Sylvie turned to Keith with unhurried grace, her posture effortlessly elegant.

Keith, almost instinctively, glanced at Sylvie. After a moment’s deliberation, he shook his head. “It’s nothing. I just wanted to remind you your meeting with Mr. Black is at three this afternoon.”

Jarrod’s dark eyes betrayed nothing as he nodded, then disappeared into his office.

Sylvie followed close behind.

Keith watched the two of them retreat down the hall, weighing his words carefully and ultimately deciding to keep silent.

After all, Ms. Fielding was still here. Bringing up Elodie now would be out of place.

Besides, in all these years, he’d never heard of Mr. Silverstein visiting his mother- in-law’s grave.

What would be different this time?

Even if he brought it up, with the third anniversary coming up, Mr. Silverstein would probably refuse. Why risk spoiling both his and Ms. Fielding’s moods by mentioning Elodie?

On the other side of town, Elodie was completely unaware of Keith’s dilemma. After work that evening, she changed course and headed for the nursing home. Her grandmother had sent over a few home-cooked dishes for Emile today, and Elodie decided to join in and keep everyone company.

Emile had just finished a round of chemotherapy. His appetite was poor, and he barely touched his food. Still, he smiled warmly as he chatted with Elodie and Rosemary about his new room.

He told them the hospital had arranged a much better caregiver for him now, with both a day nurse and a night nurse taking shifts-far more attentive than before.

Elodie was surprised. She wondered if this was a standard perk for the private suite, or if Jarrod had quietly intervened.

At a hospital this exclusive, every service usually came with an extra fee.

Could it really be that Jarrod had given special instructions?

“That must have cost a fortune, didn’t it?” Rosemary turned to Elodie, frowning in disapproval. “You only just started your new job. There’s no need to spend so much.”

She was genuinely worried for Elodie-this girl had always carried too much for both her and Emile.

Elodie snapped out of her thoughts and didn’t explain how they’d managed to afford the room. If her grandmother and uncle found out that Selma was downstairs, it would just upset them both.

“My commission at work is pretty generous these days, so you don’t have to worry about me. Once we find a suitable donor, I’ll make sure Uncle has the best doctor for the surgery.”

Right now, that was all she wanted.

All she cared about was moving quickly, reaching her goals, and making sure she could give her uncle access to the best treatment possible.

Emile, however, only felt he was holding Elodie back. His voice was tinged with guilt as he shook his head. “I’m just a burden to you. If I weren’t so sick, maybe I could help out for once…”

Elodie had never known real protection growing up.

Malcom was cold and hypocritical; he’d never cared whether she lived or died.

The Thornes were hardly a prestigious family-she’d never had the kind of support she needed to stand her ground in her in-laws’ eyes.

Now, with Emile’s illness and the mounting bills, she felt even more weighed down. It was a constant ache in Emile’s heart.

Elodie felt a tightness at the tip of her nose, but she only smiled and shook her head. “I’ve finally found my way back to the work I love, and I’m truly happy. Things will only get better for us from here.”

She had already pulled herself out of the quicksand.

She would do what needed to be done, and let the rest take care of itself.

Rosemary planned to stay the night. After seeing Elodie to the elevator, she squeezed her hand.

“Have you told Jarrod and Ivan about your mother’s memorial?” she asked quietly.

To her, Jarrod was Elodie’s husband-he should be there. And Ivan had once been the closest person in Elodie’s life; when Winifred was buried, it was Ivan who helped Elodie through it all. How could he not come now?

Elodie froze, unsure of how to answer.

She’d told Jarrod, though she still wasn’t certain if he’d come.

As for Ivan…

She couldn’t bring herself to believe he would.

Rosemary caught the hesitation in Elodie’s eyes. Her expression darkened, and her voice sharpened with anger. “It was one thing when it was just a simple visit to the cemetery, but this is the anniversary. Jarrod has to come-there’s no excuse for him not to.”