Reborn, I Stopped Begging for Love, Then They Cried With Regret Chapter 01

Reborn, I Stopped Begging for Love, Then They Cried With Regret Chapter 01

The day Grandma died, my parents, both remarried, argued endlessly over which of them I would live with.

In my previous life, I felt sorry for how hard Dad worked, so I chose to stay with him. The lottery numbers I helped him choose ended up hitting a multimillion-dollar jackpot.

But once he got rich, he bought my stepmother and younger siblings luxury homes and cars, yet he wouldn’t even spend fifty dollars on pain medication for me. In the end, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died in agony in my bed.

In this life, Dad kept sighing, his brow furrowed.

“Your mom married a rich guy. You’ll have a much better life with her.”

“There are already too many kids at my place. We just don’t have the room.”

Mom idly studied her freshly manicured nails, her voice detached.

“Come on. More kids just make a house livelier.”

“Things are strict at my place, and his twins from his first marriage are already a handful.”

“She’s used to doing whatever she wants. She’d get eaten alive in that house.”

As they kept trying to pawn me off on each other, I felt nothing.

When they finally demanded to know which one of them I was going with, I quietly picked up my bag and walked over to Mom. Her expression soured immediately.

Dad, on the other hand, let out a long breath of relief, unable to suppress the pleased smile tugging at his lips.

What he didn’t know was that in my previous life, I had been the one who kept my stepmother from throwing that lottery ticket into the washing machine and turning it into pulp.

This time around, all I wanted was a little peace before I died.

***

Outside the county courthouse, Dad shoved my duffel bag into my arms.

He pulled out his phone and checked the lottery drawing date again and again before waving me off.

“Don’t call me unless you have to. I’ve got a whole family to deal with.”

His mind was already on that multimillion-dollar ticket, and he couldn’t wait to get rid of me.

I said nothing and carried my bag toward the Maybach parked at the curb.

Mom frowned at my worn, pilled clothes.

The rear window rolled down. My stepfather’s daughter, Tessa Mercer, covered her nose in disgust.

“So this is that daughter of yours from the sticks?”

“Why do her clothes stink like that?”

Her brother, Evan Mercer, turned from the front passenger seat and gave me a flat look. He said nothing, but the contempt in his eyes was obvious.

Mom stood outside the car, embarrassed and at a loss. She wanted to offer to get me a new outfit, but she was afraid of upsetting her new family.

My stepfather, Grant Mercer, noticed her discomfort and closed the folder in his hands.

“Let’s stop at the mall first and get her some clothes.”

I lowered my gaze and nodded.

I followed them into the upscale mall, where the bright lights were almost glaring. Grant asked a sales associate to bring over several of the season’s new arrivals.

Mom pulled me behind a clothing rack and deliberately lowered her voice.

“Pick the cheapest thing you can find. Don’t get greedy.”

“Grant has money, but none of it is yours.”

“Know how to behave, and don’t make things difficult for me.”

I watched her perfectly painted lips move and felt a little dazed. It seemed like forever since she had spent this much energy worrying about me.

Too bad none of it had anything to do with love.

I turned back to the rack and browsed without much interest.

Tessa came over and noticed me looking at a white dress. She immediately snatched it off the rack and looked at me defiantly.

“I want this one. You don’t deserve something this nice.”

Mom immediately put on a smile.

“It really would look better on Tessa. You can pick something else.”

I watched Mom fawn over her and quietly stepped aside, then pointed to a T-shirt on the clearance rack.

Grant walked over and glanced at the shirt. He frowned slightly, then turned to the sales associate.

“Pack up the white dress from earlier, along with these new arrivals, all in her size.”

Tessa stamped her foot.

“Dad, why are you buying her such expensive clothes?”