Before stepping into the operating room, lan looked at Eleanor. "Wait for me."

"I will."

lan leaned down, pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, and calmly walked through the doors.

The doors clicked shut behind him.

Eleanor stood in the hallway, staring at the closed doors, her heart inexplicably racing.

"Miss Sutton, there's tea and pastries prepared over here. Would you like to rest for a bit?" Gavin walked over and asked.

Eleanor nodded and moved to the nearby lounge area. She pulled out her phone, trying to read something to distract herself, but she couldn't focus on a single word.

Twenty minutes passed.

Then thirty.

Nearly an hour later, the doors to the operating room finally opened.

lan was wheeled out. He looked a bit pale, but he was in good spirits.

They moved into a private recovery suite, and the doctor gave a few post-op instructions before leaving them alone.

Eleanor sat on the edge of the bed, unable to stop herself from asking, "Does it hurt?"

lan smiled and shook his head. "No."

Eleanor knew that once the anesthesia wore off, he would definitely be uncomfortable.

"Are you heartbroken for me?" lan asked, his eyes gleaming with amusement. Eleanor nodded honestly.

lan's voice suddenly grew husky. "Then you'll just have to make it up to me later." Eleanor paused, then glared at him. "You just had surgery and you're still flirting." He chuckled, clearly pleased with himself.

For the next week, lan rested and worked from home.

Eleanor, meanwhile, was buried in her demanding research. She often worked late, but she did her best to come home early to spend time with their daughter.

That same week, Gina Quinn and Serena Goodwin officially moved into the villa community. The happiest person about this was Evelyn; now, she could go play at her grandmother's house right after school.

Gina had even hired two top-tier nannies specifically to manage Evelyn's meals.

lan's surgery was kept strictly under wraps from the rest of the Goodwin family, mostly out of fear that Gina wouldn't be able to handle the news.

That night, Evelyn went over to her grandmother's house, thrilled to have a sleepover there.

Eleanor walked into lan's bedroom, carrying a bowl of homemade chicken soup that Joslyn had simmered for two hours.

lan was lounging on the sofa, watching a sports game. When he saw her walk in, his eyes lit up.

"How are you feeling?" Eleanor asked.

"I feel..." lan eyed the soup in her hands and smirked. "Like I'm being spoiled by you."

Eleanor set the bowl down. "I meant physically. How is your recovery?"

"I'm fine. I just missed you." His gaze was intense.

"Eat your soup first," Eleanor instructed.

"Feed me."

Eleanor gave him a look. "Eat it yourself."

He blinked innocently. "I'm a patient."

Eleanor couldn't help but laugh at his sheer audacity.

Seeing that he was stubbornly

waiting for her, she sighed playfully, picked up the bowl, scooped upā. a

Tonful, blew on it, and brought it

to his lips.

He obediently opened his mouth and swallowed it, his eyes locked on her face the entire time.

After a few spoonfuls, he finally took the bowl from her and finished it himself while Eleanor sat beside him, watching the game.

When he was done, Eleanor tried to stand up to take the bowl away, but his arm snaked around her waist, pinning her in place.

"lan, stop messing around."

"Ellie." He nuzzled his face against her soft stomach, sighing heavily "I'm starting to seriously doubt the doctor's timeline for this abstinence period." .. FindNovel.net

Eleanor blinked, then laughed. "Don't you dare try anything."

"Looking at you every day and not being able to touch you is torture," his muffled

voice complained.

"Just listen to the doctor and stop having wild thoughts."

"Sleep with me tonight. Stay in my room," lan pleaded, looking up at her.

Eleanor ran her fingers through his hair. Under the lamplight, his dark roots were becoming much more prominent. She was sure that soon, the dark-haired lan she knew would return.

"Just be patient. The doctor said two weeks, but I strongly recommend waiting a month."

He let out a heavy sigh and buried his face back against her stomach. "I know."