A Second Chance at Forever

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

and Eleanor slept straight until

worked all night, slept from morning to afternoon. After making meals, Eleanor still hadn’t

With no response, she realized something was

went in. When she saw her flushed face on the bed, she

was

hot…

said, “Eleanor, you have a high fever. Get up, I’m going to take

in when hearing the word ‘hospital‘. “No

very sick, we have to

her up, and raced to the

she was on an

and breathing machine.

a congenital heart condition

fever, oxygen

take it, so she asked the doctor

fever finally

asked for time off from work, and

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

touching Eleanor’s pale face and sighed with

had met two playboys who drained her youth and left her scarred

a high fever, Eleanor slept restlessly, seeing a young man with bloody

filled with pain as he tried to