NovelUSAThe sudden, suffocating silence in the room felt like a vice tightening around everyone's throat. It was almost unbearable.
Elodie faced her suffering head-on.
She watched helplessly as her beloved grandmother and uncle turned deathly pale.
Not wanting her illness to bectheir source of grief, she forced a small smile. "It's uterine cancer, but don't worry. I'm getting good treatment, and I have one of the best doctors. I'll... do everything I can to get better." Her words brought a breath of air into the stifling atmosphere.
Her grandmother, stunned, collapsed onto the couch in a daze, too shocked to even react.
Lucinda's brow furrowed in disbelief.
Uterine cancer...
Didn't that mean... Elodie might never have children? But Jarrod was the only one who didn't move.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAll color had drained from his handsface. His lips parted, but no sound came.
It took several tries before he finally managed to choke out, "...When did you find out?" Elodie met his gaze.
Only then did she notice his eyes-bloodshot, filled with a desperation she'd never seen before. Jarrod, who always seemed invincible, looked completely shattered. He still hadn't let go of her wrist.
He was trembling.
He was terrified.
He was hurting.
Elodie forced herself to speak, steady and clear, despite the pain racking her body. "The day Sylvie Fielding returned to the country-the night you threw her that birthday party. That's when I was diagnosed." Jarrod's body jolted as if struck. His eyes went unfocused, and his lips turned ashen.
It was as if the last glimmer of hope had been snuffed out.
What had he been doing then? He hadn't been by her side. No wonder... Elodie had never mentioned her illness to him after that.
Maybe, deep down, she'd given up on him completely.
In that moment, the world outside seemed to fade for Jarrod. His vision tunneled, a ringing in his ears drowning out everything else.
He couldn't even forgive himself.
watche Esmeralda watched as Elodie calmly recounted her ordeal, and couldn't stop herself from sniffling. She knew just how much Elodie had endured. That knowledge made her loathe anyone who'd ever hurt her even if they'd claimed it was for her own good.
Rosemary's eyes were red as she stepped forward, wanting to reach out, but she was so overcwith grief that she could only sob, "Don't be afraid, darling. I'll be right here with you. Medicine's cso far everything will be okay." Even Emile, always so composed and scholarly, looked shaken. His own struggle with cancer had taught him how grueling treatment could be. At least he'd always had Elodie and Rosemary by his side. But... who was there for Elodie? Not even her own husband had known.
Rosemary was getting on in years—she'd already lost her daughter, and now her granddaughter was gravely ill. She couldn't take it.
After comforting Elodie, Rosemary began to clutch her chest, struggling to breathe.
Her blood pressure was spiking.
Elodie's expression shifted in alarm. "Grandma!" Alexander, closest to her, rushed forward to support the elderly woman.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Esmeralda, helpget Grandma to the hospital," he called.
Esmeralda snapped out of her daze and hurried to help.
The room descended into chaos.
Elodie watched Alexander half-carry her grandmother out the door, sweat beading on her forehead. A wave of doubt swept over her-maybe she shouldn't have confessed everything right now.
Rosemary had to be taken to the hospital.
Elodie could barely stand.
A fresh wave of pain crashed over her, making her stagger.
Jarrod finally snapped out of his shock when he caught sight of m Elodie's condition. His face went even paler Without a word, he bent down, scooped her into his arms, and rushed out the door.
Lucinda couldn't leave, so she quickly turned to tend to the stunned olan woman left to manage the chaos in the living room.
Ivan arrived just in tto see Jarrod carrying Elodie, her face twisted in pain, as they burst through the hallway. His heart skipped a beat.
But Jarrod didn't slow down, his stride long and urgent.
He avoided the main hall, careful not to disrupt the guests gathered there. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to see Elodie like this-hurting, vulnerable, and exposed.
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