How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

A chill ran down Queenie's spine.

If Ivan suddenly wanted to call off the wedding, who else could it be because of?

The two of them—Elodie and Ivan-had gone upstairs one after the other, almost as if it was arranged.

Queenie clenched her fists for a long time, but before Elodie could notice her, she slipped away.

But now, a bigger problem gnawed at her: Jarrod didn't know about Elodie's pregnancy, or that she was planning to end it?

The thought left her pale and lost in anxious silence.

Ivan finally looked away from the landing when he saw Queenie coming downstairs. Taking in how drawn and tired she looked, he said, "Let me drive you home."

Queenie bit her lip and met his gaze. "I lost my baby, Ivan. You owe me for that."

Ivan paused mid-step, a frown creasing his brow. It was the truth, and he couldn't deny it.

Their last fight had ended with Queenie threatening him with the baby, which had pushed him to the breaking point—and led directly to the accident. Queenie had suffered terribly because of it.

"We'll talk about it later," he said tightly, walking out the door without another word.

She resisted the urge to argue, but the grief and anger from losing her child bubbled up, and she couldn't help but lash out. "If you want to put it bluntly, Ivan, losing the baby was Elodie's fault too. If you'd handled things with her, I wouldn't have been so upset, and my child would still be alive."

At that, Ivan turned to face her, his voice cold. "Queenie, stick to the facts. Don't drag other people into this. You know perfectly well Elodie had nothing to do with it."

Queenie froze.

He was right.

She did know.

But what could she do? She couldn't let go of Ivan, couldn't blame him, and yet her pain had nowhere to go.

Ivan didn't want to argue about Elodie. Even if things had gotten complicated between them, he wouldn't let anyone badmouth her in front of him.

He got in the car without looking back.

Queenie laid a hand on her now-flat stomach and finally climbed into the passenger seat.

Word of her miscarriage had spread; plenty of people knew, including the Harcourt family.

Malcom, ever the picture of sympathy, insisted she come stay with the Harcourts while she recovered.

Queenie didn't refuse-staying with them meant she wouldn't have to have another confrontation with Ivan, at least for now.

As soon as she stepped inside the Harcourt house, she realized she wasn't alone.

There was another woman in the living room-someone she recognized, though not intimately.

Reba Harcourt stood up, a glint of excitement in her eyes that she quickly masked with a show of concern. She stepped forward, feigning warmth. "Queenie, you need to rest and take care of yourself. Don't be too upset."

Of course, Reba was secretly delighted that Queenie had lost the baby. If the wedding fell apart, so much the better.

But Queenie's gaze had already shifted, drawn to the elegantly smiling Patricia Aldridge.noveldrama

"How do you know Ms. Aldridge?" Queenie asked, unable to hide her surprise.

Reba merely smiled, waving away the question. “It's a long story. Ms. Aldridge helped our family land a major overseas deal. I invited her here today as a thank you. You two know each other?"

Patricia glanced at Queenie,

searching her memory. The upper-class social scene was small enough that they'd crossed paths, but Patricia rarely bothered to

remember anyone who die

a fasting impression.

"We went to the same high school," Queenie replied simply.

Patricia's eyes lit with recognition. "Ah, yes. Sorry, I didn't recall at first."

Her gaze drifted to Queenie's belly. "And you are...?"

A shadow passed over Queenie's face.

Reba jumped in with a dramatic sigh, though the satisfaction in her eyes was unmistakable. "She lost the baby. You know Elodie-she and my brother..."

Reba paused, frowning. "It's because of Elodie that Queenie and Ivan argued, and now the baby's gone. I just hope Elodie doesn't stir up more trouble and ruin things for others."

Patricia narrowed her eyes, considering. There was still something going on between Elodie and Ivan?

"But aren't they supposed to be siblings?" she asked, her tone casual.

Reba let out a cold laugh. "Her? She's always had a knack for reeling men in. Even after she got married she couldn't stay away from brother. One of these days, Silverstein's going to find

Mr.

Silverstein's going to find

out and

throw her out on the street

"But right now, the important thing is that she stays away from Ivan and Queenie."

Just hearing Elodie's name made something twist painfully inside Queenie. She forced herself to speak, her expression icy. "Impossible!"

"Elodie's pregnant she wouldn't dare have anything else to do with Ivan now." Queenie bit her lip. "Except I don't think she's told Mr. Silverstein yet. Who knows what she's thinking."