No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 507

Eleanor set her phone down and massaged her temples. She really should brief Callie about her current projects before she left.

By six-thirty, Eleanor was pulling into the driveway. As soon as she stepped out of the car, her daughter Evelyn and their golden retriever, Princess, came running to greet her.

“Mom! You’re home! Are you going on a work trip?” Evelyn asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Eleanor paused, crouching down so she could look her daughter in the eye. “How did you know about that?”

“Dad told me,” Evelyn replied, nodding solemnly. “He said you’re going to work really hard this time and that I’ll be staying with Grandma for a while. Don’t worry, Mom—I’ll be good and do what I’m told.”

The fact that Ian had already made arrangements without discussing it with her made Eleanor bristle with anger. This was not his decision to make. Still, Evelyn’s maturity tugged at her heart.

She ruffled Evelyn’s hair, forcing a gentle smile. “That’s right, honey. I’ll be gone for about ten days, so you’ll have to—”

“—be extra good. I know,” Evelyn finished for her.

Eleanor’s heart ached at the thought of being away from her little girl for so long.

“It’s okay, Mom,” Evelyn said, wrapping her arms around Eleanor’s neck. “If I miss you, I’ll call you.”

The truth was, aside from the Goodwin family, Eleanor had no one else she could truly trust to look after Evelyn. Her daughter had always been a handful, and there weren’t many people who could keep up with her. Even Joslyn could only manage during the day—at night, it was either Ian, herself, or her ex-mother-in-law, Gina.

That night, Eleanor started packing. The trip to Kingston was scheduled for ten days, but if the results of the new drug trial weren’t promising—or if any issues cropped up—she might have to stay longer.

She tried not to dwell on it. Once her suitcase was closed, she took Evelyn for a walk around the neighborhood, determined to savor these last moments together.

The next morning, Eleanor’s flight was at ten. At eight o’clock, Ian texted to say he was already outside, ready to pick up Evelyn.

Eleanor packed a small bag of clothes and walked her daughter out to the car. Ian settled Evelyn into her booster seat, then closed the door and reached for the bag Eleanor handed him.

Eleanor fixed him with a steely gaze. “If Vanessa so much as tries to get close to my daughter, I’ll drop everything and come back. And I’ll resign from your lab on the spot.”

Ian’s hand paused mid-reach. For a moment, surprise flickered in his deep-set eyes. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“Miss Sutton? I’m here to pick you up—call me Leah!” the woman said cheerfully.

“Thank you, Leah,” Eleanor replied, offering a polite smile.

Once they were in the car, Leah glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Miss Sutton, it’s such an honor to finally meet you. I knew you were young, but I didn’t expect you to be this young—and so beautiful, too!”

Eleanor couldn’t help but blush. “Thank you.”

“A lot of students at our university really admire you!” Leah added.

As they drove toward the hospital, Leah filled Eleanor in on the details of the drug trial. “We’ve set aside the best rooms and assembled our top medical team. Principal Maxwell is taking this project very seriously.”

Eleanor gazed out the window. Kingston was just beginning to show the first hints of autumn. For the next ten days—or however long it took—she’d give this trial her all.

Her accommodations at the university guesthouse were comfortable and thoughtfully arranged. Everything was ready for her to begin.