Chapter 1597

So, Eleanor had heard his grandmother's final wish? Was that why she had so violently pushed him away again?

Before that night, she had clearly started to let her guard down, but then she had flipped a switch, becoming utterly cold and resolute. Was this the root of it all?

Both the Suttons and the Goodwins had histories of genetic conditions, meaning the risks of a second pregnancy were incredibly high. Eleanor would absolutely refuse to take that gamble again. So, rather than hold him back and leave his grandmother's dying wish unfulfilled, she had forced herself to cut him loose.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Gina asked, growing anxious at the tight expression on her son's face.

"Nothing. Eleanor and I just have a misunderstanding to clear up. I'll come visit you again soon, Mom," Ian forced a reassuring tone. He grabbed the car keys and marched out to the courtyard, not wasting a single second.

He had to ask Eleanor about this face-to-face. He needed her to understand what he wanted, not what she had unilaterally decided for him.

Eleanor was in her study drafting a proposal when she heard the sound of an engine in the driveway. She glanced at the clock. It was only four-too early for Evelyn to be home from school.

Curious, she walked downstairs to the foyer, just in time to see lan storming through the front door. "I thought you were picking up Ellie? Why are you back so early?" she asked.

lan stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and dragged her straight toward the living room without a word. "We need to talk."

Eleanor instinctively yanked her arm. "Use your words. Stop manhandling me."

lan's grip tightened. He pulled her all the way to the living room and practically pushed her down onto a single armchair. Planting both arms on the armrests, he trapped her between the back of the chair and his chest. He stared down at her, his gaze so intense it actually pissed her off. She shoved at his chest. "Let me go."

"No," lan said, his voice low and utterly dominant, keeping his eyes locked on hers.

Eleanor felt her temper flare. She tried to stand up and push him away again, but he suddenly grabbed her chin and crashed his mouth against hers, his towering frame pressing her down.

The kiss was aggressive, full of raw, predatory demand.

Reacting purely on instinct to his overpowering dominance, Eleanor snapped.

Smack!

The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the dead-silent living room.

In her panic, Eleanor had swung with everything she had. The stinging in her own palm told her exactly how hard she had hit him.

lan's head had snapped to the side. Slowly, he turned back to face her. A faint red handprint was already blooming on his pale skin. Yet he wasn't angry. He didn't back away. There wasn't a single trace of fury in his eyes-only a deep, agonizing regret and an almost obsessive sincerity.

His voice was completely wrecked. "Ellie... I know. You didn't actually want to push

me away. You pushed me away because of my grandmother's dying wish, didn't you?"

Eleanor went completely rigid, her pupils shrinking.

He... knew?

Her visceral reaction was all the confirmation lan needed, and it felt like a knife twisting in his own chest.

He was right.

Ine

"You heard her, didn't you?" His voice dropped even lower, rough with emotion. "You heard her say she wanted us to have another baby. And that it had to be a boy, Right?"

Eleanor frowned. Since he already knew, there was no point in denying it.

"Yes. I heard her wish. She wanted the Goodwin family to thrive. I respect that, and I understand it."

A flash of pure agony crossed lan's eyes as she spoke. If his mother hadn't casually brought it up today, was Eleanor just going to keep this a secret forever? Keep pushing him away until he broke?