"I got a call from Eleanor today. On her way home, a ck SUV cut her off several times. It was extremely dangerous..."


    Joel straightened. "My concern for Eleanor is strictly professional, Mr. Goodwin. Please don''t misunderstand."


    "As long as you''re clear about that, Dr. Kingsley."


    Joel pressed on. "Mr. Goodwin, this wasn''t a random incident. Someone deliberately targeted Eleanor, trying to intimidate or retaliate against her. Please do what you can to protect her."


    Joel continued, exining how Eleanor had recently exposed a chemical nt''s illegal dumping. Her evidence had forced the nt to shut down for investigation.


    "Two weeks ago, thepany called Eleanor to threaten her. This time, they''ve escted, openly trying to retaliate against your wife. I''m sure you can find a way to keep your family safe, Mr. Goodwin."


    "Is that all?"n''s voice was t.


    Joel hesitated. "That''s all."


    "Mr. Goodwin, your wife''s safety—"


    "My wife''s business is none of yours." With that,n ended the call.


    Joel let out a long sigh. Wasn truly this indifferent to Eleanor? Did her safety mean nothing to him?


    By eight-thirty, Eleanor was in the living room, ying with their daughter and the family''s golden retriever, Princess, whenn came home.


    "Daddy!" Evelyn ran over, with Princess wagging her tail at his feet.


    "Okay! Come on, Princess! Let''s go so we don''t interrupt Mom and Dad." Evelyn called Princess away, the dog bounding upstairs after her.


    Asn approached, Eleanor stood as if to leave, but he caught her wrist. "We need to talk."


    "There''s nothing to talk about." Eleanor pulled her arm free.


    Eleanor didn''t know how he''d found out, but she could hear the expectation in his voice, as if he wanted her to ask for his help. She turned away, her voice icy. "No."


    "I''ll handle it,"n replied simply.


    Eleanor said nothing more. The truth was, today had shaken her. She couldn''t afford for anything to happen to her-not when her daughter still needed her, not when she had to shield Evelyn from Vanessa''s toxic influence.


    Even ifn offered to step in, she felt no gratitude.


    That night, after she''d tucked Evelyn into bed, Eleanor retreated to the third-floor study to read.


    Later, after his shower,n checked Evelyn''s room and, finding only his sleeping daughter, headed upstairs.


    He opened the study door to find Eleanor hunched over her book, determined as ever. "Don''t stay up sote," he said, brow furrowed. "I''ve asked Dr. Langley to let you join her research team."


    "No need," Eleanor replied coolly.


    If it was something she could achieve on her own, why rely on him?


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    The next morning,n dropped Evelyn off at school while Eleanor stayed home, studying for her exams.


    Three uneventful days passed. On Wednesday, Eleanor received a call from Jude Vaughn, asking her toe to Ashford Medical University.


    Eleanor headed out right away, keeping a cautious eye on her rearview mirror. She drove slowly, watching for suspicious vehicles. Atst, she pulled safely into the university parking lot.


    Just then, a ck SUV pulled up beside her. Eleanor''s nerves went taut.