<b>74 </b>Eleanor’s Hopeful Maneuvers


    <b>74 </b>Eleanor’s Hopeful Maneuvers.


    “That rare Jamaican coffee you like,” Damien exined. “An apology for missingst month’s family dinner.”


    After dinner, we moved to the sitting room. Eleanor and Damien fell into conversation about a business acquisition while I sat quietly nearby, not attempting to join in. Cora yed with her new dolphin toy on the carpet.


    <b>As </b>we left the sitting room together, I could feel Eleanor’s gaze following us–watching, hoping, that her orchestrations might finally bear fruit. She didn’t understand that she was trying to mend something that had been broken from the beginning.


    “You’re wee.” His response was equally detached.


    As the grandfather clock struck nine, Eleanor stifled a yawn behind her hand. “Oh my, it’s gettingte.” She nced meaningfully between Damien and me. “You two must be tired as well. Why don’t you head upstairs? I’ll have James bring Coco up in a little


    while.”


    “Eleanor,” he greeted, leaning down to kiss her cheek. He pulled a small package from his coat pocket. “I brought you something.”


    Eleanor smiled, patting his arm. “Thank you, dear.” Then, with a pointed nce in my direction, she added, “Though I’m not the only one deserving an apology, am I?”


    “Coco! My sweet girl,” Eleanor cooed, kissing the top of Cora’s head. “Did you have a good day?”


    Again, Damien followed his grandmother’s direction without protest. He ced a helping of mashed potatoes on my te–my favorite side dish–before serving


    himself.


    “So, Coco,” Eleanor said, turning to her great–granddaughter, “tell me more about the


    aquarium.”


    “Mom!” Cora turned and gave me a quick hug before pulling away to dig through her little backpack. “Look what 1 got!”


    Eleanor sighed softly at my redirection. She still believed I was protecting Damien, covering for his coldness as I had done countless times before. She didn’t realize I’d


    <b>14:49</b>.


    74 Eleanor’s Hopeful Maneuvers


    long stopped caring about salvaging his image.


    Cora nced at me, considering the idea. “Ma returning to her meal.


    she said nomittally before


    The front door opened again, and Damien stepped in. Even after all these years, his presence stillmanded attention. Tall and imposing in his tailored suit, he nodded briefly in my direction before turning to his grandmother.


    Our eyes met, and in that moment, I felt the weight of all our choices–his, mine, and the ones we’d made together–pressing down on us in the quiet hallway of his family


    home.


    My stomach tensed at her suggestion. Though we still officially shared a bedroom at Thorne Manor during our visits, Damien and I had perfected the art of avoiding actual interaction within those private spaces.


    Coraunched into an enthusiastic ount of her day,plete with dramatic hand gestures. “And then Vi–I mean, we saw this huge shark! It was bigger than Dad’s car!”


    Damien and I ascended the grand staircase side by side, close enough that our shoulders nearly touched, yet separated by an invisible wall thicker than the mansion’s stone foundation. Neither of us spoke. The only sound was our footsteps on the polished wood.


    “Thank you,” I said politely.


    The rest of dinner passed with carefully polite conversation. Eleanor asked about my work, and I gave brief updates about YodaVision’stest projects. Damien listened withoutment, focusing on his food.


    I observed my husband as he spoke with his grandmother. His posture rxed, his expression animated in a way it never was with me. I felt no jealousy, only a detached awareness of the difference.


    “That sounds wonderful, dear,” Eleanor responded, smoothly guiding the conversation away from dangerous territory. “Perhaps next time your mother could join you.”


    ra’s POV


    “Very cute,” I agreed, gently stroking her hair.


    The silence stretched ufortably until I broke it. “Dinner should be ready soon.


    14:40


    74 Eleanor’s Hopeful Maneuvers


    Shall we move to the dining room?”


    I said nothing. What could I say? That I no lo..ger made excuses for Damien? That I had stopped being “on his side” months ago? Eleanor cherished the illusion of our family unit. I wouldn’t be the one to shatter it tonight.


    “Damien, would you serve ra?” Eleanor suggested as the first course arrived. “You


    know what she likes.”


    “Yes, let’s cat,” Eleanor agreed. “James has prepared your favorite roast, Coco.”


    Eleanor included me asionally with a question orment, but I kept my responses minimal. I wasn’t being deliberately difficult; I simply had nothing to contribute to their discussion. The distance between Damien and me had grown so vast that even sitting in the same room felt like upying differents.


    In the dining room, Eleanor orchestrated the seating arrangement with practiced subtlety. “Damien, why don’t you sit here beside ra? Coco and I will sit across from


    you.”


    At the top of the stairs, we paused, both facing the hallway that led to our shared bedroom. The air between us felt charged with unspoken words andplicated


    history.


    I recognized Eleanor’s hopeful gaze as she watched our interaction. Despite years of evidence to the contrary, she still believed our marriage could be rekindled through proximity and small gestures. I found myself strangely unmoved by Damien’s consideration. Once, I would have treasured this moment, analyzing every nuance of his behavior for hints of care. Now, I simply ate my dinner.


    As she rummaged around, I caught the faint scent of an expensive perfume on her clothes. Vivienne’s signature scent. My smile remained fixed in ce while my chest tightened. I said nothing about it.


    I rose as well, giving Eleanor a warm hug. “Goodnight, Eleanor. Thank you for dinner.”


    Damien’s eyes flickered to me for a moment, his expression unreadable. No words


    followed.


    The slight slip didn’t go unnoticed by Eleanor, whose smile tightened momentarily. Vivienne’s name hovered unspoken over the table.


    14:49


    74 Eleanor’s Hopeful Maneuvers


    Eleanor linked her arm with mine as we followed. “You always make things easier for him,” she whispered. “You’ve always been o is side.”


    I stepped forward from where I’d been standing in the entryway. “Hello, sweetheart,” I said, bending down to Cora’s level.


    Cora cheered and skipped ahead of us toward the dining room.


    Damienplied withoutment, taking the seat next to mine. Our chairs were closer than necessary, another of Eleanor’s transparent maneuvers.


    Cora nodded eagerly, her small ponytail bouncing. “It was amazing! We went to the new aquarium, and I got to touch a stingray!”


    “Found it!” Cora pulled out a small plush dolphin. “Isn’t it cute?”


    Damien turned slightly toward me, his expression unreadable in the dimly lit corridor. For a moment, I thought he might say something meaningful. Then his phone vibrated in his pocket. He nced at the screen briefly, and I caught the sh of Vivienne’s name before he tucked it away.


    Eleanor Thorne’s face lit up when Cora dashed through the front door of Thorne Manor. The elderly woman opened her arms wide, smiling as her great–granddaughter


    flew into her embrace.


    “Goodnight, my dears,” she replied, waving us toward the stairs with a hopeful smile.


    “That sounds sensible,” Damien agreed, setting aside his empty ss. He stood and offered his grandmother a kiss on the cheek.


    Eleanor’s eyes sparkled with interest as she took the package. “What’s this?”