A knock sounded at the door. Eleanor looked up. "Come in."


    Looking at the calm woman behind the desk,n''s heart sank.


    "Eleanor," he began, his voice a little tight, "I can exin everything Vanessa said earlier."


    "I don''t think that''s necessary," Eleanor said calmly, looking up. "Let the past stay in the past."


    Her tone was perfectly level, yetn''s heart felt as if it were being squeezed in a vise. Her calm was more painful than any usation.


    Eleanor closed the file in her hand. "From your perspective, you did nothing wrong. You were constrained by others for the sake of your mother, your sister, and Evelyn. I understand that. But your deal with Vanessa has nothing to do with me."


    "If there''s nothing else, please don''t disturb me. I need to prepare your mother''s treatment n."


    Eleanor''s dismissal was clear and direct.


    It wasn''t that she didn''t believe him; it was that she simply didn''t care anymore.


    A short whileter, Serena ran inton''s office. "Brother, did you exin things about you and Vanessa to Ellie? I hope you told her everything, cleared up all the misunderstandings."


    "So you just give up because she won''t listen? tried to show her some conversations I recorded with Vanessa, and she wouldn''t listen either Serena said, frustrated "Maybe Ellie is just too disappointed in you."


    "Brother, I was an aplice in all this, so I''m sorry. I didn''t know how stupid and foolish I was being back then."


    "Just spend more time with Mom," Ian told her. Serena''s condition had stabilized and was nowpletely under control. She had even developed an immunity, so she wouldn''t have to suffer anymore.


    "I know. Can I tell Mom about your deal with Vanessa? She''s still in the dark about everything," Serena asked.


    Serena looked at the gray streaks in


    her brother''s hair. It wasn''t


    unattractive, but it made her nose


    tingle "Brother,


    "Brother, will your hair ever


    turn back to its original color Maybe you should see someone


    about it."


    Serena sniffled. "It''s not that it looks bad, it''s just... you''re only twenty-nine. You''re


    still so young."


    Yet in that short time, it felt as if he


    had already lived through half a lifetime of hardships. He had amassed wealth and status beyond most people''s reach, but he had also lost so much.


    "It doesn''t matter,"n said with a sense of resigned calm. "Whether it turns back


    or not, it''s not important anymore."


    What he cared about was never his hair, but whether the woman who had caused


    it to turn gray overnight would evere back to him.


    Clearly, she wouldn''t.