Love and responsibility, calction and protection—all these contradictions manifested in this one man.


    Their marriage had been entangled with too manyplex factors from the start, burdened with too much weight. How could it ever have blossomed perfectly?


    Now, their intertwined fates, like a tangled mess of thread, were finally being unraveled, one strand at a time.


    "So, the ultimate reason you poured money into leukemia research... was to save me?" Eleanor''s eyes suddenly reddened, tears welling up.


    "You saved yourself," he said in a low voice. "Without your talent, it wouldn''t have mattered how much money I invested."


    A torrent of emotions washed over Eleanor. She noticed his disheveled, graying hair, which seemed to silently narrate the pressures he had faced over the years.


    Slowly, she raised her hand, her fingertips trembling slightly, and gently smoothed his hair.


    At that moment, the man let down all his guards, his expression softening


    n," Eleanor took a deep breath, as if mustering all her strength. "Thank you."


    It was the only thing she could think to say to him.


    But this wasn''t a casual thanks.


    It was a thank you for giving her father theb and easing his worries, a thank you for marrying her to save her, and a thank you for silently protecting her and the promise he had made to her father all these years.


    She knew that keeping the document a secret must have been her father''s idea, andn was merely its guardian.


    "Do you still hate me?"n looked up, his eyes slightly red. He had never shown such a vulnerable expression to her before.


    Eleanor felt a lump in her throat for a few seconds. Then, in a soft but clear voice, she said, "No. I don''t hate you anymore."


    The simple reply was like a pardon, and a massive weight lifted fromn''s heart.


    "Then... are we—" His throat tightened, his voice turning raspy. A nearly desperate hope flickered in the depths of his eyes.


    Eleanor knew what he wanted to ask. She stood up and offered him a hand.


    feet. His legs were a bit numb from kneeling for so for so long but he quickly.


    found his bnce, his eyes locked on her.


    He was waiting for the answer to his unspoken question.


    Eleanor turned to the window, her back to him. "You should go back first. I have two


    more days of meetings and some data to organize."


    "I''ll wait and we''ll go back together. Evelyn and Serena will be fine,"n said, his tone low and resolute.


    He didn''t press her for an answer. Whatever she decided, his own answer had been the same all along.


    He picked up his suit jacket from the


    sofa. "Get some rest. Don''t overthink things. If you have any more


    questions you cane some


    anytime.


    Asn walked toward the door, his steps were noticeably lighter.


    The door clicked shut.


    The world outside the window


    was


    of


    pitch ck. Eleanor felt an exhaustion that was close to copse, but deep inside, ice was quietly beginning to melt.