The silence of the night only amplified his every sense. But what replayed 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.

lan felt that what he needed right now wasn't a sleeping pill, but a cold shower.

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

Two days later, in the afternoon, Eleanor received a call from lan. He invited her to come to the villa after work. The people from the renovation company were there, and they needed to confirm some specific details.

For her daughter's education, Eleanor couldn't delay 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, lan 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 plans, 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. lan 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 villa 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," lan 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 to come 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 scenario lan described was a real possibility.

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

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

renovation company. 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, lan smiled, his gaze shifting to the distant sunset, his mood light and relaxed. "The garden also needs some flowers and plants. Do you have any favorite flowers?! can have someone transplant them here."

At their old villa, 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.

lan nodded. "Then I'll decide."

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

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

rang. She glanced at it and suddenly stopped in her tracks.

lan, 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.