CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 81: EXPOSED

Hugo Quinn raised an eyebrow, thinking, is this person planning to burn bridges after crossing them?

Eleanor Hollis also felt a bit embarrassed, considering she had troubled someone just that afternoon.

But now with Grandma here, if they were to run into each other in the morning, the atmosphere would likely be awkward.

"Okay."

Hugo didn’t make things difficult. Although he wanted to stay with her, he knew Eleanor cared a lot about her grandmother’s opinion, so he decided not to stay, gave Marcus a few instructions, and left.

Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at Marcus sitting next to her and smiled gently, "Marcus, why don’t you go to sleep too?"

A gleam flashed in Marcus’s eyes, "Dad, will he come back?"

"Don’t worry, once Grandma leaves, he’ll come to keep you company."

Marcus nodded obediently, seeming a bit more reassured.

Eleanor was about to take Marcus to bed when she heard the doorbell ring.

She opened the door and saw Hugo.

"I forgot my jacket."

Hugo slowly walked in and bent down to pick up the suit jacket from the sofa.

"Goodnight."

He suddenly pulled Eleanor into his arms and gave her a deep kiss, his right hand holding the back of her head.

Eleanor was completely caught off guard, passively enduring the kiss.

Bridget Sutton had initially wanted to go to the living room to get some medicine, but upon slightly opening the door, she saw the two of them kissing.

Her heart skipped a beat. Although she lived in the countryside, she still knew such behavior was inappropriate.

She gently closed the door, suddenly recalling what Hugo had said earlier that evening.

The more she thought about it, the more she feared.

Could these two kids really be as she suspected?

She anxiously stood by the door, completely at a loss for what to do; it seemed like coming out now would make everyone uncomfortable.

She stood there for a while longer, then quietly opened the door a crack again, seeing that they were still kissing.

Bridget’s expression changed. She actually quite liked Hugo, but Hugo was Grace Lynch’s ex-husband and Nathaniel’s uncle.

If the two were to be together, there would be far too much to face in the future.

Her lips trembled slightly, and finally, she sighed, returning to bed.

Eleanor didn’t know that everything had already been discovered by Grandma. It wasn’t until she was about to suffocate that the man finally let her go.

"I said goodnight; there should also be a goodnight kiss."

Perhaps moved by emotion, Hugo’s voice carried a hint of seduction.

Eleanor’s face reddened slightly; she bit her lip, unable to voice her reproach.

"So shy."

Marcus suddenly spoke up, propping his head up and looking at the two of them.

Only then did Eleanor realize that Hugo hadn’t even avoided the child earlier.

"Marcus, it’s not what you’re thinking."

It’s said children fear having a stepmother, as just the term alone can lead to misunderstandings.

If Marcus didn’t accept all this, what if he developed a psychological shadow?

He had only recently improved from his previous state; anything else would bring them back to square one.

"Mommy, I understand."

Marcus’s face was serious as he suddenly reached out and held her hand.

"I like you, Mommy, and Daddy does too."

Eleanor felt a warmth in her hand; such a sincere expression from a child can be truly moving, especially one who has autism.

"I’m not forcing you. Take your time and think it over." Hugo found the opportunity to speak, running his hand through Eleanor’s hair by her ear.

Eleanor was tense all over but still said nothing.

Understanding, Hugo walked to the door, a smile on his face, "I’ll come with you to see Grandma off tomorrow."

Only then did Eleanor nod. After he left, she walked to the door and closed it.

"Marcus, time to sleep."

She led Marcus to his room.

"Mommy."

Marcus called once, then suddenly smiled, "Goodnight."

His silence afterward made Eleanor feel a bit uneasy.

This child is somewhat like Hugo, stubborn, and she truly feared this incident would leave a scar in his heart.

"This is an adult matter, I’ll handle it slowly, give me a little time, okay?"

She gently stroked the child’s head, her face showing a hint of emotion, "Marcus likes me, and that makes me very happy, but the situation between your dad and me is complicated. It’s not as simple as just wanting to be together. Understand? But no matter what happens in the future, promise me, you’ll communicate well with your dad, and won’t hide your thoughts, okay?"

Marcus nodded, "Mommy, I understand."

Having said that, he lay in bed, pulling the blanket over himself.

"Alright, Marcus, rest early."

After leaving the room, Eleanor realized how weak she felt.

She held onto the wall a bit clumsily and entered her bedroom.

Sitting in the bathtub, her mind was still echoing with Marcus’s words and his slightly persistent look.

She applied a bit of shower gel onto the bath sponge, casually scrubbed a couple of times, and then wrapped herself in a robe and came out.

She was destined not to sleep tonight, tossing and turning with her thoughts until dawn, finally managing to sleep one or two hours. She then hurriedly got up to make a bowl of noodles for everyone.

Bridget Sutton had something on her mind; several times she wanted to speak, but in the face of her granddaughter’s caring, she swallowed all her words.

As they were about to leave, Hugo arrived.

"Grandma, we’ll take you to the train station."

Bridget felt a pang seeing Hugo’s enthusiasm, as she finally realized why this man’s attitude had improved so much.

On the way, silence prevailed, but she held Eleanor’s hand, giving it a pat in the end.

"Luna, what worries Grandma most now is you. I ask for nothing else, only that you find happiness."

Eleanor didn’t entirely understand the implication of those words, but after a brief pause, she slowly nodded.

"Grandma, don’t worry, I will be happy."

In truth, she said it only to keep the elder from worrying in the countryside.

But to Bridget, it meant something else.

Seems like Luna really likes Hugo and is confident about this relationship.

She sighed. Since her granddaughter liked him, there wasn’t much she could say.

She understood Eleanor’s character, estimating that they only got together after both divorced, not violating any morals. Given that, she’d choose to support them.

At the train station, she held the ticket in her hand.

"Luna, could you go to that supermarket and buy me a bottle of water? And get me some pineapple too, remember to ask them to cut it into small pieces."

The supermarket sells pineapples whole, and cutting them into small pieces requires the shopkeeper’s help, which would take some time.

She had something to say to Hugo and had no choice but to send her granddaughter off.