A Second Chance at Forever

Chapter 1471
After all, who could love Eleanor more than her husband? Robin knew that, but what of it? He was both painfully aware and
sweetly addicted to his own despair. He couldn’t do anything about it.
Yet, seeing Eleanor like this filled Robin with immense regret. If he had known she would end
up this way, he would have answered her question that day-the one she posed to him with her dying breath in lip-sync. He
should have been forthright with her!
Robin despised his own cowardice, his strict adherence to propriety, but these feelings paled in comparison to his love for
Eleanor. They were nothing but a minor regret, utterly insignificant.
Now, if he could, he would plead with the heavens to take on her suffering so they could live a happy life together...
After all, no one would care whether Robin was alive or dead, but Eleanor was different.
She was the beacon of hope for many, Bernard, Hailey Vulpe, Serenina Ziegler, their newborn son, and countless others who
cared for her...
As Robin silently prayed to trade places with Eleanor, a man in a black trench coat, drenched in rain, stepped out of his car. His
hurried steps were a bit disheveled, but he moved quickly...
By the time Garett arrived at the hospital, Eleanor had already been moved to the intensive care unit, with Bernard holding her
hand, refusing to leave her side.
The doctors had told them the harsh truth, and after a day and night of vigil, everyone had left except Bernard, who refused to
believe it was the end.
He was convinced that Eleanor had simply lost her way and that she would find it back home. So, Bernard had sent Aidyn and
Scott all over the world to find the best doctors, believing in a miracle against all odds.
And if that miracle never came, then they would abide by their pact, for better or for worse, in life and death. Eleanor would be
waiting for him on the road, not minding a slight delay. Garett never saw the battered Eleanor, only catching a glimpse through
the ICU glass of a pale Bernard, gripping Eleanor’s hand and staring intensely at the figure on the bed.

When he received the news from Sigrid, he was abroad for a leg check-up. He couldn’t even finish the examination before he
rushed back, only to be informed that Eleanor was in a deep coma with little chance of awakening.
He thought that if the girl he once loved were doing well, that would be enough. But to think that after cutting ties, her fate would
still be so dire.
Sometimes Garett wondered if he hadn’t rejected Eleanor back then, if he had followed through with their marriage, would she
have been spared so much suffering?
Regretful Garett had the ICU door opened and with heavy steps, he approached Bernard.
He didn’t glance at Bernard. His eyes, slightly reddened, were fixated on the pale, gaunt face that had haunted his dreams...
His hand twitched at his side, then, shedding all pretense of restraint, he reached out to touch Eleanor’s cheek. But before his
fingertips could brush the face he longed for, a strong hand shoved him away, “Don’t touch her!”
She belonged to Bernard, and no one else was allowed to lay a finger on her.
The possessiveness in Bernard’s eyes was more intense than ever, as if a single touch from Garett would claim her away.
Perhaps it was this action that enraged Garett. He clenched his hand into a fist and swung at Bernard, “I gave up on her for you
to take care of her, and look what happened!”
Garett grabbed Bernard by the collar, pointing at the unconscious Eleanor on the hospital bed.
“Is this how you care for her?!”
Bernard, radiating an icy aura, followed Garett’s accusing finger to look at Eleanor.
“You’re right, it’s my fault. I didn’t take good care of her, but...”
Bernard lifted his chin in defiance, his eyes filled with scorn, staring down at the angry Garett.
“And what right do you have to judge me?”
“I...” Garett was silenced by the cold retort. Indeed, what right did he have? When they were together, he hesitated to marry her;
when they were apart, he didn’t dare claim her.

Now that she was another man’s wife, what right did he have to criticize her husband?
The internal conflicts of the Clowers family, their shares, his parents’ vendetta-Bernard had dealt with them all.
If not for someone cleaning up the mess, would being with him have been any
Garett let go of the punch, accepting his defeat. better?
Bernard should have hit back, but he accepted the blow willingly. Because Garett was right-he had failed to protect Eleanor, and
that was why she was lying there like that.
Garett released Bernard, and the two tall men stepped back, creating distance between them.
They stood at the bedside in silence until Garett finally spoke up, “I’ll find a doctor to wake Eleanor up.”
Garett knew that staying here wouldn’t allow him to reminisce or yearn for Eleanor. For two people who had parted ways, the
best thing to do was to extend a helping hand in times of crisis, without the weight of the past between them.