Eleanor closed her eyes, her face pale and drained of color as a whirlwind of thoughts confused her.


    Finally, she opened her eyes, stared into the man''s deep gaze, and asked again, "Theb at Drexford who did you really build it for? Your mother''s condition, or... my father''s research?"


    Aplex emotion flickered inn''s eyes, as if he had anticipated this question.


    He knelt down, positioning himself so he was looking up at her.


    Eleanor, sitting in the chair, watched him intently, waiting for the absolute truth.


    "Initially, I just had the idea of building ab,"n said in a low voice. "I mentioned it to your father and asked for his opinion. My own father had just passed away. Three days after I asked him that question, I was in a car ident and fell into aa."


    Eleanor knew all too well what happened after hisa. When her father told her about it, her mind went nk,pletely shattered. In the end, she took a leave of absence from school to care for him at the hospital. Her father had disagreed at first, but for some reason, he eventually relented.


    Now, Eleanor understood. Her father had seenn''s financial resources and knew about his ambition to build ab. That''s why he, too, had hoped forn to wake up.


    Ian finally did wake up. Eleanor confessed her feelings. Ian didn''t respond at first, until her father showed him the nursing log she had kept.


    So, Eleanor had always believedn married her out of gratitude. In reality, her father had his eye on theb. He wanted her to marry him because he knew that the vast resources of the Goodwin empire were her only real hope for a cure.


    "Eleanor, do you want to hear the truth about what happened back then?"n''s gaze remained fixed on her, seeing her lost in memories, struggling. It was clear she was still troubled by many things and desperate for answers.


    Eleanor looked into his eyes, which reflected her own pale face and an earnestness she hadn''t seen in a long time.


    "What truth?" she asked softly, biting her lip.


    "The truth about our marriage,"n said. "When you confessed to me, I actually had no intention of marrying you. I told your father as much. I couldn''t make you happy. I had too much to do, too many


    responsibilities to bear. I wasn''t cut out to be a husband."


    Her expression darkened. So that exined his silence after her confession.


    "Then why did you agreeter?" Eleanor swallowed hard. She remembered that day she was packing her bags to leave, and he had stood in the doorway and told her, clear as day, "Let''s get married."


    "I believe that even though we didn''t speak much that summer, we both had a secret


    crush on each other. That much was real,"n said suddenly.


    Eleanor''s breath caught in her throat, the words pulling her back to that secret


    summer.


    They would be in the hospital''s library corner. They barely spoke, at most nodding in greeting. That silent attention he paid her was the most private secret of her teenage years.


    A secret she thought only she knew.


    that I found out you were Mr.


    Sutton''s daughter. You probably


    don''t know this, but I had a crush on you that entire summer."


    Eleanor opened her mouth, but she didn''t know what to say.