No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 1276

Eleanor followed Mansfield through a long hallway to his study. Inside the spacious room, a full wall of display cases immediately caught her eye, filled with neatly arranged trophies, medals, and certificates of honor.

"Did you earn all of these?" Eleanor asked, stunned.

Mansfield smiled faintly. "Most of them. But some were my dad's from when he was young."

Eleanor stopped in front of a particularly striking medal, examining it closely. It was a Medal of Valor.

Mansfield calmly explained, "I received that five years ago during a border mission." He let out a reflective laugh. After all, he had nearly not made it back that time. It was his teammates who hadn't given up on him.

Just like this time, he was willing to risk his life to bring his team member back, never abandoning, never giving up.

Eleanor's heart tightened. To earn such an honor, the mission must have been incredibly difficult.

She continued looking and saw several other similar medals. Finally, Eleanor came to a photo wall. The first thing she saw was a picture of Mansfield in his early twenties, lying in a hospital bed covered in bandages, yet still smiling warmly for the camera with his team.

"That's a picture of me at twenty," Mansfield said. Back then, he had a more boyish air, like a bright, sunny young man.

Eleanor studied the photos for a few minutes, a mix of emotions welling up inside her. She felt a pang of sympathy for what Mansfield had been through, but also a deep admiration for his resilience. Behind these honors was the courage he had shown, time and again, in brushing with death.

Eleanor also noticed the massive bookshelf in the study, filled with books. It was clear Mansfield was the kind of man who never stopped learning. His excellence wasn't confined to the military; it came from how hard he pushed himself to keep growing.

"It's great that we've both found careers we love, living for our ideals," Mansfield remarked with a sigh. But his path had been set for him long ago. Sometimes he wondered what his life would be like if he had chosen to be an ordinary person.

But once he started down this road, he had to see it through to the end.

Suddenly, Eleanor understood why Mansfield had brought her to his study—he was showing her, in his own way, that they were ultimately on two different paths.

Eleanor also understood that Mansfield had his own journey to walk. Some connections weren't meant to be forced. To be able to understand and support each other was already a rare gift.

Mansfield seemed to remember something. He walked over to a display case of models, took out the smallest tank, and said, "Could you give this to Evelyn for me? I promised her last time that I'd get her a little tank."

Eleanor looked at the exquisitely crafted miniature tank model, nodded, and smiled. "Of course."

After a little while longer, Mansfield said to Eleanor, "We should be getting back."

Once the main group had left, Mansfield poured a cup of tea for Ian and said with a solemn expression, "Mr. Goodwin, I owe my awakening to your company's Neural Interface Project technology and the timely delivery of the chip. I will never forget this life-saving grace for the rest of my life."

Ian nodded slightly, his tone a bit distant. "Major Ellington, it was the right thing to do."

Mansfield's expression grew even more grateful. "Mr. Goodwin, what you did was a lot more than just 'the right thing to do.' If it weren't for your tremendous help, I might never have opened my eyes again."

Ian picked up his teacup, his gaze calm as he looked at him. "Major Ellington, to be honest, I helped for two reasons. One was out of respect for your father's dedication to this country and its people. The other—"

He paused, his voice deepening. "—was because Eleanor came to me for help."

Mansfield was slightly taken aback, then he understood. "I see."

"She put aside her pride to beg me to save you." Ian's fingertips gently traced the rim of the cup. "It's clear you're very important to her."

The hidden meaning in his words made Mansfield's expression turn serious. Then, he looked at Ian sincerely and said, "Mr. Goodwin, there's something I feel I must confess to you. Eleanor and I have decided to go back to being friends."