Elodie didn''t understand what Jarrod had just said, and for once, she didn''t try to
hide how she felt. She''d always known that after the surgery, grief and pain would
hit her hard-but she hadn''t expected it toe crashing down so violently,
impossible to dodge or ignore.
She locked eyes with Jarrod, noticing how hard he was trying to ease her burden,
to make things a little lighter for her.
"What person?" she asked, her voice raw. Was he talking about Sylvie-her
closest confidante?
Right now, nearly everyone she cared about was in Eldermere. A tiny circle, really.
She couldn''t imagine who else could possibly matter this much.
Jarrod hesitated, taking in the deep hurt in her expression before speaking, slow
and deliberate: "It''s a girl. As of today, she''s been alive for six months."
Elodie''s face tensed. "What do you mean?"
"She''s... our child."
For a heartbeat after Jarrod''s words, Elodie just sat there, numb, as if someone
had struck her squarely in the head. Her thoughts scattered, refusing toe
together.
It took her a long few seconds to find her voice, her words shaky and bewildered:
"Our child? When did we ever-how could we have another child?"
Jarrod gently took her hand and led her over to a small, plush armchair he''d
carefully arranged for her. He knelt in front of her, his sharp, handsome features
deadly serious. "The procedure you had a few months ago wasn''t what you
thought it was. The doctor who performed it, I flew in from overseas. It looked like
a termination, but actually the doctor used a technology that''s only avable
abroad. They removed the embryo intact and transferred it into an artificial womb."
Elodie''s eyes went wide, stunned.
She stared at him,pletely unable to believe what she was hearing. Was that
even possible now? Did such technology really exist?
Jarrod must have read her doubts; his voice was steady, calm. "Don''t doubt it.
Don''t look at me like that. Medical science has reached a level that most people
can''t even imagine."
He reached up and gently pinched her still-gaunt cheek, a rare gesture of
tenderness. "I''m sorry for telling you only now."
Elodie realized her breath was
burning from not having blinked in
ages. She forced herself to speak,
her voice hoarse. Is this real?
Jarrod, please-don''t say this just to
make me feel better."
A part of her truly feared this was nothing but a desperate lie to ease her pain.
But Jarrod held her gaze firm, grounding her. "Have I ever lied to you?"
"This technology isn''t public yet," he
exined quietly. "It''s reserved for
the highest echelons of the medical
and business world. The costs are
astronomical-not many can afford
it, not even most so-called
millionaires. It''s only been in clinical
trials for a couple of years."
In this world, everyone lived in their own bubble of information. What you knew
depended on who you were.
And right now...
The child Jarrod had entrusted to a specialized facility in New York City was finally
stable. Almostpletely out of danger.
The weight of this revtion crashed over Elodie, leaving her ears ringing. Her
hands were mmy with sweat as she clung to Jarrod, her voice catching. "How
did you arrange all of this... so quickly?"
Surely, something thisplex couldn''t have been organized at thest minute.
The logistics alone were mind-boggling.
Jarrod''s lips curled into a faint, resigned smile as he remembered the man he''d
been back then. "It wasn''t quick. Every single step was nned out, right from the
start."
"I got an email from someone-a
photo of you in the maternity ward. I
recognized the hospital immediately;
it''s where my uncle had his surgery, I
remembered the symbol in the
background. I guessed you''d be
handling everything there, so I
started putting things in motion."