Chapter 1643

Mrs. Vaughn looked up, her gaze lingering on Eleanor's face for a few seconds

before she confusedly grabbed Xavier's hand. "I want to go home. I don't want any more shots or medicine. It hurts too much."

Xavier's eyes instantly welled up with tears. He stood up and looked at Eleanor, his voice cracking. "Eleanor, she's starting to forget me too."

Eleanor offered him a reassuring look. She crouched down to Mrs. Vaughn's eye level, speaking with absolute gentleness. "Don't worry. We aren't doing any shots or medicine today. We're just going to do a few simple tests."

Mrs. Vaughn stared at her. Perhaps Eleanor's soothing presence put her at ease, because after a few seconds, she stopped protesting.

Eleanor stood up and turned to Xavier. "Xavier, do you trust me?"

"I trust you," he nodded. After everything they had been through, he had absolute faith in her.

"I'll do everything in my power," Eleanor promised.

Over the next few days, Eleanor and her team ran a comprehensive battery of tests on Mrs. Vaughn.

Brain scans, neural signal testing, genetic analysis-every single metric was recorded and heavily analyzed.

Eleanor's schedule became even more packed than usual.

lan made it a habit to drop by after work every day. Sometimes he would chat with Xavier, and other times he was just there to keep Eleanor company.

Even when she was too busy to spare him a single word, he didn't mind. He just waited quietly.

A week later, Eleanor finally reached a preliminary conclusion.

Mrs. Vaughn's neuronal degeneration had accelerated. However, miraculously, while her neural signals were faint, they hadn't vanished completely. There was still distinct activity.

This meant her memories hadn't been erased; they were simply locked away.

Eleanor drafted several treatment protocols. Since each one required rigorous testing, they were looking at a prolonged battle.

Before they knew it, the holidays arrived.

Evelyn's winter study trip concluded perfectly. Ian and Eleanor went to the airport together to pick her up. Watching their confident, radiant daughter emerge from the crowd-looking noticeably taller-filled both their eyes with absolute pride.

Evelyn pulled her own luggage. The trip had indeed forced her to grow up and become more independent.

"Dad, Mom!" Evelyn ran over happily, throwing herself into Eleanor's arms.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yeah! It was amazing."

After bringing her home, they had dinner at Goodwin Manor. Gina Quinn was in great spirits. After the meal, she warmly invited Eleanor to join the Goodwin family for the New Year's Eve dinner.

Eleanor agreed. Since it was the holidays, she was giving Joslyn time off anyway, which meant she would likely spend the first week of the new year eating with the Goodwins.

New Year's Eve arrived in the blink of an eye.

Eleanor finally got to sleep in, not waking until almost nine o'clock. As she walked downstairs, she heard her daughter's bright laughter.

"Dad, it's crooked. Move it a little to the left."

Eleanor realized the father-daughter duo was busy putting up the holiday decorations. Evelyn directed from

the ground while lan balanced on ladder, taping them up.

Seeing a glass of milk and a sandwich waiting for her on the dining table, Eleanor

took a sip and smiled as she watched them work.

At noon, they headed over to

Goodwin Manor. Gina had swapped out the usual accents for vibrant holiday pieces, making the entire villa fee incredibly festive Eleanor hadn't put much thought int@holiday cheer for a long time, but sitting there, she genuinely felt the warmth of the season.

That evening, after finishing their

New Year's Eve dinner, Serena

turned to her older brother. "Evelyn is

-sleeping in my

tonight. You

two go enjoy yourselves!

Gina, who was busy trading holiday greetings over the phone with her friends, glanced at the couple on the sofa, unable to hide her relieved, joyful smile.

At eight-thirty, lan took Eleanor out. She had no idea where they were going.

Eventually, they pulled up to a seaside hotel and headed straight to his private suite. "You dragged me all the way out here just to stay in a hotel for the night?"

lan took her hand, leading her out to the balcony. He pointed out toward the dark ocean. "Look over there."

Eleanor wondered what could possibly be out there. But right on cue, a massive blast of light erupted over the water.

Her eyes widened in awe as a spectacular firework blossomed in the distance, painting half the night sky in brilliant shades of gold.

A second later, a barrage of colorful fireworks shot up, weaving a breathtaking tapestry of light across the stars. It was magnificent.

"lan... did you arrange this?" Eleanor turned to look at him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Didn't you mention that it's been a long time since you saw them?"

Eleanor was stunned. It had been a completely offhand comment she made on the drive home one day.

She couldn't believe he had remembered.

"Thank you," she whispered.

lan raised an eyebrow. "Just a verbal thank you?"

Eleanor smiled, turning around and pressing her lips firmly against his.

Smiling into the kiss, the man cupped the back of her head, pulling her closer to

deepen it.

Outside the window, the fireworks continued to illuminate the sky.

On the balcony, his kiss was long, deep, and impossibly tender.

"Happy New Year, Ellie."

With that, he pulled her tightly against his chest. Holding her was the greatest gift he

could have ever asked for this year.