This year, Joslyn''s daughter was traveling with friends, so Joslyn would be staying


    to celebrate with Eleanor.


    Just then, Eleanor''s phone rang.


    She nced at the screen and saw Mansfield''s name. She hesitated, debating


    whether to answer. As the phone fell silent, the doorbell rang.


    Eleanor jumped, a strange sense of panic and guilt washing over her.


    It couldn''t be him, could it?


    Hoping it wasn''t, she tossed her phone onto the sofa and walked to the door. A nce at the video inte confirmed her fears. It was Mansfield.


    Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, feigning surprise. "Mansfield? What are you doing here?"


    He stood on her doorstep in a dark overcoat, his posture ramrod straight, looking as though he''d just arrived from a long journey. His direct gaze made Eleanor feel exposed; she knew instantly that he had seen right through her avoidance.


    "Can we talk?" he asked, his voice raspy.


    His directness made her realize that further pretense was pointless. "Mansfield, let''s go downstairs," she said, looking up at him with an expression that was both honest and resolute. "There are some things I need to make clear."


    Now it was Mansfield''s turn to look uneasy. His pupils contracted almost imperceptibly as he anticipated what wasing. He suddenly feigned a thought. "You know, I just remembered I have something urgent—"


    But Eleanor had already stepped out, closing the door behind her. "It won''t take long," she said, looking at him. "Just ten minutes."


    He nodded in reluctant agreement. "Okay."


    They rode the elevator down in silence, the quiet so profound they could hear each other breathe.


    "I saw the news," Eleanor said, looking up at him. "Your father is the acting Vice President now."


    "Yes. A matter of necessity," Mansfield replied with a nod, clearly indifferent to his father''s new position.


    Theplex''s garden was decorated with festiventerns, brimming with holiday cheer. They walked in silence to a quiet pavilion, where Eleanor stopped and turned to face him.


    "Mansfield," she began, her voice soft, as if she had been rehearsing her words the entire way down. "I know how you feel about me, and I''m truly grateful for how you''ve looked after me and Evelyn. You are an exceptional person-honorable, strong, and principled. You''re practically faultless."


    Her praise, however, only made Mansfield''s brow furrow. This wasn''t what he wanted to hear. He remained silent, waiting for the inevitable blow.


    Eleanor paused, then met his gaze, her eyes filled with apology but also an unshakeable resolve. "But I''m sorry. I can''t ept your feelings. Not now, and not


    ever."


    Mansfield''s throat tightened. "Can you at least give me a reason?" he asked, his voice hoarse.


    She thought for a moment, then


    shook her head. "There is no reason." Then she decided to bepletely honest. "My life is nned out, and my daughter will alwayse first All of my times and energy must be dedicated to her and my work. I can''t afford any


    distractions."


    She looked at him earnestly. "Your future shouldn''t be held back by me. You deserve a partner who will love you wholeheartedly, support you, and stand by your side through every stop and every triumph."


    Evelyn thought of the female pilot she had met once; she seemed perfect for him.


    Her words were not sharp, but they felt like a dull de, slowly but definitively severing any possibility between them.