A Second Chance at Forever

Chapter 1435
Hailey smiled as she received the gift from Eleanor.
“It’s just good to have you back safe and sound. You didn’t need to get me anything.”
Eleanor had been away with some long-lost relatives, and she had been unreachable for days. Hailey was worried, she couldn’t
reach her phone no matter how many times she called.
If it hadn’t been for Bernard coming back, and Cedric calming her down, Hailey was about ready to waddle her pregnant self to
some godforsaken place in search of Eleanor.
Thankfully, not long after, Bernard stormed back home, bringing Eleanor with him.
Learning that the couple had been overseas, dealing with a gunshot wound no less, Hailey could finally breathe easy and focus
on her own upcoming delivery.
But Cedric didn’t tell Hailey about the chip in Bernard’s head.
Cedric planned to wait until Hailey was out of the hospital to have a proper sit-down with him about the whole matter.
After all, such burdens should be carried by the men, letting the women enjoy their blissful lives without a care.
Cedric and Bernard exchanged a knowing glance, an unspoken agreement between them.
Overjoyed by the new baby, Eleanor took the gift box Bernard handed her and set it on the nightstand.
“Not just a gift for the baby, I got you something too.”
Eleanor didn’t open it, just patted the box, “Open it when you get home.”
Turning her attention back to the joy at hand, she looked eagerly at Latonia and Veronica, who were holding the infants. “May I...
hold one?”
“Of course,” Veronica said generously, handing over the baby and showing Eleanor how to hold her.
Eleanor melted as soon as she held the soft bundle of joy.

“Newborns are so... tiny,” she marveled, looking at the baby girl’s miniature features.
Holding the baby girl closer, Eleanor’s heart swelled with love, and she wished for her own child to arrive soon.
Bernard watched Eleanor bathed in sunlight, cradling the child, and saw the glow of motherhood on her face.
He caught a glimpse of her side profile and for a moment, he could imagine Eleanor cooing over their own baby. A subtle smile
of impending fatherhood crept across his face, barely concealable beneath his joy.
After a while, Eleanor presented the baby to Bernard with a bit of effort.
“Look at her, doesn’t she have Cedric’s eyes?”
Bernard glanced down at the wrinkled bundle and frowned.
“All wrinkled up, how can you tell?” The room fell silent at Bernard’s blunt remark.
Eleanor, embarrassed, glanced around at everyone’s faces before quickly retracting the baby girl. She handed her back to
Veronica and reached for the baby boy in Latonia’s arms.
This time, she wisely refrained from bringing the baby too close to Bernard, but he leaned in anyway, “This one’s even wrinklier
than the last.”
“Bernard!” Cedric couldn’t hold back and stood up, fists clenched, “Are you saying my kids are ugly?!”
Bernard shifted his gaze from the infant’s face to a fuming Cedric, “What do you think?”
“I think...” Cedric looked down at the baby boy in Eleanor’s arms, admitting, “He’s a bit on the ugly side.”
“But the doctor said it’s normal for newborns not to be handsome!”
“So you think they’re ugly too, that’s why you asked the doctor behind my back!”
Hailey’s incredulous voice rang out, and Cedric hurried back to placate her, “I don’t think they’re ugly, I’ve just never seen babies,
quite this... unique.”
Despite her own thoughts that the babies weren’t exactly cute, Hailey had avoided looking too much, but now with Cedric’s
words, her defenses crumbled.

09:16
Seeing Hailey on the verge of tears, Cedric frantically soothed her while shooting Bernard a glare.
“Bernard, this is all your fault!”
Bernard looked unperturbed, tilting his chin up proudly as he faced Cedric’s anger.
“I never said your kids were ugly.”
The implication was clear: Cedric had caused his own problem, and Bernard was uninvolved.
“Bernard, on such a happy day, can’t you say something nice?”
Watching Cedric’s meltdown, Bernard sighed and gently touched the boy’s forehead.
“Actually, Boy Laurence isn’t ugly; he’s just a bit more wrinkled than Girl Laurence...”
After his comment, Bernard looked up earnestly at Cedric’s twitching mouth.
“Is that better?”
Ignoring the remark, Cedric continued to calm Hailey’s shaking hands, explaining his choice of names and vetoing Bernard’s
suggestions.
“Don’t worry, my son will be like a dragon among men, and my daughter like a phoenix among women. Their names will be the
most beautiful!”
As soon as Cedric finished, Bernard nodded in agreement.
“Dragon Laurence and Phoenix Laurence aren’t bad either.”
“Bernard, can you just not talk for a minute?”
After a polite request, Cedric turned kindly to Eleanor, still holding the baby boy.
“Maybe you should take him and get some rest, Eleanor?”