"Go sleep in the bed," lan said coolly.

Eleanor glanced at her phone-just past midnight. She made up her mind in an instant.

She was going home.

Grabbing her coat and draping it over her shoulders, she picked up her phone. "That's alright. I'll sleep at home tonight."

lan's hand, halfway through hanging up his suit jacket, paused. Then he slipped the jacket back on and tossed out a cold, "I'm leaving."

He scooped up his phone from the bed, opened the door, and left without another word.

Eleanor stood there for a moment, the chill in the room lingering as if lan had left some of it behind. She shut her eyes, trying not to let it get to her.

He didn't come back that night. Where he ended up sleeping, Eleanor didn't care.

The next morning, Eleanor headed downstairs to the cheerful sound of her daughter's laughter echoing through the house.

After breakfast, Eleanor was about to take Evelyn home, when Gina stopped her with a firm, "Let Evelyn stay here for a few days! We hardly get to see her, and her grandmother loves having a little life in the house."

Eleanor could only nod and let it go. Ever since she married into the Goodwin family, she'd always been the one to back down.

Unless it ever came to a fight over custody, Eleanor couldn't afford to upset her mother-in-law.

She left Goodwin Manor and drove a slow loop through the city before heading back to her apartment.

When she walked through the door, Joslyn greeted her with a smile. "Welcome home, Mrs. Goodwin."

Eleanor nodded, exhaustion from the restless night showing on her face. She slung her bag over her shoulder and said, "I'm going to rest for a bit. Please don't disturb me."

"Mrs. Goodwin, Mr. Goodwin is home," Joslyn added suddenly.

Eleanor tensed. "When did he get back?"

"I'm not sure. I woke up and saw his shoes and jacket by the door."

Eleanor nodded again and headed upstairs, locking her bedroom door behind her. She didn't want to be disturbed, not by Joslyn, not by lan.

Around ten, lan came downstairs looking refreshed. Joslyn asked, "Will you be home for lunch, sir?"

"No," lan replied curtly.

"Mrs. Goodwin is home," Joslyn reminded him.

lan paused, adjusting the sapphire cufflinks on his shirt with practiced elegance. "Tell her I'm going out."

"Of course."

As she watched her employer leave, then glanced up at the tightly closed door at the top of the stairs, Joslyn sighed inwardly. The house had always been quiet, but at least Mrs. Goodwin used to care about her husband, used to try. Now she seemed as cold as he was.

After five years working for the Goodwins, Joslyn genuinely worried the family was coming undone.

Eleanor slept straight through until three in the afternoon. Joslyn made her a bowl of noodles, and Eleanor sat at her computer, working. There was so much research to organize from the lab, plus summaries of her father's work.

Winter break had begun. The holidays were around the corner, and the annual family dinner was coming up.

daughter

That afternoon, Eleanor got a call-her mother-in-law herself, inviting her to Goodwin Manor for the family gathering. Eleanor misse agreed.

She'd barely pulled out of the garage when her phone rang again. She answered, "Hello?"

"Miss Sutton? This is Minnie, Dr. Kingsley's assistant. Dr. Kingsley was admitted to the hospital last night with a high fever, and he's still running a temperature. But my mom's sick, too. Could you come and look after him for a bit?"

Joel's sick? Eleanor was taken aback.

His family lived hundreds of miles away, and there was no way they could make it in time. "Which hospital?" she asked. "I'll be right there."

She drove straight to the hospital, found Joel's room, and saw him sitting up in bed, book in hand, an IV drip attached to his wrist. When he looked up and saw her, surprise flickered across his face. "Ellie? What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were sick. I came to check on you," she said simply.

"It's nothing, you didn't need to bother." Joel gave her a relaxed smile, but Eleanor reached over and pressed a hand to his forehead.

He froze, letting her check his temperature, a more complicated look flickering in his eyes.

Eleanor glanced at the IV medication slip. "Looks like a viral infection. Rest, finish the course, and you'll be fine in a couple of days."

Joel hesitated, then said, "It's family dinner night, isn't it? You should go be with your family."

Eleanor realized she'd rushed out without telling the Goodwins where she was. She checked the time-7 p.m.-and quickly dialed her phone. She hesitated a moment, then called lan.

"Hello?"

"Could you let your grandmother know I won't make it tonight?" Eleanor said calmly.

"Okay." He hung up immediately.

Six years of marriage, and Eleanor still couldn't read him. Was he annoyed? Indifferent? She never knew. A man who could work as a financial consultant on Wall Street at eighteen had long since mastered his emotions; he never showed anger or joy, kept his tone measured and cool, never gave anyone a chance to figure him out.

When she heard Joel hadn't eaten, she ordered delivery on her phone-there was a place nearby that made a particularly soothing soup, perfect for someone with a fever.

Twenty minutes later, the delivery driver called-hospital policy wouldn't allow him to bring it to the ward. Eleanor went downstairs to get it.

She called the driver again and found he'd left the food at the outpatient infusion center. She told him to wait, then hurried over.

Carrying the soup back, Eleanor glanced into the brightly lit infusion hall. Her steps faltered.

It was quiet, nearly empty, but in one corner she saw a man and woman together. The woman, fast asleep with an IV in her arm, was covered by a man's suit jacket. The man leaned back on the sofa, letting her rest against him, solid and protective.

It was lan. And Vanessa.

Eleanor never expected to run into them here.