Rebirth Into My Second Chance

The cemetery agent glanced nervously toward the far end of the cemetery before quickly steering me in the opposite direction. "Sorry, we won't look at this part of the cemetery today. Let's check out another area first." "I know Max. You can't go over there, but I can go by myself," I said, noticing the agent's fearful expression. Indeed, Max had a reputation for keeping people at bay whenever he visited.

The cemetery agent looked uncomfortable.

I reassured the agent. "I'll take responsibility for any issues."

Max had arrived at the cemetery early in the morning, which explained why he had dropped me back at my apartment so abruptly. I thought, 'Is he here to pay his respects to someone important?'

I didn't get too close to them, staying a short distance away and watching Max, wearing dark sunglasses and holding a bunch of white roses.

Ronald was there, too, hands in his pockets. "Can we remove this gravestone now?"

Remove the gravestone? I squinted to see better, and the name on the gravestone was Claire Floyd. I bit my finger, trying hard not to let my surprise show.

"Let's remove it," Max said in an indifferent tone.

Then Ronald pointed to another gravestone and asked, "Shouldn't we remove yours, too?"This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

Max's gravestone? Why was it right besides mine?

This time, Max didn't reply.

But Ronald said, "I don't get you. Why set up these two stones in the first place? Both of you are alive and well."

The more I listened, the more confused I became.

As I approached, a petal from the white roses Max was holding fell before my gravestone.

Ronald stumbled and ended up sitting right before Max's gravestone.

Ronald said, "I don't know anything. I'm leaving."

"No need to leave." I looked at Ronald coldly, demanding an explanation for their conversation.

"Max, I'm sorry. I've got a big mouth!" Ronald said, frustrated. He smacked himself on the mouth and then ran off.

Only Max and I were left, standing before each other's gravestones.

I began, "Aren't you going to explain?"

Max handed me the white roses with a smile. "I just wanted to let you know that if you died, I wouldn't want to live either."

A gust of wind blew, rustling the

leaves around us. My hair

intertwined with the white roseol net

it

seemed just Claude knew of my fondness for white roses.

.

Back then, he had brought me white rose seeds, which I later learned were for Kate.

"Ridiculous." I turned away without taking his flowers.

Looking at my gravestone again, I saw it listed my death date as three days after my death in my previous life.

I froze. "Why that date?"

Max didn't explain. I grabbed the

flowers from his hand and threw et

them to my gravestone. "Max, tell me, why that date? Do you know something?"

When looking at Max's gravestone, I saw his death date was two weeks after my spirit had vanished completely.

"Max, do you believe in reincarnation?" Suddenly, the world didn't feel so lonely, thinking Max might have been reborn like me.

"I don't," he replied, and his voice was barely audible above the wind.

I pressed, "Really? I thought you were reborn, too."

Max handed

me

the flowers again.

"Claire, we need to focus on moving forward, not dwelling on the past. Didn't you say you wanted to better yourself? Your grad school acceptance letter should arrive

tomorrow."

I looked at him, the wind cutting colder than my broken heart. "So, you're not going to be my teacher anymore?"

Yes, he was Maximilian and had his path to follow, right?