Eleanor''s heartbeat magnified in the dark, quiet room. She could clearly feel thatn hadn''t backed away. His presence still enveloped her, carrying a faint sense of


    pressure.


    She could even picture him leaning over and staring down at her. Her eyes stung slightly from the drops, and she forced herself to keep them closed despite the mild difort.


    She felt the excess liquid spill over the corners of her eyes, making her feel a bit embarrassed, as if she were crying.


    Just then, a warm thumb gently wiped away the stray drop. Eleanor felt a subtle shiver run through her body. "Please hand me a tissue," she said.


    She wanted to do it herself.


    However, the man ignored her request. Just as Eleanor was about to give in and open her eyes, she felt an incredibly soft touchnd on the corner of her eye.


    This time, it didn''t feel like a finger. It felt like-


    The touch was fleeting and impossibly light, like a butterfly''s wing or a feather brushing rapidly past.


    Apanied by a rush of warm breath.


    Eleanor''s breath hitched, as if all her senses were suddenly hyper-focused on the corner of her eye that had just been touched.


    "Ian, what are you doing?" Eleanor asked, opening her eyes. Still glossy from the drops, her eyes looked as though they were brimming with tears, unexpectedly colliding with the deep, intense gaze of the man leaning over her.


    The study was dead silent. The only things filling the space were their locked gazes and the man''s heavy breathing.


    The silence felt more impactful than any words could have been, thick with tension. "Keep your eyes closed. The drops haven''t fully absorbed yet," he said, his voice low and raspy. "I''m going downstairs."


    With that, he walked out. It looked more like he was fleeing in panic.


    Eleanor remained leaning against the back of her chair and closed her eyes again. But she could still feel that sudden, feather-light touch from just moments ago.


    It was a kiss.


    Eleanor


    furrowed her brows, trying to brush away the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind. She raised her hand and wiped the damp corners of her eyes with the back of her hand More of the eye drops had spilled out.


    She kept her eyes closed for five minutes, then dried thempletely with a tissue. She didn''t go


    downstairs immediately. Her


    emotions were a tangled messn''s


    behavior just now had definitely


    crossed the line.


    By the time she finally went downstairs, her daughter was still in the living room, butn had already left.


    "Ma''am, Mr. Goodwin left a moment ago. Can I get you anything else to eat?" Joslyn asked at the perfect moment.


    Eleanor shook her head. "No, thank you. I''m going to give Evelyn a bath." "Alright."


    Meanwhile, across town, a tall silhouette stood before a floor-to-ceiling window, breathing unsteadily. The man stared out at the bustling city traffic, his eyes as deep as the ocean.


    A fire was steadily burning in his chest. Just a moment ago, he had been ovee by an uncontroble urge to do something—a desire he had restrained and suppressed for a very long time.


    When Eleanor closed her eyes, that urge had broken out of its cage like a trapped beast, surging forward with overwhelming force.


    Yet, he had still managed to hold himself back, only daring to press a cautious,


    fleeting kiss to the corner of her eye while she couldn''t open them.


    But the moment he did it, he lost the courage to even look her in the eye, terrified of facing a reality he didn''t want to ept.


    He let out a low sigh. Did she show even the slightest hint of disgust or resistance?


    He thought back to thest six


    months of their marriage, to Eleanor''s revulsion and rejection of him, and then to the three years that followed, during which she hadn''t been willing to spare him a single nce, let alone physical contact.