All Chapters of Second Chances Under the Tree : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

CALLIEI wanted to run to him, to reach Ethan before it was too late, but my legs betrayed me. They buckled, and I collapsed to the floor. The sound of my knees hitting the wooden planks echoed in the room, but I barely registered the pain.Ethan lay motionless, his shirt soaked in blood, the dark stain spreading rapidly beneath him."No," I whispered, my voice cracking. "No, no, no..."With trembling hands, I crawled toward him, each movement feeling like I was wading through quicksand. My breath hitched as I reached his side, my fingers hovering over his chest.“Ethan!” I screamed, shaking his shoulder. “Ethan, wake up! Please!”He didn’t respond. His skin was pale, his lips tinged with blue.Behind me, I heard the hurried footsteps of Grace, the chef. She burst into the room, and the sight before her made her freeze in place, her hand flying to her mouth.“Oh my God,” she gasped. “Ma'am… I… ”“Call 911!” I shrieked, not taking my eyes off Ethan. “Now!”Grace fumbled for her phone,

CALLIESophie screamed as she entered the room, her face contorted in shock. "What the hell is going on here?!" Her voice echoed off the walls, and her eyes darted between me, Sebastian, and Ethan’s lifeless body on the floor, soaked in blood. "Why is Ethan… why is he… " She couldn’t finish her sentence, her hands trembling as she gripped the gun tighter. "No, no, don’t tell me it’s what I’m thinking…"I stood up slowly, my legs unsteady, and tried to meet her frantic gaze. "Sophie, I… ""You killed him?" she shouted, her voice breaking. "Sebastian, did you…" Her words cut off as tears filled her eyes. "Tell me you didn’t do this!"Sebastian remained unnervingly calm, his hands raised slightly as if to show he wasn’t a threat. "Sophie, listen to me," he said, his voice low and steady. "It’s not what you think.""Not what I think?" She let out a bitter laugh. "I walk in here, and Ethan is dead on the floor, you’re covered in blood, and you’re telling me it’s not what I think?" She poin

SEBASTIANMy head was spinning. Callie’s words were still ringing in my ears: ‘You were going to die, Sebastian. I was going to die. You were going to murder Ethan.’How could she know? How could she describe events so precisely, events that hadn’t even happened yet? But then, the more she spoke, the more it became clear… this wasn’t some delusion. This was real. Every detail she revealed sent chills down my spine.If everything she said was true, then I had no choice. I had to stop this future from becoming reality.Callie’s hand trembled in mine as we re-entered the warm glow of the living room. Charlotte’s eyes lit up as she spotted us, but her smile quickly faltered when she saw our serious expressions.“Is everything alright?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.Callie forced a smile, her grip tightening on my hand. “Yes, everything’s fine. In fact, I’ve made a decision,” she said, her voice steady, though I could feel the tension radiating off her.All eyes turned to her, a

CALLIE"Alright, let’s do this," I muttered under my breath, heading for the pile of wrapped gifts under the tree. “I'll go first.”I spotted Ethan in the corner of my eye, his mischievous smile already directed my way. That fool… he thought he had me figured out. Well, this time I’d show him just how wrong he was.I made my way over to the table, where the gifts were scattered around, carefully observing the ones with name tags. I saw my gift, written in bold letters, the one Ethan had prepared for me. Without hesitation, I picked up the box with my name on it and, with a casual movement, ripped off the tag. I quickly swapped it for Sophie’s name. Then, with a satisfied grin, I picked up the gift meant for her…a small, neatly wrapped box… and tucked it under my arm.Done.I turned back toward the group as everyone began to grab their presents.Ethan's gaze shifted toward me, his smile widening into a knowing grin as he saw me helding to the chair.He hadn't realized that his "gift"

CALLIEThis wasn’t what I expected. Not in the slightest. When I thought about running away with Sebastian, I had envisioned something a little more… peaceful. Maybe a quiet retreat where we could leave all the chaos behind, just the two of us, wrapped up in our own bubble of love.But now? It felt like an adventure. A wild one, but an adventure nonetheless.I glanced over at Sebastian as he focused on the road. There was something about the way he was driving, the way his jaw clenched with resolve, that made me want to just reach out and hold him. We were running from a life neither of us wanted, but this… this felt like the beginning of something new. Something real.And, honestly, as much as I was terrified of what the future held, a part of me was also loving it. Loving that it was just us now. No more lies, no more games, no more expectations to meet. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could breathe.But then, just like that, the cold edge of reality slid in, a shiv