How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Sprague was on his way, and after a moment's hesitation, Elodie decided to follow along.

Right in front of her, Jarrod entered the passcode. It was the same sequence she'd seen at their old place the same one from their wedding apartment.

But as she stepped inside, she realized something startling: the décor here was absolutely identical to hers, down to the smallest detail. The floors, the tables and chairs, even the trinkets on the shelves and the curtains hanging in the windows -every last piece mirrored her own home.

For a split second, Elodie wondered if she was seeing things.

"When did you do all this?" she asked. As she spoke, Jarrod was already crouched by the shoe cabinet, pulling out a pair of women's slippers her usual brand and style.

He set them down by her feet, then looked up with a hint of a smile. "Are you planning to charge me for the design rights?"

"If you want to pay, just send the money," Elodie replied dryly. What was the point of all this verbal sparring?

Jarrod straightened up and walked farther in. "No problem. I usually use Venmo. Want to add me?"noveldrama

Elodie fell silent again.

It was oddly funny-they hadn't even added each other's contacts since she'd deleted him. She knew Jarrod wasn't serious; bringing it up now felt equal parts bittersweet and ironic.

She walked further into the apartment, meaning to sit down, but as she glanced to the opposite wall, she froze. There, on a cabinet exactly like hers, sat a collection of framed photos.

One of them was of her and Jarrod, sitting side by side with composed expressions-neither of them looking especially happy. She'd always thought Jarrod hadn't smiled at all that day, that he must have been miserable.

But now, looking at it again, she noticed something she'd missed before—a faint, almost imperceptible trace of a smile in Jarrod's eyes.

Who else would frame a photo from their city hall wedding and put it on display?

As for the other photos... Elodie recognized one from last year, when her grandmother had insisted they take a few family pictures to send to her great- aunt. Jarrod had tried to send her one afterward, but by then she'd already deleted him. He'd been interrupted by a call from Sylvie and never tried again, so he hadn't realized she'd taken him off her contacts.

At the time, she'd assumed Jarrod hadn't wanted to be in the pictures. After all, they'd barely taken any photos together.

But now, looking at the images, she could see it: when Jarrod stood beside her for the camera, his body and head leaned ever so slightly in her direction. It was a subtle but unmistakable sign.

Body language always says more than words.

Back then, though, Elodie hadn't dared to guess, hadn't wanted to read too much

into anything or embarrass herself by overanalyzing.

She let out a quiet breath, almost unconsciously.

Jarrod noticed her staring at the photos. He poured a glass of water and handed it to her. "Don't overthink it."

That caught her off guard. She looked up at him.

Was he saying things were different now? Was he warning her not to get her hopes up?

Jarrod met her gaze, reading her thoughts. "Don't overthink it," he repeated, his voice steady. "I didn't put those out to show off for

anyone's benefit. Not for my

grandmother, not for anyone. It's not about appearances."

Elodie understood what he meant.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Jarrod turned to answer it.

Sprague came in, looking amused, "What's this? You two slumming it for the experience? Abandoning a perfectly good estate to squeeze into a place like this?"

Neither Elodie nor Jarrod bothered to explain.

Sprague set a cooler full of fresh crab on the table, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened between them. He was all ease, like they were still family, as if no rift had ever existed. “Jarrod, make sure to steam a couple of these for Elodie later."

Elodie stood up politely. "Thank you, big brother."

"No trouble at all," Sprague replied, then glanced at Jarrod. "Got a minute to talk?"

He gestured toward the hallway.

Jarrod answered calmly, "We can talk here. There's nothing Elodie can't hear."

Sprague chuckled. "Of course. No one knows how much you care about Elodie better than I do."