The silence of the night only amplified his every sense. But what reyed in his mind wasn''t the tricky situation at Cliffmoor, but the image of Eleanor.


    Their brief interaction when she gave him the pill, now in the dead of night, easily stirred a long-dormant heat deep within him.


    He needed to cool down.


    He walked into the bathroom and turned on the cold water. Even though he had already showered, his body needed to be doused in cold water again.


    He knew he had lost some control tonight. When it came to Eleanor, his self- restraint always seemed to crumble.


    Icy droplets of water slid down the lean lines of his muscles. He closed his eyes-


    Twenty minutester, the pill''s effect finally seemed to kick in. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, and he finally forced his eyes shut.


    Two dayster, in the afternoon, Eleanor received a call fromn. He invited her toe to the vi after work. The people from the renovationpany were there, and they needed to confirm some specific details.


    For her daughter''s education, Eleanor couldn''t dy the renovations. In reality, they only needed to add or change some of the soft furnishings; the main structure would remain untouched.


    When Eleanor arrived,n was already there. In the living room, a project director suddenly made a suggestion.


    "Mr. Goodwin, Ms. Sutton, since you''ll be co-parenting, I think we could install a door in the wall between your two homes. It would make it easier for your child to go back and forth."


    Eleanor, who had been looking down at the ns, immediately looked up. Ian''s gaze quickly fell on her face, and he smiled. "I have no objection. What about you, Dr. Sutton?"


    Eleanor turned to look at the adjoining wall, which was on the side of the living


    room.


    "It''s not a load-bearing wall, so it can be knocked through," the director added.n looked up at the director. "We''ll discuss it ourselves first."


    The director understood immediately and didn''t dare say more, just smiling. "Of course."


    Later, after finalizing the renovation details, Eleanor found she wasn''t in a hurry to leave. She stood feeling the evening sunlight. The vi got excellent light, with no tall buildings to block the view in the distance, giving it a wide, open feel.


    "You seem to like it here,"n said, walking over.


    Eleanor nodded. "It''s very nice."


    "Eleanor, if you trust me... we can put in the door. It would be convenient for Evelyn," he said in a low voice. "If it''s raining and Evelyn wants toe to my side, shell have to go around through the garden. There are steps on both sides, and it would be easy for her to slip and fall."


    Eleanor had actually been considering it. Her daughter''s safety was paramount, and


    the scenarion described was a real possibility.


    "Okay, let''s do it," Eleanor nodded.


    A sh of delight crossedn''s eyes. "Good," he said in a low voice. "I''ll tell the


    renovationpany. And you will have absolute control over this door."


    The implication was that Eleanor had the right to lock it at any time.


    Eleanor looked up at him and nodded. "Okay. Thank you for handling it."


    "It''s no trouble,n smiled, his gaze shifting to the distant sunset, his mood light and rxed. "The garden also needs some flowers and nts. Do you have any favorite flowers?! can have someone transnt them here."


    At their old vi, Eleanor had a garden she tended to herself. After the divorce, she


    no longer had the leisure for gardening.


    "Whatever you think is best," Eleanor replied softly.


    Eleanor checked the time. "I should get going."


    They walked along the garden path toward the exit. Just then, Eleanor''s phone


    rang. She nced at it and suddenly stopped in her tracks.<pn, who was a couple of steps behind her, came to a halt beside her. From his taller vantage point, he could clearly see the name on her screen: Mansfield.