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Chapter 24

Elodie left the upscale neighborhood and glanced at the time-it was already two o’clock.

The drive to the hospital would take about forty minutes, just enough to get her there at the right time.

Once she got in the car, she took another pill.

The side effects were harsh.

Lately, she’d been suffering from intense dizziness and fatigue.

She really needed to discuss her treatment plan with the doctor again.

After sitting quietly for a while to steady herself, Elodie started the engine and pulled away.

Almost as soon as Elodie was gone, Octavia came downstairs, timing it perfectly.

She had no intention of greeting Elodie.

In the past, Elodie was always pestering her about her brother’s likes and dislikes, fussing over her wearing skirts bare-legged in winter, and even prying into her grades as if she could actually tutor her or something.

It was so annoying. That’s why Octavia avoided her whenever she could.

But she knew that if she ever needed anything, Elodie wouldn’t turn her down.

Meanwhile, Cara was just about to take a thermos of soup over to the Silverstein Mansion.

Octavia, humming cheerfully, stepped up. “Hand it over-I’ll take it.”

Cara didn’t think much of it. Since Octavia was staying at the mansion anyway, she just passed the container to her.

Elodie’s hospital of choice was the best private clinic in Eldermere.

The care was superior, and her uncle Emile was staying in the attached rehabilitation wing-one of the most reputable in town.

Of course, it was expensive.

Three years married to Jarrod had left her with nothing except a hard-won manager’s position in PR, a job that at least paid very well.

She’d managed to get by all these years.

Now, at VistaLink Technologies, Alexander and Esmeralda valued her even more. They’d given her shares in the company, and once the new project launched, her annual dividends would be at least seven or eight million.

That way, even if her illness couldn’t be cured, she could still leave a generous sum for her grandmother and uncle, ensuring they’d be comfortable in their old age.

That’s why she’d been so desperate to rekindle her old ambitions.

Partly, she wanted to live without regrets; partly, she wanted to make sure her family would be taken care of.

Her attending physician was an expert at this hospital, a specialist over fifty, who advised her to run a fresh round of tests.

Elodie didn’t see anything tragic about hauling a stack of test results around on her own. She’d grown used to having no one to rely on; disappointment after disappointment had only made her more resilient.

The results were depressingly clear-nothing had improved.

The specialist frowned as he read through the reports. “Given your current condition, medication alone is no longer effective, Ms. Thorne. You need to seriously consider chemotherapy and surgery.”

Elodie stayed silent.

The doctor pressed, “Do you have any family? Husband? Parents? Maybe you should discuss this with them.”

Elodie lowered her gaze and shook her head gently. “It’s alright. I can decide for myself.”

A husband? She didn’t want him anymore.

Parents? She might as well have none.

“If I go through with chemo or surgery, what are the odds of success? How long is the recovery?”

The doctor replied, “Chemotherapy has severe side effects-it affects your whole body and your daily life. As for surgery… well, with your condition as it stands, the national success rate for this type of tumor is about forty percent.”

“The recovery period is hard to predict.”

Elodie’s lips turned pale, and for the first time, her usually composed expression wavered with uncertainty.

This was exactly what she’d been dreading.

What if she gambled and lost?

If things didn’t go well, if the treatments made her weaker and unable to work, then she’d lose both her health and her income.

“There’s something else you must consider, Ms. Thorne,” the doctor said seriously. “If you choose surgery, you may lose your ability to have children.”

Elodie stared at the test results in her hands, lost in thought.

She had always liked children.

When she first married into the Silverstein family, Octavia had been just thirteen or fourteen-a delicate, adorable girl who sometimes clung to her, begging sweetly for attention.

Elodie used to wonder what it would be like to have a child with Jarrod.

But then Sylvie had come into the picture, and Octavia had turned sullen and hostile.

Now, just like that, she was about to get divorced-

She looked up and spoke softly, “If there’s a chance to get better…”

“I’m willing to give up having children.”