No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 944

Vanessa watched his retreating back, her eyes swirling with intense hatred and resentment.

Dr. Smith gestured for the nurses to leave the room.

Vanessa's carefully styled hair was now in disarray, and her makeup was smudged with tears. She looked a mess, a stark contrast to her usual polished elegance.

Dr. Smith handed her a tissue. "Miss Shannon, I'm sorry you had to go through this, but please understand, this research is a matter of life and death for Mr. Goodwin's family."

Vanessa's head snapped up, her eyes blazing with anger. "What do you think I am? A walking blood bank? It was like this ten years ago, and it's still the same now!"

Dr. Smith adjusted his glasses, his gaze calm. "Miss Shannon, I'm not fully aware of the details of your arrangement ten years ago, but from what I know, Mr. Goodwin has compensated you very well. This was never a one-sided affair."

Vanessa's face contorted as if he'd struck a nerve. "So what? Can money buy everything? Can it buy back the last ten years of my life? Can it make up for the love I've given? He knows how I feel about him, he knows it was never about the money! And now, he acts like he wants to drain every last drop of blood from my body."

Growing more agitated, Vanessa tried to stand, but a wave of dizziness from the blood loss sent her stumbling back into the chair. She pressed a hand to her forehead, the bitterness in her eyes deepening.

Dr. Smith waited for her to calm down before speaking again. "Miss Shannon, I can't comment on your personal feelings, but factually, you have an agreement with Mr. Goodwin, and we hope you will honor it. I suggest you rest for a while and compose yourself."

After Dr. Smith left, two nurses entered to stay with her.

"No," Vanessa said coolly, clearly unwilling to be seen as a pitiful wreck by anyone else.

Eleanor was resting in her office. She was a light sleeper, and when a nurse accidentally dropped a stack of files outside her door, she woke up. The drama in the phlebotomy room meant nothing to her.

Just then, there was a knock on her door. Before she could answer, it opened, and Ian's tall frame filled the doorway. He still looked tired, but the raw exhaustion from the morning had settled into a weary calm.

"Do you have a minute?" he asked, his voice low and raspy.