Eleanor gave a sharp, dismissive huff. "Your sister''s been reckless for years. This is hardly new."


    "I won''t let her near Evelyn again. I''ll make her move out,"n replied, his tone resolute.


    Eleanor watched their daughter slip into the yroom on the first floor, then turned to facen, enunciating every word with icy precision. "If your sister ever tries to fill my daughter''s head with nonsense again, I''ll file a restraining order. I''ll make sure the entire Goodwin family is kept away from Evelyn."


    With that, she turned on her heel and headed upstairs.


    Just then, Evelyn came running out and tuggedn over to the sofa. She wanted to show him how she solved her math problems. Smiling,n taught her an even simpler way, and Evelyn, delighted, begged for more. "Daddy, give me ten more questions!"


    "Alright."


    He wrote out ten problems for her, then nced at his watch-ten minutes had already passed. Looking up toward the second floor, he noticed Eleanor hadn''te down to throw him out. Relieved, he settled in to spend a little more time with his daughter.


    Princess, their golden retriever, curled up at his feet. Ian reached down and rubbed the dog''s big head, feeling an unexpected fondness for the furry littlepanion.


    Upstairs, Eleanor sat alone in her study. She could hear her daughter''sughter drifting up through the house. Closing her eyes, she tried to block it out, fighting the urge to storm downstairs and thrown out. But she was afraid of hurting Evelyn''s feelings, so she restrained herself.


    Joslyn, the housekeeper, finished foldingundry and came over with a cup of tea. "Mr. Goodwin, here you go," she said with a gentle smile.


    "Thank you,"n replied warmly.


    "My pleasure." Joslyn nodded and left them.


    By nine o''clock,n realized Evelyn had school the next morning. He stood up.


    "Evelyn, Daddy wille back and spend more time with you tomorrow."


    "Will you take me to school?" Evelyn grabbed his hand, eyes hopeful.


    "Of course,"n promised, kneeling down to meet her gaze.


    "Pinky swear!" Evelyn held out her little finger.


    Joslyn walked him to the door and closed it behind him.


    up at the ceiling as he loosened his tie, tossing it onto the sofa.


    In the vast, five-thousand-square-foot penthouse, his footsteps echoed in the empty silence.


    He headed to the bar and poured himself a ss of whiskey. With only a few wallmps on, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows.


    The city lights outside shimmered like a sea of stars.


    That night, after Evelyn had fallen asleep, Eleanor retreated to her study to go over the expenses from her recent trip with Xavier. She took out a stack of cash- ten thousand dors. She knew if she tried to wire Xavier the money, he''d never ept it.


    The next morning, as Eleanor finished braiding Evelyn''s hair, her daughter announced, "Mommy, Daddy said he''ll take me to school today."


    Eleanor''s hand paused. "When did he say that?”


    "Last night."


    Eleanor nced down at the floor, a sh of annoyance in her eyes.


    Opening the door, she foundn already waiting outside. He was impably dressed in a tailored suit, looking every bit as confident andposed as ever.


    "Good morning," he greeted Eleanor.


    "Daddy!" Evelyn squealed, running to wrap herself around his leg. She grabbed his hand and looked back at her mother. "Bye, Mommy!"


    "Bye, sweetheart." Eleanor waved.


    Evelyn''s ponytails bounced as she skipped toward the elevator, practically dancing with excitement.


    At the school gates,n was just turning to leave when he spotted Xavier walking over with Vivian. Ian stopped, called out, "Xavier, can we talk for a minute?"


    Xavier nodded and knelt down beside Vivian. "Go on inside, sweetheart," he said gently.


    Vivian nodded and headed through the gates.


    The two men walked over to the shade of a nearby sycamore, facing each other. "About Serena-"n got straight to the point, his voice low. "I''m sorry for what she did. She shouldn''t have said those things to Evelyn."


    Xavier''s expression remained calm. "It''s fine. I''m not bothered."


    Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground between them. After a


    brief silence, Xavier spoke first. "Ian, do you ever regret it?"


    "Divorcing Eleanor," Xavier replied evenly. "If you could do it all over again, would you still make the same choice?"