No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 22

"Alright!" Joel nodded.

Then, with a look of genuine amazement, he turned to Eleanor. "How did you even come up with the idea of keeping CAR-T cells viable in the tumor microenvironment for over 90 days?"

It was the very topic Eleanor had been researching for the past six years.

"Actually, I got some data from my dad that inspired me to make this bold prediction," Eleanor replied. "Right now, it's just a theoretical framework—something that still needs to be validated in the lab."

Joel's eyes shone with admiration. "Miss Sutton, I read through your analysis. So many of your ideas are cutting-edge and testable. Honestly, if you want to know why I moved back here, I'd say it was probably because of you."

Eleanor froze for a second. Joel hurried to clarify. "Don't get me wrong—I mean your research. Your ideas are what drew me in."

Eleanor laughed. "Well, I'm glad we get to work together."

That evening, Eleanor crafted a little wind chime for her daughter. Glittering, colorful stars dangled from the frame, chiming sweetly as they gently swayed. Evelyn was absolutely delighted.

Suddenly, the sound of a car came from outside. Evelyn jumped up in excitement. "Daddy's home!"

By the time Eleanor made it to the hallway, Ian was already there, sweeping Evelyn up into his arms. "Did you miss Daddy?"

"I did! Daddy, where's my present?"

Ian grinned, heading back to the car. He opened the trunk and pulled out a beautiful stuffed doll. "How about this?"

"Wow! I love it!" Evelyn's eyes sparkled as she nodded eagerly.

Ian glanced over at Eleanor. "I'll give you your gift tomorrow."

Eleanor shook her head lightly. "That's not necessary."

Ian's expression tightened, but he didn't press further. He turned away to find scissors so he could open Evelyn's gift.

Vanessa's place was only a few minutes away from the house.

……

The next morning at breakfast, Joslyn casually mentioned that Mr. Sutton hadn't come home until two in the morning. As soon as she said it, she glanced up, trying to gauge Eleanor's reaction.

Eleanor just smiled at her. "Oh, really?"

At that moment, Ian came downstairs, and Joslyn quickly scurried off to the kitchen.

Eleanor brushed Evelyn's hair into a cute, pretty style and helped her into a pink puffer coat. Their dog, Princess, bounced around excitedly at Evelyn's side, as attached to her as ever.

"Daddy, can I bring Princess with me?" Evelyn asked, her eyes wide and hopeful.

Ian knelt down and zipped up her coat. "Grandma's house is huge. What if Princess gets lost? Let's have Mommy take care of her for a couple days, okay?"