"Yes. I'll meet you in the lobby," lan replied immediately.

"Okay, I'm coming down," Eleanor answered just as promptly.

lan hadn't noticed the blue tears phenomenon on the beach from a distance. At that moment, he simply thought Eleanor genuinely wanted to go for a walk.

Eleanor came downstairs to the living room, where lan was waiting. "Let's go!" she said, her steps quick and eager as if she were in a hurry to get outside.

lan quickly matched her pace. They crossed a hundred-meter-long viewing deck to reach the sand. It was only then that lan saw the glowing blue waves.

He instantly understood why Eleanor had asked him out. She just wanted a companion to see the bioluminescent sea.

Sure enough, Eleanor made a beeline for the water's edge. In the moonlight, her long dress fluttered, making her look like an angel.

lan followed behind, momentarily captivated.

Eleanor, completely forgetting the man behind her, was like a child who had discovered a fascinating new toy. She ran toward the shore, her eyes fixed on the dreamlike, fluorescent blue glow.

She stopped about a foot and a half from the water, breathing lightly, her gaze locked on the ethereal blue light that pulsed with the ebb and flow of the tide, as if enchanted.

"It's so beautiful," she murmured involuntarily.

Ian walked up to her side, also looking at the blue tears a few steps away. "It really is. I didn't expect to see this tonight."

"I know! It's such a rare sight," Eleanor said, delighted.

"So, you didn't ask me for a walk. You just wanted to use me as a bodyguard?" the man suddenly turned and said reproachfully.

Eleanor's excited expression froze for a few seconds. She turned to look at the man beside her. In the moonlight, his handsome face seemed to hold a hint of grievance.

Eleanor couldn't deny that she had just wanted to drag him along for company.

"Yes, I was a little scared to come alone, so-"

lan's lips curved into an unconscious smile. "I'm honored."

When Eleanor looked at him again, the trace of resentment on his face had vanished, replaced by a gentle smile.

The two of them quietly admired the natural wonder. The sound of the waves was soft, and the blue

fluorescence surged sometimes

gathering, sometimes scattering,

creating a dreamlike beauty.

"I heard it's a type of plankton," Ian said in a low voice.

"Yes, it's amazing," Eleanor nodded.

Even though it was a summer night, a damp chill carried on the sea breeze. Eleanor instinctively wrapped her arms around herself.

"Cold?" lan noticed at once.

"A little," Eleanor admitted honestly.

"Should we head back?" lan asked.

But Eleanor didn't want to leave just yet. She shook her head. "It's fine. Let's watch

a little longer."

lan instinctively took a step forward, raising his arms to pull her into his

embrace for warmth. However, as soon as his arms

were alway up

Eleanor sensed his intention and

took a step aside. "No, thank you."

lan's arms froze in mid-air, and an awkward tension filled the space between them.

Eleanor realized she had made him feel awkward and offered an explanation. "It's not that cold."

lan slowly lowered his arms and shoved them into his pockets, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. "That was presumptuous of me."

He had momentarily forgotten that they were no longer husband and wife. Such an

intimate gesture would feel like an offense to her.

Perhaps the current Eleanor could accept his flowers, his travel arrangements, and

his gifts, but she couldn't accept physical contact.

It seemed the distance and emotional walls created years ago could not be dismantled overnight.

He needed more patience and a better sense of boundaries.

"Let's go back," Eleanor said, not

wanting him to stand in the conet

wind with her. The blue tears were

rare but they had a flight to cater

with their daughter tomorrow.

lan nodded.

They walked side by side back to the main building. Upon reaching the living room, Eleanor gave him a grateful look. "Thanks." With that, she went upstairs first.

lan stood in the living room for a moment before heading upstairs himself.