Rebirth Into My Second Chance

I stepped forward, taking her clammy, nervous hands in mine. "Hey there, Tracie, I'm Claire Floyd from the Haven of Hope Orphanage."

Her initial shock at hearing my name quickly turned into astonishment. "Claire, you've grown up so much! I barely recognize you. Back in the day, you were just a little thing, always tagging along..." Maybe it was seeing me that calmed her down, as she started to ramble on in a more relaxed tone. I shot Ronald a look before pulling her aside to chat more comfortably. "By the way, Claire, have you been in Silverlake City all this time? I had no idea the Hart family adopted you. They've been good to you, haven't they? You look so well-kept, unlike me with all these rough patches on my hands."

She showed me her hands, a testament to hard work, unlike the promises made by the couple who had adopted her.

"Tracie, you were adopted by a couple, right?"

"Yeah, but they took me to a little mountain village in Elmwood Springs..." Her voice faded, her eyes dimming as she spoke, her voice choked with emotion. "They wanted a child of their own, adopting me in hopes of fulfilling that old village superstition that adopting a child could lead to having one of your own. And truly, they did have their own child not long after. But once their son was born, they started to neglect me, forced me into labor. Recently, they even tried to marry me off to the village idiot because his family had some money, offering a dowry of ten thousand dollars, but I didn't want that..."

Her tale really got to me, and she began bawling. I hurried to give her some tissues to dab her eyes.

She looked up, wanting to say more but instead collapsing into sobs once again.

"Tracie, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Clare, when I refused to marry, my adoptive father let that idiot... he raped me. I managed to escape, but just yesterday, I found out I'm pregnant with his child. My life is so bitter, why me? I want to end the pregnancy, but the baby is innocent, and besides, I have no money."

Her pain was unlike anything I'd ever encountered, adding a new depth to my understanding of human suffering.

Holding her, we cried together until Max walked in, surprised to find me in tears too.

"What got into you now?" he asked, pulling us apart.

A female detective entered, offering comfort to Tracie. Max and I stepped outside with Ronald, who questioned me, "Do you think she's hiding something?"

I shook my head.

"She seemed quite comfortable with you right from the start, don't you find that odd?"

Still, I shook my head.

"She could be a plant from Richard, sent to test

Want you," Ronald s s of experience died,

his him wary of such tactics.

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"But what she said..."

"How else would she gain your sympathy and get you to lower your guard?"

Ronald thought we might have come across a clue, but now he thinks it might be a set-up. "So, should we play along with their game?" I mused, just as Max interjected with a firm "No!"

I playfully tugged at his arm. "Just this

can't we? Besides,

pregn ved f

is a fact,

is a fact, right?"

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Ronald shook his head, "We need to do our own verification to be sure."

Max remained stern. "There's no room for negotiation."

I tiptoed to whisper in his ear, "I promise it'll be okay. How about a nice bath together tonight?"

His ears turned red at my suggestion.

The next second, under Ronald's

puzzled gaze, Max scooped me

and

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we quickly left the detective bureau.

"Claire Floyd, are you playing with fire?"

I just gave him a sheepish, yet joyful smile...