Rebirth Into My Second Chance novel Chapter 13

When Kate decided to stay, insisting she'd move in, Claude nodded in agreement.

In the past, I would have let Kate stay without a word. Thinking back, I was too meek and submissive. And that only led to tragedy, with my unborn child paying the ultimate price.

I was chosen from the heavens above to be a mother, yet I couldn't protect my own.

Things could have been different if I had signed those divorce papers earlier and left the bustling Crestview Metropolis behind.

If I could start over again, I wouldn't have fallen for Claude, competed with Kate, or owed anything to the Hart family.

There Kate was, sitting between me and Claude, peeling imported grapes and handing them to Claude, who was buried in work, not refusing the gesture.

When Kate began peeling a mango to feed Claude, he caught the scent and frowned, “Why is there a mango?”

A small smile crept on my face, thinking maybe he remembered my mango allergy.

As a child, I had a severe allergic reaction to a mango cake, and Claude rushed me to the hospital just in time. I thought he cared.

Kate tossed the mango into the trash, turning to him with wide, innocent eyes. "You don’t like the smell of mangoes?” she asked.

“Yeah, too strong. Just like durian, not pleasant.” Claude replied.

My heart sank. I had thought Claude banned mangoes from the house, remembering my allergy, but it was only his dislike. He never really cared about me.

Then, as if the heavens were echoing my heartbreak, thunder cracked, startling Kate so much that she dropped the knife and clung to Claude. “Claude, I think I saw Claire. It’s terrifying. She was glaring at me.”

A lawyer by profession, Claude scoffed at the superstitious notion but then joked about keeping me tethered even in death, “If she returns, I’d tie her legs, so she can never leave again. She was spoiled and always running away!”