How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue novel Chapter 374

Octavia froze for a moment, blurting out, “Wait, isn’t my sister-in-law second? How could she be—”

She cut herself off abruptly.

Jarrod’s dark, inscrutable eyes met hers, calm and impassive, yet somehow colder for their lack of emotion. Something in his gaze sent a chill darting down Octavia’s spine, and she shivered involuntarily.

She quickly pressed her thumb and forefinger together and traced a line across her lips.

That was Jarrod’s silent warning: Don’t say anything reckless. Don’t mention Sylvie in front of Grandma.

But…

It dawned on her what Jarrod had just implied.

“Wait, are you saying Elodie came in first?” Octavia almost laughed at the thought. Maybe her brother had just misspoken.

Jarrod loosened his tie and looked at her. “What did you just call her?”

Octavia blinked, shrinking back a little. “Sister-in-law…”

No sooner had she spoken than Grandma’s voice rang out behind her. “What about your sister-in-law?”

Octavia turned to see Grandma coming down the stairs and instantly understood—Jarrod had just been trying to save her. If Grandma overheard her calling Elodie by her first name, she’d have gotten an earful.

Jarrod’s expression was unreadable as he glanced at Grandma, but before he could say anything, Octavia leapt up and linked arms with the older woman. “Grandma, did you know my brother’s wife just ranked first in her aerospace engineering grad program? Can you believe it?”

If Grandma had noticed Octavia mention Sylvie earlier, she didn’t show it. She simply looked at Jarrod and asked, “Elodie’s going to grad school?”

Jarrod replied in his usual unhurried tone, “Yes. Verdant University just released the results today. She’s at the top of her class.”