, Jarrod was waiting. The moment he saw Elodie, he hurried over and wrapped her in a long, thick coat; Eldermere was colder now,

"Is

first thought was

seeing how tired she looked, he just

have plenty of time to give her all

Esmeralda. She'd noticed that, despite their busy schedules, Esmeralda had been. avoiding Fleming

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