Rebirth Into My Second Chance novel Chapter 16

Growing up together, Richard had a quirky way of waking me up whenever I clung to my bed sheets too dearly. He'd sneak up to my bedside and tickle my nose with a feather. It got me up quicker than any alarm clock ever could. So, naturally, my mind often flickered to thoughts of Richard.

But my attempts to avoid these memories only seemed to spur on a more passionate invasion of my personal space.

Cold yet soft lips pressed against mine, sending a numbing sensation through my body. I pounded on the guy’s chest, exclaiming, “Richard, what the hell are you doing?”

“Richard, you jerk!”

The more loudly I protested, the more forceful he became.

“Richard, how could you do this to me? It hurts.” Tears welled up in my eyes as a terrifying realization hit me. Then, I realized that Richard was in prison because of Claude at this very moment.

Boom! It was like a splash of cold water on my face. “Turn on the lights! Who are you?”

Panic set in. Who had entered my room and crossed those intimate boundaries?

“Claire, is Richard all you ever think about?”

Suddenly, all went quiet, and I was overwhelmed by a sense of emptiness.

Out of the silence, a deep voice I knew all too well and that chilled me to the bone, pierced the air. It was Claude!

I was wide awake in an instant.

Click! The bedside lamp flickered on.

Under the dim light, I saw Claude as exposed as I was, hands braced on the bed, looking down at me with an intense gaze.

Scrambling to the corner of the bed, I curled up, hugging my knees, stuttering, “Claude, I didn’t mean to... I just... I had some warm milk. I felt strange and ended up here...”

But he cut me off. “Get out.”

Wrapping myself in a shirt, I fled his room barefoot, not daring to meet his fierce gaze again, my heart racing.

Claude’s response was a swift kick, silencing the servant.

“Give it back!” I demanded, reaching for the pill.

Surprised by my boldness, Claude held it out of reach. I slipped on the spilled chowder, crashing into his arms.

“So, you’ve grown bold, Claire!”

I didn't get what he meant as I trembled uncontrollably.

“Acting as if I'm dead, are you?” He dragged me to the kitchen, where he revealed a drawer already stocked with emergency contraception. Without a word, he forced a pill into my mouth and made me drink water.

At that moment, I realized all my efforts to contact the assistant were unnecessary. Claude had prepared for this.

He couldn’t bear the thought of me carrying his child. To him, having a child would mean being tied down to me. Gabrielle would make him marry me, preventing him from pursuing his true love, Kate.