How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

When he finally asked that question, Jarrod knew he was laying it all on the line. He was done with this dance of second-guessing Elodie's thoughts, tired of the endless guessing games between them.

If it were anyone else, maybe he wouldn't care so much. But with Ivan-after everything Ivan had done-Jarrod simply couldn't take that step back.

The abrupt fallout between Ivan and Queenie had already set him on edge, making him jumpy, suspicious of everything.

Even though Elodie had, right in front of him, drawn a clear line with Ivan and made it clear she had no feelings for the man, Jarrod couldn't shake his anxiety. After all, Ivan had been a hidden threat for years. It was impossible for Jarrod to face the situation with perfect calm.

Elodie, on the other hand, had never expected to see Jarrod like this. It was as if his carefully polished exterior had been ripped away, exposing a vulnerability she'd never imagined.noveldrama

Especially now, with his hand wrapped firmly around her wrist, pressing her back against the glass behind them in a way that made escape impossible.

"Let me go first," she said, trying to twist free of his grip, refusing to meet the flicker of emotion in his eyes.

"I need an answer from you," Jarrod said, his gaze unwavering, not giving in this time.

Elodie met his eyes with cool composure. The question itself was easy-she didn't even need to think about it. Ivan had long since been written out of her plans for the future. After marrying Jarrod, she'd come to understand what Ivan truly meant to her; he'd become just another relative, important maybe, but nothing more.

Back when Ivan had been released from prison, she'd been in pieces, barely holding things together for the Thorne family, which needed her support. With so few people left she could call family, Ivan's return had felt like a big deal.

But she hadn't expected Ivan, the moment he was free, to go out of his way to provoke her, making it obvious he wanted to hurt her. The malice in everything he did couldn't be missed. Over time, she'd realized Ivan wasn't even worth calling family anymore.

But what Jarrod cared about...

"I..."

"What the hell are you two doing?"

A sudden voice at the door cut Elodie off.

Lily strode in, taking in the sight of Jarrod pinning Elodie's wrist, the two of them locked in a tense standoff. There was no trace of tenderness, only a brittle, charged atmosphere.

It looked... weird.

Lily's face changed instantly. She rushed over, yanking Elodie out of Jarrod's grasp, glaring at him defensively. "What's going on? If you two have to argue, fine, but don't lay a hand on her!"

Lily's interruption only made things stranger.

Elodie couldn't help glancing at Lily's furious expression. This girl was even more clueless than she'd thought-every emotion written plain as day on her face.

Jarrod's eyes flicked over Lily, his lashes lowered. "Maybe you should

spend some time at the Louvre),

said dryly. "By your standards, The Kiss' would count as assault."

Lily stared at him blankly. What was that supposed to mean? She had no idea.

Elodie knew Jarrod was being downright savage now.

She decided to end the farce, turning to Lily. "Come on, how many sets of data are in?"

Lily shot Jarrod a suspicious look, then turned back to Elodie. "Three. And you're sure he didn't hurt you?"

"...No, he didn't."

"Then what were you doing?"

Elodie was now absolutely certain Lily was hopelessly naïve.

She didn't answer, knowing full well Jarrod was still watching her as she walked away.

It wasn't until they'd reached the testing room that Lily, suddenly self-conscious, scratched her head and gave Elodie a sideways look. "Look wasn't trying to butt into your business. Work is work personal stuff is personal. Just don't let your relationship drama affect the project."

She still didn't like Elodie. That much hadn't changed.

"Fine,” Elodie replied, bending over the data, her tone dismissive.

Lily bit her lip and hurried off in the opposite direction.

Elodie didn't let the run-in slow her down.

And Jarrod didn't make another appearance.