As soon as she entered the living room, Joslyn stepped forward. "Sir, are you heading out?"
"I am. Joslyn, please look after Mrs. Goodwin and Evelyn while I''m gone." With that,n strode toward the front gate.
Joslyn froze for a second-had he just called Eleanor "Mrs. Goodwin"? Weren''t they divorced? And there was something almost tender in the way he''d said it.
Upstairs, Eleanor retreated to her study, exhaustion washing over her as she closed her eyes. These days, the only person left in the world who could truly move her was her daughter.
Her parents were gone, and there were no close rtives left—just her and Evelyn against the world. Her daughter was everything.
The bond between mother and child was unbreakable; whatever pain Evelyn felt, Eleanor felt twice over.
At five o''clock, after waking from another nap, Evelyn burst into tears again, sobbing for her father. With no other way to console her, Eleanor bundled her up and took her to the nearby mall, hoping new toys might distract her.
For the next two days, Eleanor didn''t set foot in theb. She stayed home, never leaving Evelyn''s side. Ian didn''te by, either. Eleanor knew that the only person who could keepn so upied-even away from his own daughter-was Vanessa.
But after two days of Eleanor''s constant care, Evelyn began to recover. Surrounded by her mother''s love, she started to find happiness again. When Evelyn''s mood finally stabilized, Eleanor gently broached the subject of the separation.
"Will Daddy still love me?" Evelyn''s big eyes brimmed with tears as she asked.
"Of course he will, sweetheart. You''re his daughter-he''ll love you all his life," Eleanor replied softly.
Evelyn pouted, nodding with reluctant eptance. She was trying toe to terms with her parents'' divorce, but her young heart was still wounded.
Eleanor hugged her close, silently vowing to be stronger for her daughter''s sake-to prove that a mother''s love could keep her safe and cherished, no matter what.
Over the weekend, Joel stopped by with fruit and gifts for Evelyn. He was endlessly patient, a natural with children, and Evelyn adored him.
From the kitchen, Joslyn watched the cozy scene unfold in the living room. She couldn''t help but think how wonderful Mr. Kingsley was-handsome, courteous, and so good with Evelyn. If only he could be the man of the house.
Of course, there was also Mr. Vaughn charming, sessful, and clearly devoted to Mrs. Goodwin.
The weekend flew by.
On Monday, Evelyn was finally ready to return to school. Eleanor dropped her off, handing her over to Miss Alice at the gate.
As Eleanor turned to leave, Coco''s mother hurried over with a nervous smile. "I''m so sorry, Mrs. Goodwin. It was careless of me to gossip and cause you trouble. I''ve already talked to Coco about it, and I promise it won''t happen again!”
Though frustrated, Eleanor didn''t want to make a scene in front of the other parents. She replied coolly, "Mrs. Brown, it''s probably best not to talk about other people''s family matters in the future."
After hearing the teacher exin what had happened, Mrs. Brown had been horrified-she''d only made a passingment to her daughter, never imagining Coco would repeat it to Evelyn.
"Of course, of course," Mrs. Brown said, nodding apologetically.
Eleanor climbed into her car and drove straight to theb. She''d been working from home these past few days, staying in touch with Callie over video, so the project hadn''t fallen behind.
Pulling on herb coat, she headed for the research wing. As she turned the corner, she ran into Faye.
A sh of triumph glittered in Faye''s eyes as she smiled. "Eleanor, did you seest night''s email?"
Eleanor had seen it. Simone had suddenly reassigned Faye to work alongside Joel, filling Eleanor''s previous role on the Meridian Dynamics partnership.
"Don''t think you''re the only one with talent-or connections," Faye said, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction. "From now on, I have them too. My partnership with Joel? That was Mr. Goodwin''s idea."