Rebirth Into My Second Chance novel Chapter 25

In a desperate bid to save Max, I found myself crouched in the shadows, my heart pounding against my ribcage.

Suddenly, the door of the old wooden shack flew open with a loud bang. Scar Man and his cronies, always on edge, sprang to their feet, knives at the ready.

To my utter disbelief, Claude led the charge, flanked by her childhood pals, each armed with what looked like machetes, a fearsome sight.

Was Claude willing to break the law for Kate? In no time, Claude's gang had Scar Man and his thugs pinned down.

"Who the hell gave you the guts to tail Kate?" one of them roared as Scar Man spat out blood from a vicious punch, defiantly retorting, "I don't know any damn Kate you're talking about!"

But Claude's crew wasn't having any of it, relentlessly kicking Scar Man and his men.

I had imagined someone standing up to Scar Man for me. But they were getting a beating there because Claude was out to protect Kate.

"Don't let us catch you stalking Kate again. Consider this a warning!" they shouted.

Throughout the ordeal, Claude remained silent, smoking a cigarette. After he delivered the warning, he crushed the cigarette beneath his boot, signaling it was time to leave.

Had he glanced around the room, he might've noticed the bracelet my parents gave me on the table. But Claude, with his aversion to filth, stepping into this shack was already pushing it. He wouldn’t spare anything there a second glance. And just like that, my death's truth brushed by unnoticed.

Usually, a hothead like Scar Man would seek revenge. Yet, he didn't. Instead, I saw him laughing at his phone, blood dripping from his mouth. "This beating was worth it!"

The sight of a bank transfer on his screen made it clear. Someone paid him to take the beating. Did he know Claude would come for him? The more I thought about it, the more I feared Kate might be the real mastermind behind all this.

No matter how sketchy Kate was, Claude's blind belief in her never shook. As for me, maybe I was always just a burden to him.