How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue novel Chapter 569

As soon as they left, Patricia paused by her car, glancing in Elodie’s direction.

Watts stepped outside and caught sight of Patricia, deep in thought.

He strolled over. “No one saw that coming about her. Now that it’s out in the open, she’s bound to get attention from the higher-ups. Things just got way too serious for petty games.”

Watts headed for his own car, tossing out a lazy warning before he left. “Don’t kid yourself. You really think Jarrod hasn’t figured out what you did that day?”

Only then did Patricia actually look at him.

A faint smile curled on her lips, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

—

Sylvie had never imagined she’d one day be summoned to a federal investigation agency.

Endless rounds of questioning.

Cold sweat soaked the collar of her blouse.

The whole ordeal dragged on for nearly two hours.

Because it involved classified information, the process was even more strict than usual.

Of course, she would never really confess. She denied everything, which only meant the investigation would be drawn out even longer.

By the time she finally stepped out of the building, dusk had fallen.

Not a single call from Jarrod during the entire process. Not even a text. He hadn’t come to pick her up, either.

Standing at the deserted street corner, Sylvie’s already pale face looked even more drawn. She pressed her lips together, trying to force down her anxiety. There would be more questioning, more scrutiny, and—for now—she’d be under surveillance.

The consequences would be catastrophic.

Her heart sank like a stone.

A government car dropped her home.

Selma was already waiting by the door.

Word had gotten out. Online rumors were already spreading—fast and vicious.

Elodie was only twenty at the time…

Overnight, the gap between them felt insurmountable. Sylvie—who had always considered herself a prodigy, who had climbed to the top of her field, who had always been so smug around Elodie—was the one left in the dust.

In the end, she’d never even glimpsed Elodie’s true abilities. She wasn’t even worthy of being compared to her.

The realization hit like a slap, shattering all her pride.

In that moment, disbelief twisted into something darker—a creeping, bitter resentment.

All she could think about was prison time—years of it. Everything she’d worked for, her entire career, would be ruined.

A terrible thought flashed through her mind.

If only she’d been convicted back when she was charged with slander against Elodie. Serve a year, behave, get out with her reputation mostly intact. Neural Intelligence wouldn’t have been affected; she’d still have her dividends. Life would have gone on—none of this would have happened.

Sylvie pulled out her phone.

She found Jarrod’s number but hesitated, her finger hovering over the screen.