Elodie grabbed Lily by the arm and led her straight to the testing room.


    Every batch of materials had to be thoroughly inspected-meticulous data, strict protocols, nothing less than perfection. If even a single step went wrong, the entire coboration could bepromised.


    This was military business; there was no room for error.


    Their partnership was vital for the technological strength of theing years— one misstep could ripple out in all directions, with consequences that wouldst for decades.


    Elodie couldn''t afford a moment''s carelessness. The testing process would take anywhere from two weeks to a month, and as the team lead, she couldn''t allow a single oversight.


    It was painstaking work. By the time they finally finished, nearly three hours had passed.


    When things quieted down and the others moved to another room topile results, Elodie paused for a breath. She reached for a ss of water, but her phone buzzed—a message from Esmeralda.


    I just heard something. A mutual friend told me Queenie... had ate-term miscarriage. Something happened, and she lost the baby.


    Elodie was taken aback.


    Queenie had been visibly pregnant-she was always so slim, but her belly had been obvious. Elodie was never certain how far along she was, but it must''ve been well into the pregnancy.


    And now, at such a delicate stage, everything had ended so suddenly?


    More voice messages from Esmeralda followed, her toneyered with conflicting emotions.


    "Thest time at the hospital, when Queenie picked a fight with you, I thought she was awful. But now... losing her baby like this, I almost feel sorry for her."


    "Do you think she argued with Ivan again that day because of you?"


    "If Queenie''s lost Ivan''s child, do you think their wedding will still happen? My friend said there''s a chance it might fall through. All of this happened not long after we saw them at the hospital. Elodie, what if Ivan is... thinking abouting back to you?"


    Esmeralda''s voice trembled between anxiety and disbelief.


    If Ivan dide back, it would be utterly insane.


    Elodie frowned.


    Whatever had happened to Queenie-it must''ve devastated her. At thatte stage, the blow would be unimaginable.


    Before she could reply to Esmeralda, she turned around-and was startled to find herself face-to-face with Jarrod.


    She had no idea when he''d entered. He stood there,posed and coldly


    elegant, but the storm in his eyes was unmistakable.


    "When did you get here?" Elodie couldn''t help the sharpness in her voice, her brow creasing as she instinctively stepped back.


    Jarrod watched her, taking a step


    forward for every step she took away, never breaking eye contact. He kept closing the distance unti she found herself pressed up against the ss window, nowhere left to go.


    "Is there something here I''m not supposed to hear?" he asked quietly. "Should I censor myself based on which parts you''d rather keep ''private''?”


    His tone was calm, but his gaze was relentless.


    There was no hiding the truth-he''d heard everything.


    Including the possibility that Ivan''s wedding might not happen.


    Elodie had no way out. She met his gaze head-on. "Whether it''s private or not,


    that''s my business. And it''s certainly not Mr. Silverstein''s concern."


    He didn''t flinch. "No? You''re mywful wife. That''s a fact too." He looked down at her, the tension between them palpable.


    Elodie''s voice was icy. "Jarrod, you''re the one who kept things from me. I never asked for this."


    "What is it you want, then? Ivan?" For the first time, Jarrod bent down so their eyes were level, his voice lowe and steady, as if discussing a simple fact. "The day Esmeralda brought you home, sheshed out at me. Was it because you''d seen Ivan?


    Does she think I''m the one standing in your way?"


    And now, suddenly, Ivan''s wedding might be off? It wasn''t lost on Jarrod what Ivan was really after.


    Elodie felt Jarrod was standing too close. She put a hand to his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heart beneath her palm.


    "Are you interrogating me? On what grounds?" she shot back.


    Why was Jarrod reacting like this?


    He didn''t look away, and for the first time in years, words he''d never spoken before tumbled out between them "You want the truth? Fine. We got married four years ago. I''ve resented him for nearly three."


    He paused, searching her face. “Tell me when you changed your name to


    Thorne, was it because of him?"