That night, Eleanor stayed up quite late. Still half-asleep, she suddenly heard the doorbell ring. She glanced at the clock—it was only 8:30 PM. She got out of bed, walked to the door, and peeked through the peephole. She instantly froze.

Standing outside was a face she knew better than anyone.

She immediately threw the door open. Ian was standing there in a dark gray coat, carrying the faint chill of travel. When he saw her, his lips curved into a smile.

"Am I interrupting?"

"Why... why are you here?" Eleanor peeked behind him.

"It's just me. Evelyn is at home." Ian walked in, reaching out his long arms to pull her into a tight embrace. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent. "I missed you, so I came."

Eleanor leaned against his chest, scolding him gently. "You haven't fully recovered yet. Why are you running around like this?"

Ian scoffed softly. "Do you even care about me? It's been sixteen days. I passed the recovery phase a long time ago."

Eleanor had been so buried in work recently that she hadn't kept track of his recovery timeline.

"Did you go to the hospital for your post-op checkup? Are there any issues?" she asked out of concern.

"I went. As of now, everything looks perfect." He smiled, his gaze sliding over her body. "As for whether there are any actual issues, I'll only know once we put it to a practical test."

Eleanor gave him an exasperated glare. She tried to turn away, but lan refused to let go. Instead, he leaned down and captured her lips.

Eleanor tried to block him. "I haven't even washed my face or brushed my teeth yet

"I don't care." He caught her hand and kissed her deeply.

The kiss was tender and lingering, eavy with his longing and desire.

A long time passed before he finally released her. Resting his forehead against hers, he murmured, "Did you miss me?"

Eleanor looked into his close, striking eyes. Considering how far he had traveled just to pick her up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and admitted, "I did."

lan smiled and kissed her again. "I'm glad."

"Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet."

"I'll order room service," she said.

"By the way, I canceled your commercial flight," lan mentioned casually. He had brought his private jet.

Eleanor looked back at him, offering no objections. "Okay."

Eleanor went to the bathroom to wash up and changed into her casual clothes. lan sat on the sofa flipping through the book she had been reading the night before He Tooked at her handwritten notes in the margins, genuinely engrossed.

"Dr. Sutton's bedtime reading is certainly unique," he teased, looking up.

Eleanor smiled and began packing her luggage. Ian stood up to help. He opened

the wardrobe, pulling out her outfits and undergarments.

As she organized her documents, she turned around to see this powerful man meticulously packing her most personal items. She no longer felt any shyness it felt just like the days before their divorce, when they were incredibly intimate, without a single barrier between them.

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Once her clothes were packed, lan walked over, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and rested his chin on her shoulder like a clingy golden retriever.

"Alright, stop messing around. I'm not done packing yet," Eleanor nudged him gently.

lan didn't let go. Instead, he hugged her tighter and murmured, "There's no rush. The plane doesn't leave until this afternoon."

"Fine, then after breakfast, let's go buy some gifts for Evelyn," Eleanor suggested. She had wanted to go shopping for a few days, but was too busy to find the time.

"Okay," lan chuckled softly.

After breakfast, they headed out from the hotel. There was no need for a car; a historic pedestrian street, The Old Town Promenade, was just a few hundred feet away, filled with everything they could want.

lan held her hand as they took a rare, leisurely stroll.

The morning sun filtered down through the heavy, ancient eaves. Small shops lined both sides, selling an array of delicate, handcrafted toys. Eleanor felt completely relaxed.

Normally, she was either in the lab or on her way to it. Recently, she barely had time to buy seasonal clothes for her daughter.

They walked into a small toy shop filled with handmade trinkets. Eleanor picked out

a few items while lan immediately paid and carried the bags.

Outside the shop, Eleanor spotted a vendor selling traditional sugar figurines. She hadn't had one in

ages She watched as a group omet

young tourists happily picked out their sweets. Seeing her interest, lan walked over, picked out a rabbit-shaped candy, and handed it to her.