No More Mrs. Nice Wife (Eleanor) novel Chapter 1252

Mansfield watched as Principal Maxwell and his father fell silent. The others in the room averted their gazes. His heart sank. He had guessed correctly.

A sharp pang of concern and urgency shot through him. He struggled to sit up. "Where is she? I need to see her."

"Mansfield, don't get agitated. You just woke up. You're still very weak," Garth said, rushing forward to hold him down.

"Mansfield, lie down," Principal Maxwell urged.

"Dad, just let me see her. Just for a moment," Mansfield's voice was hoarse but unyieldingly firm. His newly opened eyes were filled with pleading.

Principal Maxwell and Garth exchanged a look. They both knew Mansfield's stubborn nature. Finally, Principal Maxwell sighed. "Alright. But you can only look from the outside. Eleanor needs absolute quiet."

A nurse brought a wheelchair, and they carefully moved him into it. Principal Maxwell himself pushed him out of the room. Mansfield covered his mouth and let out a light cough; his body was indeed still very weak.

They went down the quiet corridor to a room with a large glass observation window. Through it, Mansfield could see inside.

Under the soft light, Eleanor lay quietly in the hospital bed, an IV drip in the back of her hand. Beside the bed, Ian sat with his back to the window. He was holding Eleanor's other hand, pressing it to his forehead.

The sight made Principal Maxwell tense up, and he nervously glanced at Mansfield, afraid he might have a strong reaction.

Mansfield looked at the sleeping Eleanor and also noticed the exhaustion and worry etched on Ian's face.

Inside the room, Ian's attention was completely focused on Eleanor, oblivious to the eyes watching from outside.

Mansfield's face, thin and somewhat gaunt, appeared remarkably calm in the light. There was no jealousy, only a complex understanding.

He loved Eleanor. His feelings were genuine and profound. But because he loved her, he was keenly aware that the path he had chosen was fraught with danger and long separations.

He couldn't give her a stable, secure future. He couldn't be by her side like a normal partner, and he certainly couldn't guarantee he would come back alive every time.

He couldn't be so selfish as to bind her to a relationship filled with waiting and worry. She deserved someone who could give her stability and happiness, someone who could protect her at all times.

And that person was clearly not him.

Seeing Ian by Eleanor's bedside, though it caused a slight ache in his chest, made him hope for a more stable future for her.

He was helped back into his bed by a nurse. Everyone else left, leaving only Garth and Dr. MacLeod with him.