Reflecting now, I could only faintly recall his tender and loving eyes, once brimming with joy and excitement.
He had looked at me as if he’d been struck by a delightful surprise, stealing cautious glances as though he couldn’t quite believe it.
"You... you've already agreed.
"There is no way to regret it," he said.
With my head held high and a teasing grin, I’d challenged. "What if I insist on changing my mind?"
"Then I’ll just have to try harder to make Mrs. Davis happy," he replied with a smile that reached his eyes.
At that moment, our eyes met, and I found myself lost in his gaze.
Ten years had passed, and I was simply Mrs. Davis.
Lost in my thoughts, I barely noticed the young Eleanor’s frustrated murmurs. "Why are you in the hospital? And where is Benjamin? Why isn’t he here yet?"
Just as her words faded, the door to my hospital room swung open. There he was, Benjamin, arriving late as usual.
But he walked right past young Eleanor as if she weren’t there--as if only I could see her.
Benjamin burst into the room, his hair disheveled and breath coming in short gasps, clearly having rushed over. "Are you alright? What did the doctor say?"