Nicholas Hollis knew she was mocking him, mocking him for believing the fortune-teller’s words back then. Thinking back now, he also felt that what happened at the time was crazy. As a scholar, he actually believed such a lie and abandoned his own daughter outside for so many years. Eleanor Hollis indeed had the right to hate him. "Eleanor, I don’t know why Stella targets you. I think she might have depression. You know, some mothers are prone to this illness after childbirth. What other reason could there be for a mother to loathe her daughter so much, to the extent of abandoning her?" Eleanor looked at him inscrutably, then suddenly smiled mockingly. "Mr. Hollis, you love your wife deeply. In your heart, she may be your purest love. However, in front of me, she’s not what you think. She’s very successful at pretending." Eleanor stood up, feeling there was no need to continue the meal. Nicholas Hollis followed her out, his face full of anxiety. "Stella was indeed wrong in this matter. I was wrong not to stop her, and even going along with her antics at the time was wrong. Eleanor, I know I’m wrong now, so I hope you can give me a chance to make it up to you. Please, your father is asking you, okay?" Each time he saw his daughter, the guilt in his heart deepened a bit more. Eleanor brushed off his outstretched hand, a flash of disgust in her eyes. This person and Rachel Lynch are like two performing a good cop, bad cop routine; truly a family. Nicholas Hollis stood in place, watching her leave, and finally smiled wryly. Good at handling various troubles, yet helpless with his own family affairs. He went back inside and paid, then left driving forlornly. Returning to the Hollis House, Rachel Lynch was waiting outside the villa with gentle eyes, and when she saw him, a sparkle appeared in her eyes. "Nicholas, you’re back." She stepped forward and stood in front of him, "Do you know what day it is today?" Rachel realized there was a growing conflict between her and her husband recently and wanted to find a chance to make amends. Today was their wedding anniversary, and she wanted to comfort this man. "Stella, I’m sorry, I’m a bit tired." His daughter’s dislike left him very distressed, and recently, he had been having nightmares every day, dreaming of Eleanor being bullied in the countryside, dreaming of young Eleanor crying over and over again. He felt like all his energy was drained and just wanted to sleep at this moment. Rachel’s smile slowly faded. Could it be that even their wedding anniversary was of no concern to this man? "Nicholas, I’ve prepared a candlelight dinner. Today is our wedding anniversary, I’ve been waiting for you at home. Why did you come back so late?" Her tone remained gentle, sounding extraordinarily understanding. Nicholas paused, then counted the days, and hugged her apologetically. "I’m sorry, Stella. I was having dinner with Eleanor, but she doesn’t like me, and I feel terrible. I’ll prepare a gift for you another day, okay?" When Rachel heard he was having dinner with Eleanor, her smile faded slowly but quickly restored her gentle demeanor. "That child’s heart knot is heavy. It’s okay, take your time. Let’s go inside and eat first." Nicholas originally thought she would blame him but found that she began to understand him and even started caring about Eleanor, so his heart softened, and he obediently followed her inside. The two warmly finished eating the steak, looking at each other with affection. Rachel had maintained her appearance well all these years, looking much younger than her peers. Perhaps because of the candlelight at the moment, Nicholas was reminded of the time they were dating. Yet he knew those memories were likely only remembered by him. Because Rachel had been in a serious car accident, knocked down a cliff, and when found again, she was like a startled bird and had forgotten all the past memories. He felt heartache for his wife and gave her more care afterward, even sending their newborn child to the countryside. Amazingly, Rachel was pregnant when found again, and to everyone’s surprise, the child was unharmed in that accident. He was pleased and named the child Anna, hoping she’d have a peaceful life. When Anna was born, all of Rachel’s attention was on him and Anna, seemingly forgetting the child sent to the countryside. He could only quietly send money to the countryside, which ended up being embezzled. "Stella, I want to bring Eleanor back. She’s suffered a lot outside over the years, and I’m deeply distressed. Eleanor and Anna are both my children, yet their lives have been completely different all these years. I can’t imagine what Eleanor’s life in the countryside was like, just thinking about it makes my heart ache." Rachel tightened her grip on the chopsticks slightly, nearly distorting her face. From the moment this man saw Eleanor, he would mention her name every day. She was fed up with it. Read complete versıon only at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵 What was so good about that wretch’s daughter, she deserved to die! She forced out a faint smile. "Nicholas, let’s talk about this later. Today is our wedding anniversary." Nicholas frowned, then sighed. "I started doubting what the fortune-teller said a long time ago, but at the time your health was terrible, it seemed you were going to die, and I had no choice but to send the child away. But Stella, we’re intellectuals. How can you truly believe in such unscientific words? I don’t know why you insisted on doing that then, and I don’t want to pursue it anymore. Let’s be good to Eleanor from now on, okay?" Though Nicholas’s tone had an element of discussion, Rachel knew this person actually had his own ideas. All these years, apart from that one time, she never managed to change his mind. She gritted her teeth in anger, took a deep breath, and placed the knife and fork on the table. "Alright, Nicholas, I agree with you. This is what I originally intended too, but I can see Eleanor is unwilling. If you can persuade her, then let her move in." However, whether she’d have the chance to move in was not up to this person to decide. Nicholas’s mouth lifted slightly, indicating he should visit Eleanor more often in the future, to warm up their father-daughter relationship. Eleanor returned home and saw the empty living room, feeling a slight discomfort. She had grown accustomed to their presence, and now the living room seemed overly spacious. Her phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was a call from the old residence. The old residence had become a negative presence in her heart, yet thinking of Marcus still being there, she could only endure her feelings and pressed the accept button. "Mommy, have you had dinner? I miss you. What are you doing at home?" Marcus’s clear voice instantly dispelled all gloom in Eleanor’s heart.