Chapter 1229

At eight o’clock, the two men took their children home. They went to the playground, where lan and Xavier stood by, discussing business while the girls played under the lights.

Around eight-thirty, Eleanor returned home from the lab. Joslyn told her Evelyn

wasn’t back yet, so Eleanor decided to take Princess for a short walk. After a whole day in the lab, she needed to stretch her legs.

As she neared the playground, she glanced over and saw her daughter, Evelyn, playing with Vivian. Eleanor led Princess closer and also saw lan and Xavier standing in the shadows of the trees.

“Woof!” Princess yipped excitedly, practically begging to go over, so Eleanor had no choice but to head in their direction.

lan turned his head and saw Eleanor walking the dog. Xavier’s breath caught slightly; Eleanor was right behind him.

Eleanor had already showered and had no makeup on. Under the lights, her face was fair and clear.

She wore a light gray summer long-sleeve tee, revealing a pair of straight, slender legs. She exuded a fresh, relaxed air, like a girl comfortable at home.

lan’s breath hitched, his heart skipping a beat.

Xavier’s gentle eyes flickered with a momentary stir of emotion, but he perfectly suppressed it.

“Eleanor,” he said, greeting her first.

“Xavier,” Eleanor smiled at him, then looked at lan. “You should take Evelyn home for her bath soon. I’ll just walk a couple more laps and head back p>

lan nodded and bent down to pat Princess’s head. But the dog refused to leave, as if it wanted a different person to walk it.

“Princess, let’s go!” Eleanor urged, walking over to tug at its collar. The faint, clean scent from her recent shower wafted past lan like a feather brushing against his heart. He looked down at the woman beside him, his dark eyes filled with a complex, unreadable emotion.

Eleanor forcefully pulled Princess away. Her departure seemed to leave an awkward tension between the two men.

“Are you and Eleanor… planning to remarry?” Xavier asked in a low voice, his eyes sincere and wishing them well.

lan felt his sincerity. His gaze followed Eleanor’s retreating figure, his voice dropping slightly. “The final decision is hers.” Then, a shadow of sadness crossed his eyes. “But she and Mansfield Ellington are officially in a relationship.

Xavier blinked, a look of surprise and shock on his face.

“Are you sure p>

“Yes,” lan’s voice was laced with a bitterness he couldn’t hide.

The night wind rustled through the trees, and the silence between the two men grew heavier.

Xavier could see that Eleanor’s feelings towards lan had changed significantly. Now he understood it was because she had accepted a new relationship.

That would certainly help her move on from past hurts, make peace with the past, and establish a

-parenting partnership with her, ex husband.

“Then Xavier started to say something more.

lan sighed softly. “I won’t interfere with any of her choices p>

Xavier studied lan’s expression under the moonlight. Though the words were calm, Xavier could hear the suppressed pain within them.

If Mansfield was the man Eleanor had chosen, then he, too, would wish her well. She deserved to be treated properly.

“But I will continue to support her research,” lan said, his gaze firm as he looked into the distance. “I’ll give her everything I can p>

“That’s good. Evelyn still needs you,” Xavier said, gently patting his shoulder in a silent gesture of comfort.