A Second Chance at Forever ( Eleanor Shultz )
Chapter 1510

Sigrid Laurence was getting older, and her spinster status was giving Latonia a serious case of the jitters. Worried that Sigrid might miss the boat on motherhood, Latonia was on a mission, With Cedric's help, setting her up with different men.

But Sigrid wasn't having any of it. If she wasn't flat-out refusing, she'd politely decline during the dates themselves. After a string of such encounters, her patience wore thin, and she made a point to return to the family estate, telling Latonia to knock it off with the matchmaking.

Sigrid rarely visited home, and when she did, it was usually because her father, Quinlan Laurence, feigned illness to lure her back. Clearly, she still harbored a grudge over past grievances and wasn't about to forgive Latonia anytime soon.

Latonia, growing more regretful by the day, would shrink in Sigrid's presence, meek as a mouse, whispering, "Sigrid, you'll regret it if you end up alone and childless in your old age. Loneliness isn't a trifle, you know..."

Lounging on the couch, Sigrid scoffed, "Like parent, like child, they say. I'd rather not have kids than risk becoming a spiteful mother who can't help but tear her family apart. Better no kids than passing on that kind of legacy and cursing another generation."

The barbed words didn't escape Latonia, a seasoned socialite well-versed in reading between the lines. She knew she was at fault for past wrongs and bit her tongue, murmuring, "Sigrid, darling, I just want to see you happily married before my time comes."

Sigrid's lips curled into a sardonic smile. "Funny you should say that now. You weren't so supportive when I was with Chase McCall, were you? You schemed behind my back to split us up, and now you're pushing me to marry? How do you have the nerve?"

Stung into silence by Sigrid's accusation, Latonia was reminded that the errors of our ways often come back to haunt us. She never imagined the payback would come so swiftly and from her own flesh and blood. The emotional chokehold was tangible as she clutched at her chest, staring at the stoic figure of her niece.

After a long pause, Latonia ventured again, "I heard... you might have developed feelings for someone else. How's that going?"

Despite everything, even if Sigrid cursed her for life and never forgave her, Latonia wished for her to replace someone to lean on, to give her peace, even in death.

Sigrid's grip on her phone tightened slightly before she denied, "He's not interested, so drop it."

After a beat, she locked eyes with Latonia, her gaze icy, "This life, I'm doomed to love without being loved in return. Stop meddling in my affairs!"

With that, Sigrid stood up and strode out, leaving Latonia to sigh at the sight of her stubborn retreating figure.

The day Sigrid returned to B City, the skies opened up, and rain poured down. She braved the storm to her place, a solitary figure, and cooked herself some spaghetti. Sitting cross-legged by the window, she stared out at the relentless rain, her mind replaying the rejection by Jason Clowers three years prior...

Back then, Jason was reading in the garden when Sigrid, captivated by his pristine aura, approached him. She bent down, mustering the courage like she once did with Chase, and confessed her feelings. But the memory was hazy now, though the chill of Jason's demeanor when he looked up from his book was crystal clear.

Sigrid remembered what he said: 'Ms. Laurence, starting today, please refrain from visiting my home. Any medical expenses will be fully settled by Colter Clowers.""

She had hoped that their close companionship would have sparked some affection in Jason, or at least gratitude. But he was ruthless, seeing her only as a physical therapist and a psychiatrist, a cold transactional relationship. When feelings got involved, he cut her off, refusing her treatments and even her presence.

Sigrid had stubbornly proposed staying by his side for three years, believing he might grow to love her, but Jason was adamant. He loved only one, he had said. Sigrid challenged him, and he agreed, perhaps to rid himself of her persistence.

Now, three years on, Jason's love for Eleanor remained unshaken, proving it irreplaceable by any woman. Sigrid conceded defeat, keeping her promise to cease all disturbances.

Yet sometimes, she'd drive by Jason's estate, staring at the courtyard house from afar, lost in thought, wondering why she had ever fallen for Jason Clowers.