Another colleague sighed. "You''re the technical backbone of our team. It''s such a pity! If you go home now, who knows when you''ll be able to return to the


    workforce?"


    "Who knows? Sometimes I wonder why women always have to choose between family and career. The most unfair part is that it''s always the woman''s career that gets sacrificed."


    "Exactly. It''s as if a woman''s career is naturally supposed to make way for her family and kids. Why isn''t it the men quitting their jobs to look after the children? If only my husband were willing to stay home with the kids... I really don''t want to give up my career."


    "Being a woman is so hard! Trying to bnce family and a career is nearly impossible."


    Eleanor Sutton stood around the corner, her feelings suddenlyplicated. Ian Goodwin had been helping out a lottely, especially when it came to taking care of their daughter.


    She had been so busy with her experiments recently that she rarely thought about this issue. Subconsciously, she had just assumed it was his natural duty as a father.


    But now, hearing the helpless conversation between her two female colleagues in the breakroom, she realized that whatn was doing went far beyond his basic responsibilities.


    His understanding, support, and willingness to share the burden shouldn''t be taken for granted.


    Ifn hadn''t been quietly taking care of Evelyn behind the scenes, she wouldn''t be able to pursue her career with such peace of mind. She might have been forced into making that agonizing choice between her child and her job too.


    By the time Eleanor finally stepped into the breakroom, the two women had already left. She poured herself a cup of coffee and headed back to theb.


    At nine o''clock that evening, Eleanor returned home. Joslyn had prepared some hot soup for her. Ian was also there, keeping Evelynpany. Joslyn was secretly thrilled tonight, she had cooked dinner for bothn and Evelyn.


    It seemed that once they moved to the manor, she would need to start preparing meals for all three of them every day!


    Eleanor sank onto the sofa, looking exhausted. From staring at screens and microscopes all day, her eyes were slightly bloodshot.


    "Put in some eye drops before you go to sleep,"n said, looking at her.


    "But Mommy doesn''t have any eye drops!" Evelyn chimed in.


    "I''ll go buy some now,"n replied.


    "You don''t have to," Eleanor quickly said.


    Butn was already up and heading for the door. There was a pharmacy right


    outside the residentialplex, so it wasn''t a far walk.


    Ten minutester,n returned with a small pharmacy bag. Eleanor was no longer in


    the living room. Evelyn pointed upstairs. "Mommy is upstairs!"


    не


    The second floor was Eleanor''s private domain. Unless he was carrying their daughter up to bed, he wouldn''t easily intrude.


    Standing at the top of the stairs,n heard the sound of typinging from the study. Eleanor was still working.


    He knocked lightly on the study door. Eleanor looked up, saw the pharmacy bag in his hand, and offered a grateful smile. "Thank you."


    Just as she said that, her eyes started to feel dry and itchy again, and she reached up to rub them.


    "Put a couple of drops in to soothe the fatigue,"n said in a low voice.


    He took the small bottle of eye drops out of the bag, unscrewed the cap, but didn''t hand it to her.


    Eleanor paused and reached out to take it.


    "I''ll do it," he murmured.


    Eleanor clearly didn''t want him to. She shook her head. "I can do it myself."


    Eleanor blinked and ultimatelyplied.


    Ian leaned in close, carefully pulling down her lower eyelid, and let a single drop fall


    in.


    His movements were incredibly light and steady. His fingertips were slightly cool. As


    he leaned over her, the distance between them practically vanished.


    After finishing one eye, he moved to the other.


    For a moment, Eleanor had to keep both eyes squeezed shut. A trace of the clear liquid clung to the corners of her eyes as she leaned back


    against her chair to rest Conte


    Her world faded into darkness, but all her other senses became acutely heightened. She didn''t hearn packing away the pharmacy bag. instead, she could feel his breath still hovering right above her eyshes.


    He was inches away.