A Second Chance at Forever novel (Eleanor and Bernard)

Chapter 23

Eleanor dashed home in the rain, stripped off her fancy dress, took off the diamond necklace around her neck, and tossed it in the box.

She’d send all this crap back to Josef tomorrow, his stuff sickened her, and she definitely wouldn’t keep it.

After closing the box, she went into the bathroom, turned on the tub faucet, and climbed in.

She scrubbed her face and back hard, so hard that her skin got red, then looked at herself in the mirror.

With makeup off, all that’s left was sickly paleness, no spirit, and lifeless eyes.

She couldn’t see the light or feel the warmth.

Like a dirty little bug, trampled all over.

Yet, she once had dignity….

“Dignity.”

Eleanor chuckled sarcastically. She had lost her dignity when she sold herself to Bernard.

She dried her hair, lay in bed, and fell asleep exhausted.

The rain had

My her

slept straight until

to afternoon. After making

door and called her twice. With no response, she realized something

she saw her flushed face

was

hot…

and said, “Eleanor, you have a high fever. Get up, I’m

in when

very sick, we have to

her up,

she was on an

and breathing machine.

had a congenital heart condition

a cold or fever,

it, so she

Eleanor’s fever finally began to subside.

a sigh of relief, asked for time off from work, and sat silently

orphanage at around one year old. They were each other’s closest people

hand, touching Eleanor’s pale face and sighed with a heartache.

her

Eleanor slept restlessly, seeing a young man with

he tried to speak, but Eleanor

“What

boy stopped talking,