No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 101

Eleanor nodded. "Make sure to dry this umbrella properly—I need to return it."

"Alright."

After a warm shower, Eleanor felt more at ease. It was already late April; a little rain wasn't likely to give her a cold.

She stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a bathrobe, just as a message from Joel popped up on her phone, reminding her to rest at home today.

That small gesture warmed her heart.

At three o'clock, Ian sent a message saying he'd pick up their daughter.

He parked in the basement and carried Evelyn up from the elevator in his arms.

Their golden retriever, Princess, wagged her tail excitedly as she greeted the father and daughter duo. Evelyn giggled, crouching down to play with Princess, while Ian headed upstairs. As he reached the landing on the second floor, he nearly collided with Eleanor in the hallway.

Eleanor instinctively pressed herself back against the wall, preferring that to even the slightest brush with him.

Ian shot her a cold, sharp look, his eyes full of some unspoken resentment, then strode into his room and slammed the door hard enough to rattle the frame.

Eleanor went downstairs to spend time with her daughter. Soon, Evelyn's laughter drifted through the house, bright and infectious.

Joslyn had prepared a delicious dinner, the aroma filling the house. Outside, thunder rumbled and rain lashed the windows, but under the warm glow of the chandelier, the home felt safe and cozy.

As dinner approached, Eleanor was just stepping into the foyer when she overheard Ian on the phone.

"There's a blackout?"

"Alright, I'll come over."

She didn't need to guess—Vanessa was calling him. In weather like this, Vanessa would want nothing more than to curl up in his arms and wait out the storm.

Eleanor was scared of thunder and lightning too. Once upon a time, she liked to cling to Ian when the storms hit, holding him close even if he was reluctant.

Now, she still feared the storms, but for her daughter's sake, she could face anything.

That night, Eleanor snuggled under the covers with Evelyn, telling bedtime stories until her daughter drifted off to sleep. But Eleanor herself lay awake, restless. The thunder outside was relentless, shaking the windows and making it impossible to rest.

He hung up. For a moment, Eleanor stood there, collecting herself. Clearly, someone at the chemical plant had caught wind of the lab's investigation.

But she wasn't worried—she already had a complete chain of evidence. All she had to do was submit it to the authorities, and the chemical plant's illegal toxic waste dumping would finally be investigated and stopped.

A threat wouldn't scare her off. The safety of tens of thousands of people in Marlowe Village was at stake. She had to press on.

Besides, water pollution wasn't just Marlowe Village's problem—it was a threat to the whole country.

When Eleanor arrived at the lab, she told Joel about the threatening call. He looked at her with concern and said, "Be careful when you're out and about."

"I will."

At noon, Dr. Lyman chaired a meeting to present a detailed report on the Marlowe Village investigation.

"Eleanor was the first to detect methylmercury in the patients' brain tissue," Joel explained, "and she found the same compound in fish from the reservoir and in water samples from the plant's waste pipes. She's put together an airtight chain of evidence."

Under the table, Faye clenched her hands tightly in her lap, frustrated that Eleanor had once again stolen the spotlight.