How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue novel Chapter 496

Even though Sylvie hadn’t said a word, Elodie understood her perfectly.

Linking arms with Jarrod in public—especially right in front of her—was Sylvie’s way of sending a message to everyone: she was the one Jarrod cared about. And, by extension, it highlighted how little Elodie meant to her own “husband.”

Esmeralda’s face darkened at the sight. This wasn’t subtle at all; it was a blatant provocation.

She started to speak up, but Elodie coolly looked away and squeezed her hand. “Let’s go inside.”

After all, Sylvie hadn’t technically done anything wrong. If she made a scene right now, it would only make her seem petty and jealous, blowing things out of proportion.

Besides, she hadn’t come here just to pick a fight. She already had a plan in mind—she needed to stay alert, wait for the right moment, and at the very least, let everyone arrive before making any moves. Otherwise, it’d all be for nothing.

Esmeralda had no choice but to swallow her indignation.

They were here for something important today; she couldn’t afford to drag Elodie down.

The art show was high profile—Selma had really pulled out all the stops, hiring a renowned local curator and making sure the whole event was top-tier and flashy. The media coverage over the past few days had been intense.

But all this glory had been built on her mother’s pain.

Back when her mother created a new series of paintings inspired by two older works, Selma, right at graduation, had accused her of plagiarizing her senior project. The series was publicly shamed, her mother branded a thief, and the paintings eventually vanished. Even though Jarrod had paid a fortune last year to recover one of them, it was useless—he refused to give Elodie the one painting by Selma that could have served as proof.

“Some people really think putting on a couple of feathers turns a chicken into a peacock,” Esmeralda muttered as soon as they entered, her tone sharp and icy.

Elodie glanced around. The event hadn’t officially started yet; most of the people milling about were staff.

“There’s been so much drama lately. The other side’s desperate to turn this into a win, so they’re bound to give it everything they’ve got.”