Chapter 1523

Eleanor looked up in the video, and the two of them shared a smile that was absolutely brimming with the sheer joy and unconditional love of new parents.

As the video ended, a sudden lump formed in Eleanor's throat, and her eyes burned with unshed tears.

For three years, she hadn't dared to look back at these old memories. She had been terrified that seeing them would shatter her, terrified that the past would only bring pain.

But now, on this quiet autumn afternoon, watching the footage brought her more than just a lingering ache-it brought a deep, bittersweet nostalgia.

Some things, it turned out, were never truly forgotten. They were just buried in the deepest, dustiest corners of her heart, waiting for the right moment to break through the surface.

"What are you looking at?"

A low, smooth voice suddenly drifted down from above.

Eleanor jumped, instantly locking her phone and looking up. "Why are you back so soon?"

"Evelyn was thirsty, so I came to grab her water bottle." lan's gaze lingered for a second on the phone she had so hastily concealed, but he didn't push. He grabbed the bottle and went back to their daughter.

Once he was out of earshot, Eleanor let out a soft sigh. She didn't open the gallery again. Every moment captured in those videos was still perfectly preserved in her mind. She just hadn't wanted to access them. In truth, all she had to do was let herself remember.

Not far away, the two little girls were giggling and playing with the dog, while the men stood watch, chatting idly.

Soon enough, the kids worked up an appetite and came running back to the tent. Eleanor quickly served them food.

lan and Xavier returned as well. They talked business for a bit before the conversation shifted to Henry Holt.

Henry was now six months into full-time fatherhood, fully embracing his role as a stay-at-home dad. Because of it, the men rarely had time to hang out as a group anymore. It was true what they said-once a man had a wife and kids, his free time practically vanished.

They stayed until three-thirty in the afternoon before the girls finally, reluctantly, said their goodbyes.

On the drive back, Evelyn chatted endlessly until she finally drifted off to sleep right in Eleanor's arms.

Next up was the big milestone: starting primary school.

In Xavier's car, Vivian suddenly peeked her head between the front seats. "Dad, when are you going to find me a mom? Someone nice and gentle, like Ms. Sutton."

Xavier glanced at her in the rearview mirror and offered a faint smile. "I probably won't have the time to look for a while, sweetie."

"Why not?"

"Because... I need to cure your grandmother's amnesia first," Xavier

answered honestly. He had zero

mental space to consider his

romantic life right now Healing his

mother was the only thing that

mattered.

"Oh!" Vivian accepted the answer, flopping back into her seat. A few minutes later,

she was fast asleep.

The golden fight of the setting sun

filtered through the windshield,

casting a warm glow over Xavier' profile et

handsome deep in bis

eyes, a shadow of profound

loneliness lingered. '

He kept a steady grip on the steering wheel, his gaze locked firmly on the road ahead, as if driving straight toward the solitary future he had accepted for himself.

Back at the villa's garage, Eleanor's

arms were starting to ache from the weight. lan immediately stepped in lifting the sleeping Evelyn from her grasp Joslyn hurried over to help... gather the picnic supplies from the backseat.

Eleanor followed lan up to the master bedroom. She crouched down to slip off her daughter's shoes and socks. The little girl was out cold, completely unaware she was even home.

"Any chance I could crash your dinner tonight?" lan asked, his voice low.

Eleanor looked up at him. Before she could even form an answer, lan chuckled softly. "I can pay a monthly grocery fee, if that helps."

Eleanor shook her head. "There's no need for that. From now on, if you want to eat here, just tell Joslyn."

lan's eyes lit up with undeniable thrill. "Then I won't hold back," he murmured, his voice slightly raspy.

Eleanor gave him a deadpan look. When had he ever held back?