Rebirth Into My Second Chance

I had a nightmare again.

It was still Scar Man's hideous face haunting me. I was curled up in a corner, calling out Claude's name over and over again.

"Save me, Claude."

But the dream was a never-ending darkness. No matter how loud I shouted, there was no response.

My tears wouldn't stop flowing, and even when they dried up, Claude never came.

"Claude, why didn't you come?"

Crying myself awake, I realized my eyes were wet, and my pillow was soaked through with tears.

Those dreams, even though they're relics from a past life, still bring me sorrow just by surfacing in my sleep.

Back then, Claude never came to save me, leaving a lasting pain in my heart that I couldn't get rid of.

"Awake?" A deep, cold voice snapped me back to reality, reminding me that I had fainted right as the elevator doors opened.

Am I in Max's apartment? Lying on his couch?

His place has a vibe completely different from mine. While mine is all standard-issue decor, his is custom-designed, dominated by dark colors, simple yet comfortable.

And it's spotless. Every single item is neatly arranged, often at perfect angles-just like Max, meticulous and immaculate.

The couch is white, now stained with the imprint of my tears.

Embarrassed, I tried to clean the tears and saliva.

"I'll get it cleaned up," I mumbled, looking up in the direction of the voice. Max, dressed casually, held out a glass of warm water to me, saying, "Drink."

He didn't seem to mind the mess I made on his couch. Instead, he offered me water.

Holding the glass, I felt the warmth from Max, realizing he might be warmer than his icy exterior suggests.

"Finished?" he asked after I drank.

I nodded hastily.

He then got up and opened the front door, saying, "Time for you to leave."

So, he was kicking me out.

I carefully placed the glass back on his table, thanked him, and prepared to leave his apartment.

Then I heard a familiar voice: "Max, can I borrow a shirt?"

It was Ronald.

Ronald appeared from another room, a towel draped over his head, his hair dripping wet.

Embarrassed, I covered my face,

"Sorry, to

intrude," and quick my leaving now. I don't wantContentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

exit.

They were living together!

But as Max closed the door, I heard Ronald say, "Did that young lady misunderstand something about us?"

Misunderstand what? A doctor and a detective living together seemed like a perfect match.

As I thought about it, a thunderclap sounded, signaling the start of rain.

The next morning, as I was leaving

for

mouth with a piece of toast in

my

Max also stepped out of his

ment

He was dressed in a suit, every detail immaculate.

Me, in contrast, was all casual in a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, looking quite the mess.

I instinctively took the toast out of my mouth and hid it behind me, offering him a polite greeting and craning my neck to see if Ronald would appear behind him.

But Max just closed his door and headed to the elevator ahead of me.

Once we were both in the elevator, I kept glancing at his door, wondering where Ronald was. He probably sensed my confusion.