"A Love Episode" by Émile Zola is a novel published in 1878. It tells the story of Hélène Grandjean, a young widow living in suburban Paris with her fragile daughter Jeanne. When a doctor saves Jeanne's life, Hélène finds herself drawn into forbidden passion. As her feelings deepen, Jeanne becomes consumed by jealousy, sensing she is losing her mother's affection. The story explores the devastating collision between maternal devotion and romantic desire in Second Empire France. (This is an automatically generated summary.)