A Second Chance at Forever ( Eleanor Shultz )

She pondered for a moment, and realized it must have been Jason's unwavering love for Eleanor that impressed her. Just for Eleanor's wish to see him stand, even though Jason had lost his zest for life, he gritted his teeth and bore the excruciating treatments, coordinating with doctors, summoning all his strength to rise from his wheelchair...

Major depressive disorder would have crushed anyone else, but Jason, to alleviate Eleanor's guilt, endured and clung to life, even though in the dead of night he had often been so tormented he wished to give up. But when he awoke, he would remind himself that he needed to keep living...

Sigrid found such a man, so deeply devoted, to be precious, and without realizing it, she gradually fell for him. But she never considered whether it was the man she liked or the desire to have such a pure affection...

While she was fervently falling for Jason, Chase was silently trailing behind Sigrid, watching how she slowly fell for someone else...

It rained that night, and Chase, who lived quietly across the street, drew back his curtains. Through the veil of descending rain, he watched Sigrid sitting alone in front of her floor-to-ceiling window, slurping spaghetti...

Afraid of being discovered by Sigrid, he didn't dare to turn on the lights. So there he was, like a mouse unredeemed in the dark, hiding in the shadows, quietly observing her every move. He knew his behavior was twisted, but this was the only way he could stay close to her.

Chase truly loved Sigrid, to the extent that it consumed his days and nights, distracted him from his meals, and even when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer, he chose to spend his remaining time by Sigrid's side, protecting her silently, even if she never knew...

After finishing her food, Sigrid sat by the window for a while before getting up to return to her room. The lights in the living room dimmed, blurring everything into darkness. Chase stood still for a long time before reaching for the light switch and then sitting in the bright living room, waiting for the person across to wake up.

The process of Sigrid moving on from Jason was painful, but not as much as when she had to let go of Chase years ago. It was just a few months of sleeping with a heavy heart, and when she woke up, everything felt distant, a testament to an adult's self-control.

When Sigrid stopped investing her energy in Jason, she returned to her studio and started preparing for a craft show. At one exhibition, a newcomer plagiarized her work and even had the audacity to accuse her of the theft...

With no other choice, Sigrid had to hire a lawyer. Deliberately avoiding Chase's firm, she was baffled when every lawyer seemed to refuse her case. In her moment of worry, Chase knocked on the door of her studio...

Seeing Chase's gaunt and pale cheeks, Sigrid frowned instinctively. "Didn't we agree not to see each other anymore? What are you doing here?"

Chase, his body weak from the

advanced stage of his illness,

walked into her office and pulled out a business card from his suit pocket, handing it to her: "Ms. Laurence, heard the retainer's quite generous. Naturally, I came to offer my services."

Sigrid glanced at the business card, her indifferent gaze lifting back to Chase's profound eyes. "Mr. Chase, I don't think you lack the little money I offered?"

Chase placed the card on the table, pressed his thin fingers upon it, and slid it towards her. "Since no other lawyer will take your case, Ms. Laurence, why not let go of the past and give me another chance?"

She understood the subtext of his words but pretended not to, firmly rejecting him: "Mr. Chase, there's no bad blood between us."

Each time she addressed him as

"Mr. Chase," was like a dull pain in his heart. The little girl who couldn't live without him had turned into a Sigrid who was happier without him. He never knew that her lack of love for him could make him feet as if he'd rather be dead...

Fortunately, his terminal illness would soon free him from this pain, allowing him to leave peacefully. But before he departed, he couldn't bear to see Sigrid, who once loved him enough to die for, being mistreated...

Chase masked his pain with a pale smile, "We might have our issues, but I never lose a case, Sigrid. Trust me, I'll ensure that the plagiarist pays dearly."

"I don't doubt your skills; I just don't want any more ties with you..."

Her words were blunt and hurtful, stabbing into Chase's heart with each utterance.

He watched Sigrid's clear, lovely face silently for a long while, then his gaze fell, his eyes forlornly fixed on his palm which seemed too heavy to lift... "Soon, you won't have any ties with me anymore..."

His voice was barely a whisper, and Sigrid didn't catch it. "What did you say?"

Chase closed his hand, looking up with a smile, "I said, once I win your case, I won't bother you anymore. Then there won't be any more ties."