Chapter 1482
Eleanor didn’t pick up on Hailey’s last remark, her effort evident as she outstretched her hand weakly, “Since he’s the child I risked everything to bring into this world, may I hold
him?”
Even with a gap in her memory, making everything around her seem foreign, there was an innate closeness she felt towards her own flesh and blood, a natural desire to hold her
child.
As Hailey carefully set the baby down on the bed, she cautioned, “With the state you’re in, I can’t trust you to hold him just yet. Let’s just lay him beside you, and you can touch him, okay?”
It was then that Eleanor could finally see her baby clearly. His skin was soft and fair, with plump little cheeks, and beneath those still-forming brows were a pair of bright eyes, reminiscent of a thawing wintry landscape, warm and inviting.
For some reason, these descriptors evoked a sense of familiarity, as if she had either experienced this before or had once fantasized about her child looking just like this, making the familiarity overwhelming.
Eleanor gazed at the baby’s pronounced nose and the delicate lips, and after a while, she retracted her hand, a trace of fear in her voice, “Hailey, my memories… They include you all, but not the child. I’m not sure how to embrace these missing pieces…”
This was an ordeal anyone with amnesia inevitably faced. Just like Garett had years ago, when confronted by their sudden appearance and demands, he was so scared and confused that he had no choice but to have security escort them away.
Hailey understood Eleanor’s plight, “If you’re unsure how to accept it, then don’t. Think of it as a story for now. When you’re ready to accept Bernard and the baby, you can embrace those memories…”
She was abiding by the doctor’s advice of taking things slowly, avoiding the urgency that once pressured Garett, instead offering Eleanor gentle reassurance to take her time.
Eleanor felt her headache easing at those words, and she tried once more to gently touch the baby’s cheek. “It’s beautiful, and so cute. Is it a boy or a girl?”
After handing off the baby bottle to the nanny behind her, Hailey replied with a smile, “A little boy, and quite the handful already, always stirring up a fuss for me.”
Eleanor smiled along with Hailey, “How does he fuss with you?”
Hailey gestured towards the baby’s leg, “For instance, when the maid or butler tries to hold him, he cries until I pick him up. And the moment I try to set him down to catch my breath, his cries before I can let go…”
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Chapter 1482
As Hailey expertly adjusted the baby’s rolled-up pants to cover his tiny legs, Eleanor realized the effort Hailey had put in and couldn’t help but express her gratitude, “Hailey, thank you for taking care of him…”
After Hailey finished tending to the baby’s clothes, she met Eleanor’s grateful gaze, “I’m your family. If I don’t look after your child, who will? Besides, I have kids of my own. It’s no trouble to care for another alongside them.
Eleanor filled in another gap in her memory when she heard Hailey had children, “So… did you end up marrying Austin Zimmer, or did something else happen?”
She didn’t know anything for certain and had to ask tentatively, her amnesia making her cautious, but Hailey was unbothered, “Speaking of which, my story with Cedric… it’s been quite a journey…” Eleanor tilted her head, curious about Hailey’s cryptic smile, “So… the father of your child is Cedric, not Austin?”
Hailey, intrigued by Eleanor’s reaction, asked, “Considering you only remember up to when you were eighteen, you should be more accepting of Austin. Aren’t you surprised I married someone else?”
Eleanor smiled faintly, “To be honest, even though Austin seemed upstanding, he never sat right with me. I always felt he would cheat or betray you someday. So, knowing you didn’t marry him actually makes me happy.”
Hailey was taken aback for a moment but then smirked, “You had the right instinct. Austin did betray me eventually. No, he was after my money from the start, it was worse than a cheat.”
As they opened up about the past, Hailey couldn’t help but spill more details, and Eleanor, eager to hear about Hailey’s life, listened while gently patting the baby’s belly, fascinated by Hailey’s rant about Austin and the tale of her life with Cedric.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Second Chance At Forever novel (Eleanor and Bernard)
Loved the story, many times caught in so much actually crying with the situation. Wish had more chapters to a better ending....
It's weird that the story went from narrative to slang use. Good story so far though...