No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 1598

Eleanor turned her face away, not wanting to hash this out. Her voice was tight. "She's gone. None of this matters anymore."

"It matters entirely," Ian said, suddenly framing her face with both hands. "Ellie, the only thing I have ever wanted is you. Just you. As for kids, we have Evelyn, and that's enough. I'll teach her how to protect the Goodwin legacy."

Tears unknowingly pooled in Eleanor's eyes. She let out a shaky breath. "It wasn't just your grandmother's dying wish. It was your father's too. You shouldn't be wasting your time on me."

Ian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who the hell told you that was my father's dying wish?"

Eleanor looked up at him. "Shaun Wallace's wife, Miranda, told me herself. She said when she visited your father before he died, those were his exact words."

A lethal coldness flashed in Ian's eyes. Shaun Wallace's wife? Since when did an outsider have the audacity to interfere with Goodwin family business?

He hadn't even dealt with Shaun for trying to plant that female assistant in his office, and now the man's wife was actively sabotaging the only woman he loved?

Feeling the dangerous shift in Ian's demeanor, Eleanor's gaze dropped to the red mark on his cheek. Her tone softened. "What's wrong?"

Ian rested his forehead against hers in sheer frustration. "Eleanor, you're a genius in the medical field, so how can you not see that Miranda and Shaun were intentionally trying to drive a wedge between us?"

Eleanor froze.

"When my father passed, the only people in that room were me and your father. There was absolutely no third party. You went after Shaun in the board meeting, and he was terrified that if you became Mrs. Goodwin again, you'd be a threat to him. That's exactly why his wife used the excuse of an heir to sabotage our relationship. Are you seriously going to let them win?"

Eleanor's mind raced back to the funeral. It hit her like a ton of bricks. Miranda had relentlessly emphasized the Goodwin family's obsession with a male heir. At the time, Eleanor had been so consumed by grief over the grandmother's passing that she hadn't thought critically about it.

Looking back, the conversation was incredibly calculated.

She and Shaun did have major conflicting interests on the board. The fact that Miranda had used an elder's funeral to execute such a vile scheme was beyond despicable.

Eleanor gave a muffled hum. "Think whatever you want."

Ian let out a low chuckle. "If that's the case, don't I deserve a little compensation?"

Before she could react, his lips claimed hers again.

Eleanor stiffened for a second before letting her eyes flutter shut. This time, she didn't fight him. Instead, her hands instinctively came up to wrap around his neck—partly out of guilt for slapping him, and partly because she was finally ready to try.

Her tentative response was the ultimate reward. Ian deepened the kiss, completely losing himself in her. Amidst the heat, he murmured huskily against her lips, "Don't worry... I'll find time... to get a vasectomy."

Eleanor shoved him back, panting. "Ian, are you out of your mind?"

Ian was breathing heavily too. He cupped her face, his eyes dark with desire but utterly serious. "I'm not crazy. I mean it. I only ever wanted Evelyn. I don't want any more kids, and I absolutely refuse to let you suffer through another pregnancy."