A Second Chance at Forever (Eleanor and Bernard) novel Chapter 561

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, ushering her into his master bedroom. Then, he bent down and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Eleanor jolted awake from his peck, thinking it was Ethan who was touching her. She freaked out and immediately opened her eyes.

Then, she realized that the man in her sight was not Ethan but Bernard. Her anxiety eased a little.

"Eleanor, did I frighten you?"

Eleanor shook her head and lazily patted the spot next to her, "Can you keep me company for a bit?"

Bernard was originally going to instruct Caleb to prepare for action, but seeing her wanting him to stay, he swallowed his anger.

He lay down beside her, holding Eleanor close to him, stroking her back, softly lulling her to sleep.

Eleanor leaned against him, comforted by his subtle scent, and quickly fell back into slumber.

Bernard, a man who hadn't had a good night's sleep in three months, also found solace in her presence. Yet, he dared not fall asleep, only gazing at her.

Perhaps her steady breathing wore him out.

Bernard struggled to stay awake for a while but eventually succumbed to sleep.

He thought holding her would ward off nightmares, but as soon as he fell asleep, he was haunted by dreams again.

In the middle of the night, Eleanor was sound asleep when she heard Bernard murmuring in a shaky voice.

Frightened, she opened her eyes and saw Bernard, who had pushed her away and was curled up in a corner.

He seemed trapped in a nightmare, shivering and pale, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.

His fists clenched tight, nails digging into his flesh till it bled, but he was still not able to wake up from the nightmare, instead sinking deeper.

Seeing him in pain, Eleanor's heart ached. Her long lashes were wet with tears welling up in her eyes. She wanted to hold him, but then she heard him say:

"Eleanor, please, don't do this to me..."