Reborn, I Made My Jerk Dad's Life a Living Hell Chapter 1

Last time around, my dad's mistress showed up at our door, pregnant.

Mom, furious, took me and walked out with nothing.

We were dirt poor, and later, when Mom got really sick, we couldn't even afford to keep her in the hospital.

I begged my dad for help. He and the mistress schemed to marry me off to some creepy, fifty-year-old business associate. For Mom's medical bills, I agreed.

In the end, I bled out on the delivery table. They chose to save the baby. I died in agony.

The same day, Mom, heartbroken by the news, died on the operating table too.

This time, I didn't hesitate. I chose my dad.

Mom looked at me in despair, cursing herself for raising a viper.

"Mom, just you watch," I vowed. "This time, I'm going to make Dad's life a living hell."

* * *

Becky, Dad's secretary, showed up at our house, belly bulging.

She came right out and demanded a legitimate name for the kid inside her.

It was family dinner night, so everyone was there. Grandma and Grandpa were screaming at Becky, calling her shameless.

She didn't flinch. She slapped a sonogram photo on the table.

"It's a boy. You don't want him, I'll just get rid of it."

Everyone turned to Mom.

Because of me, Mom couldn't have any more kids. It was a sore spot she never wanted to talk about.

"Well? Does the Lin family want this baby or not?"

Grandma and Grandpa switched sides on the spot.

"Oh, Tiffany, sweetie, I know my son messed up, but Becky's carrying an innocent child. You should be generous and let her stay."

"Yeah, you haven't been able to give us another grandchild all these years. Becky just wants a name for her baby. Let her have it, and we'll raise the kid as yours."

"The hell with that! What is this, the 1950s? You want to raise some love child? Either she goes, or I do! It's your choice, Tom!"

Dad was silent.

Grandma and Grandpa stirred the pot. Becky just got bolder, pulling out years of evidence of their affair.

Mom flipped the table, screaming about divorce.

Dad refused, threatening to leave her with nothing if she tried.

Mom, who had been raised on Jane Austen, had pride ingrained in her bones. She packed a suitcase and walked out with me.

She thought she could make Dad respect her by being strong.

But the truth was, she'd been a stay-at-home mom for fifteen years, with no job experience. All she could find was dishwashing and cleaning.

Even though life was tough, she wouldn't ask Dad for a dime. She wouldn't even take the child support she was owed.

She still told me stories about Elizabeth Bennet.

"You have to have pride. Be independent."

She delivered milk in the morning and washed dishes at night, never taking a break. During my senior year of high school, she ended up in the hospital.

We couldn't even afford the three-hundred-dollar-a-day hospital bill.

I went to Dad. At first, he wouldn't help. But then Becky saw my face.

She whispered something in Dad's ear.

Suddenly, Dad changed his tune. He'd give me the money, but I had to marry one of his business partners.

For Mom, I agreed.

What I didn't know was that the partner was some gross, fifty-something creep. He tortured me, desperate for a son.

My life was hell. His daughters looked at me like I was some zoo animal.

Soon, I got pregnant.

I should have been starting college, but instead, I was in the delivery room. I died there.

Mom had an operation, but she didn't last long. When she heard about me, she was devastated. She died soon after.

Maybe God felt sorry for me. He gave me another chance.

I opened my eyes and saw Becky, pregnant, and Mom, flipping out.

"You Lin men, is it because I can't have kids that you treat me like this? Whose fault is it that I had to have a hysterectomy? You swore to take care of me forever! Is this how you do it? I want a divorce!"

Mom sobbed about all the hardships she'd endured.

It overlapped with my memories of the last life.

"Enough, Tiffany!"

Dad went to Becky and wrapped his arm around her waist. He didn't care that I was there, or Grandma and Grandpa.

"I have a big company to run. I need a son! It's not up to you!"

"Tiffany! I'm not divorcing you. I want Becky's baby, and I want this family!"

Becky, wanting to provoke Mom, added fuel to the fire.

"Tiffany, successful men have affairs. All I did was get pregnant. Why are you so upset? Or are you just trying to get a bigger piece of the pie in the divorce settlement?"

That hit Mom's pride. She smashed a vase.

"The hell with that! I'm not that kind of woman! Tom, it's her or me! Otherwise, we're getting divorced! I'm taking Ashley with me!"

"Fine! If you want a divorce, you can leave with nothing! You're not getting a dime of my money!"

Grandma and Grandpa chimed in, saying useless things like, "Family is everything."

I stood up.

"Mom, I want to stay with Dad."

Dad smiled. Mom stared at me in disbelief.

"Ashley? You don't love me anymore?"

I grabbed Dad's arm. "I want to stay with Dad. I don't want to be poor."

"See? Even a little kid has more sense than you do!"

Like last time, she packed her suitcase, looking even more defeated than before.

Her small suitcase could only fit a few clothes. I secretly stuffed some diamonds and gold jewelry inside.

"Don't touch my things! You ungrateful brat! Go with your dad!"

I knew arguing wouldn't do any good. I just hoped she could use the jewelry to get by if she needed it.

After all, Becky moved into our house later and became our stepmom. It would all go to her otherwise.