Reborn: Revenge on My Ungrateful Daughter
[Mrs. Thorne, it's time for the second semester's tuition payment. It's forty-eight thousand dollars as usual. Also, has something been bothering her lately? She's been sneaking looks at her phone during lessons, slacking off on her practice, and hasn't completed her assignments for two weeks straight. At this rate, she'll barely make the qualifying rounds for the National Piano Competition, let alone win any prizes. Please have a talk with her when you can. Her future should be the priority right now.]
I stared at the familiar words on my phone screen, my breathing slightly unsteady.
In my previous life, I'd received these same messages.
Back then, when I confronted Yvonne, I discovered she'd met a boyfriend in an online game. He was a man ten years her senior. She was planning to meet him in person.
She was still underage, and online relationships like this usually ended in disaster. I couldn't let her walk into that trap.
She threw a massive tantrum, threatening to end her life if I didn't let her date him. She even took a wrench to her new piano, eradicating it.
That piano cost nearly one hundred thousand dollars! It was my gift for her sixteenth birthday.
Of course, I stood my ground and refused to give in.
I spent a fortune repairing the piano, made her uninstall her games, paid for extra lessons, and supervised her practice every day.
Through hard work, she won the gold prize at the piano competition six months later, impressing multiple judges and securing early admission to a prestigious art school.
Her future looked bright.
I watched Yvonne wear her laurels with immense pride.
Unexpectedly, during the post-competition interview, she broke down in tears and accused me of horrible things.
She said I was the person she hated most.
She claimed I forced her to learn piano just to put her on display like a circus act.
She accused me of driving away her father and grandmother, keeping her from the family members she loved most.
She said I prevented her from pursuing true love, threatening suicide to make her break up with someone.
She claimed I was dirt poor and had pinned all my hopes on her, grooming her to be my cash cow.
Her voice was hoarse with emotion, moving all the reporters present to tears.
When I saw the interview on TV, my rage triggered a heart attack.
She stood right beside me, flushing all my medicine down the drain before my eyes, her expression filled with venom and vindictive satisfaction.
"What's the point of medicine? You should've been dead long ago."
Those were the last words I heard before I died.
My spirit hovered above, watching as she called 911 through her tears, my lifeless body being rushed away for futile emergency treatment.
Before the media, she put on a heart-wrenching performance of grief, winning widespread sympathy.
The prestigious art school she was admitted to made an exception, promising to waive all her tuition fees and even provide her with a generous annual scholarship of two hundred thousand dollars.
A famous pianist even announced plans to adopt her as a goddaughter and promised to fund her future studies abroad.
Soon after, she reunited with her long-lost biological father, flooding social media with cozy photos that drew countless well-wishes.
As for me?
The internet trolls celebrated my death, calling it karma and divine justice.
My ashes were carelessly buried in a neglected cemetery on the outskirts of town. Tourists from all over made a sport of spitting on my grave as part of their twisted photo ops.
When my husband Chris Thorne had an affair and filed for divorce, I gave up everything in the settlement just to keep custody of Yvonne, terrified his mistress' family would mistreat her.
I worked my regular job during the day and took on two more at night, all to pay for her piano lessons.
Fearing her talent might slip away, I spent a fortune hiring the best teacher for her.
After years of blood, sweat, and tears building her up to shine like a star, she turned around and stomped me into the dirt.
It was what a mother-daughter affection amounts to.
I typed my response to her piano teacher.
[I'm sorry, but I won't be paying for Yvonne's extra lessons next semester. If she wants to continue, she can ask her father to pay.]
“Since she's never appreciated my sacrifices and treats me like an enemy instead, I'm done.
For the rest of my life, I'll set her free!
I let out a slow breath and looked around.
It was the house where I lived before my divorce, sharing it with Yvonne, Chris, and his mother, Amelia Thorne. It was just the four of us.
Right now, Yvonne was at school, my husband was away on business, and Amelia hadn't returned from her dance class at the plaza.
The house wasn't big. It had just three bedrooms and a living room.
Amelia had one room, Yvonne another, and the third was filled with Yvonne's piano and books.
Chris' dad was always busy with work, rarely coming home due to constant business trips.
When he did visit, he'd stay in Amelia's room while she would move in with Yvonne, sharing the biggest bed in the house.
As for me, I slept on the pull-out couch in the living room.
It folded up during the day and pulled out at night... it made me feel like a total outsider.
My personal space had been squeezed down to just one small cabinet in the piano room.
Even then, Yvonne kept complaining that my stuff took up too much space, threatening to throw out all my clothes.
The house was jointly owned by Chris and me, and after his affair, it should've been mine.
But Chris and his mistress, Kelly Wilson, were full of dirty tricks, and Amelia kept adding fuel to the fire.
Back then, to keep custody of Yvonne, I had no choice but to give up the house and leave empty-handed, moving with Yvonne to a rental apartment near her school.
Yvonne threw plenty of fits over that.
She kept saying the house rightfully belonged to Chris and that I was selfish for dragging her down with me instead of just leaving on my own.
She always accused me of pocketing her child support money, complaining that her allowance was too small.
The truth was, Chris never paid a dime in child support.
She thought I kept her from seeing Chris because I feared he'd steal her away from me.
The truth was, I didn't want her to see how blissfully happy Chris and Kelly were in their marriage, eagerly expecting their long-awaited son while she meant nothing to them.
Since childhood, she'd believed Chris was the one who cared for her most, and her fondness extended to Amelia, too.
But she didn't know that Chris and Amelia had always resented me for giving birth to Yvonne and failing to provide their family with a male heir.
No good deed goes unpunished, as they say.
I dedicated half my life to her, only to end up carrying the burden of misunderstanding and blame.
How pathetic and laughable.
But thankfully, I got a second chance at life.
This time around, I had the opportunity to choose how I spent my remaining years.
I called the music store and made a note to sell the new piano at a discount.
In my previous life, I spent every penny I'd saved over the years to buy Yvonne a new piano.
Her old piano was ancient, constantly out of tune, and beyond repair despite numerous attempts.
She was set to compete in the National Piano Competition in six months - a make-or-break moment for her career. I couldn't let a broken piano hold back her musical talent.
But what did she do?
The gift I'd chosen with such care, she smashed without a second thought.
If she didn't want it, I would just take it back.
Just then, Yvonne came home from school with her backpack.
She was gushing into her phone, "I'm home now, see you later, babe."
The moment she saw me, her smile vanished.
She looked at me like I was something she'd scraped off her shoe.
I was standing in the piano room when she started yelling, "What are you doing here, you old hag? Gonna force me to practice piano again? Don't you ever get tired of being such a control freak? How many times do I have to say it? I hate the piano! I don't want to play! But you keep pushing me to practice on that stupid thing! Other parents are so much cooler! Why can't you be like them? My friends get to do whatever they want after school! They watch TV, read, and play games. It's bad enough I have to practice every day, but you won't even let me stay up to game a bit at night!"
Even though I'd decided to stop caring about Yvonne's attitude, her words still cut deep, making my heart ache.
I remembered how Yvonne's eyes used to sparkle when she told me she wanted to become a pianist.
Chris didn't want to spend that much money on Yvonne, and Amelia called her a waste of money.
I was the only one who believed in her dream, spending a fortune on piano lessons despite the whole family giving me grief about it.
And now she claimed that she never liked it and said that I forced her into it?
"So having her practice piano for one hour every night to stay sharp for the National Piano Competition is somehow robbing her of freedom?"
"Pushing her to practice piano and aim for a top university - isn't that all for her own good?"
"She stays up gaming until 2 a.m. when she needs to be up for school at 6 a.m., and I'm the bad guy for telling her to go to bed? Am I wrong for that?"
Now, I wasn't angry anymore. I was just profoundly disappointed.
"You're right," I said flatly. "I won't push you to practice piano anymore."
"Huh? What?" Yvonne replied skeptically, unable to believe what I'd just said.
I repeated each word slowly.
"I said, I won't force you to practice piano anymore. And not just that. I won't force you to do anything else you don't like either. I won't check if you've finished your homework, and I won't tell you to go to bed when you're gaming. If you want to date someone, whoever it is, however you want to do it, I won't interfere. I won't control anything you do. You can do whatever you want. From now on, as you wish, you'll have complete freedom."
I made everything crystal clear to her.
She could tell this wasn't me being petty or trying reverse psychology. I meant every word.
A smile crept across her face involuntarily.
"So I can quit piano lessons too?" she asked.
I smiled back. "Of course. I haven't paid for next term's tuition anyway."
Her expression flickered as if something felt off, but she didn't dwell on it.
Right now, all she cared about was getting what she wanted.
"I met this guy in a game, and he really loves me. I'm planning to meet him this weekend. You won't stop me, right?" she asked.
I nodded. "Of course not. I fully support you finding true love."
Yvonne listed a few more points, and I agreed to all of them, promising not to interfere.
Finally satisfied, she went back to her room, tossed her backpack on the floor, and flopped onto her bed to play games on her phone.
"I'm starving! I want steak for dinner. Get cooking!" she yelled.
I tuned her out completely. Half-lounging on the couch, I texted my lawyer friend and printed out divorce papers using the home printer.
Chris was coming back from his business trip tonight, so it was perfect timing to get his signature.
As for dinner, whoever wanted to cook can cook. I was ordering takeout to celebrate my rebirth!
After two rounds of gaming, Yvonne came out even hungrier. Seeing not even a grain of rice on the dinner table, she exploded at me. "Didn't you hear me say I wanted steak? Are you deaf as well as stupid?"
I kept scrolling through videos on my phone without looking up. "Like I said, I'm done taking care of you. Your hunger isn't my problem anymore."
She shrieked, "Have you lost your mind, you old hag? If you don't cook, who will?"
I shrugged. "Whoever wants to can cook. I'm not doing it."
I would cook for myself, sure. But for an ungrateful brat? Sorry, but that was a hard pass.
Just then, the doorbell rang! My delivery had arrived.
As Yvonne watched in confusion, I retrieved the delivery and unpacked each container.
BBQ ribs, lobster, king crab, mac and cheese... all the fancy stuff I usually couldn't justify spending money on.
She plopped down across the dining table with her usual lack of manners. "Which one's mine?"
"These are all for me. I didn't order anything for you."
Her eyes nearly popped out of her head in anger. "Then what am I supposed to eat? You crazy old hag!"
"Now I get it! You're pulling this gender switch act again just to pressure me into practicing piano. I'm so sick of it!"
"No wonder Dad never wants to come home. Nobody can stand being around you!"
"Give me money! I want to go eat at the seafood buffet!"
I shoved a piece of lobster in my mouth, savoring every bite. "Your dad's loaded. Go ask him for money."
She was utterly stunned into silence.
After a while, she pulled out her phone and called Chris, "Daddy, can you send me some money? I want to go out for a nice dinner! That old hag is acting crazy! Who knows what's gotten into her? She's not only refusing to cook, but she ordered takeout just for herself and said she's done taking care of me. Really? You're coming soon? Great! I'll be waiting for you, Daddy!"
She hung up and bragged smugly. "My dad just landed, and he'll be home soon. He's bringing me some delicious food! Look how generous my dad is, and then look at you! I really don't get why my dad wanted to marry someone like you. You're just a washed-up has-been with your dead-end job, walking around in those ratty clothes. Even the cleaning lady looks better than you..."
I couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
My job used to be demanding, often keeping me at the office until seven or eight, but the pay was good.
After having Yvonne, I requested a transfer to a position with shorter hours but much lower pay so that I could get home early enough to make dinner for her.
I've been doing this for over a decade since she started kindergarten.
And now? All those sacrifices I made for her meant absolutely nothing in her eyes.
I gave a faint smile, shook my head without responding, and focused on my meal.
It had been ages since I'd eaten alone... what a strange feeling.
By the time I was nearly finished, Yvonne was practically starving, and Chris finally walked in with his suitcase.
Yvonne shot like a rocket toward her beloved dad.
"Daddy, you're home! This old hag must be crazy, not letting me eat! I'm absolutely starving!"
Chris shot me a disgusted look while ruffling Yvonne's hair. "Poor Yvonne, you must have suffered. Let's ignore her and get you something to eat. Look what Daddy picked up, especially for you on his way home! It's your favorite sandwich. Better eat it while it's warm."
He placed a two-dollar sandwich on the table.
Yvonne squealed, "Wow, thanks Daddy! You're the best!"
I nearly burst out laughing.
All this talk about "specially" and "going out of his way" - he'd just grabbed it from the convenience store at the entrance of our complex.
Chris was a total cheapskate when it came to Yvonne and me.
But with Kelly? Designer clothes, bags, makeup... he'd throw them at her left and right. He'd even buy her luxury cars worth hundreds of thousands without batting an eye.
Whenever he spent even a little on Yvonne, he'd make such a massive deal about it, trying to make every penny seem like a fortune.
Poor naive Yvonne would tear up with gratitude every single time.
Like recently, when Yvonne turned sixteen, he bought her an eighty-eight-dollar game skin.
He said he'd researched for hours to pick the perfect skin after learning she loved that game. Yvonne was over the moon, bouncing with joy and repeatedly saying, "Daddy's the best!"
Meanwhile, she wouldn't even glance at the one hundred thousand dollar piano I bought her, just complaining that all I did was force her to practice.
While Yvonne was busy with her sandwich, I called Chris over to the coffee table.
He looked annoyed. "What do you want? I've still got stuff to sort out and work to do tonight."
Somewhere along the line, he'd started treating even brief conversations with me like a chore, probably worried I'd ask for money for Yvonne's piano lessons.
I sighed and handed him the freshly printed divorce papers.
"Chris, I want a divorce."
Chris' lips twitched as he stared at me like I was crazy.
"What's wrong with you? Have you lost your mind? Why on earth are you talking about divorce when everything's okay? And now you won't even cook for the family?
What's my mom going to eat when she gets back? She burns so many calories with her daily dancing in the square. Shouldn't you be cooking something nutritious for her? Why can't you be as respectful to my mom as you are to yours?
Is this because I haven't been spending time with you? I'm already exhausted from work - where would I find the time?
I told you before we got married! I can't stand clingy women. You've always been so low-maintenance until now. What's gotten into you?"
In my previous life, Chris and I didn't divorce until two months later.
At first, he hadn't planned on divorcing me. He was just enjoying his affair.
But then Kelly dropped the bomb that day: she was four months pregnant with a boy, confirmed by ultrasound.
If it had been a girl, Chris might have hesitated, but a boy? That was a no-brainer for him.
He immediately came clean and hit me with divorce papers.
He knew how much Yvonne meant to me and used her as leverage, forcing me to choose between the house and savings or Yvonne's custody.
I didn't want to make a scene or let Yvonne know that her beloved dad was involved with Kelly and was about to abandon her for his son.
I was afraid the heartbreak would send her into depression and ruin her chances at the competition, destroying her future.
So, instead of going to court, I walked away with nothing, working alone to support Yvonne.
Besides, I could imagine what would happen if I let Chris have Yvonne! Her future would be completely ruined!
With his and Amelia's old-fashioned views favoring sons, they wouldn't stop her piano lessons, and they might not even let her go to college.
Once Kelly had their son, the favoritism would get worse. They might even try to marry Yvonne off for money.
"Because I know about Kelly," I said bluntly.
His face changed instantly. "You're talking nonsense! Where's your proof?"
I sneered, "It's so obvious, why would I need proof? Just ask anyone at your company. But if you want evidence, fine. See you in court."
Seeing I meant business, Chris quickly sat beside me, trying to calm me down. "Rachel Rowe, don't be rash. Let's talk this through..."
"There's nothing to discuss." I kept my face cold, moving away from him.
"Just make it quick and sign. You get the house and savings, and you walk away clean."
"Don't force me to take this to court. Save us both the embarrassment."
"Since you won't listen to reason," he warned me with a stern face, "think carefully, Rachel. If you insist on fighting for the assets, then I'm taking full custody of Yvonne!"
Sure enough, he was using the same old trick to blackmail me, just like in my past life.
Unfortunately for him, he had miscalculated badly.
These days, Yvonne meant nothing to me anymore.
Seeing my silence, Chris thought he had gained the upper hand. His face lit up as he continued his shameless speech.
"If you're willing to give up the assets, I might consider letting you keep Yvonne. I'll even throw in five hundred dollars a month for child support. If you're careful with money, that should cover your basic needs. But if you refuse, don't blame me for playing hardball. Yvonne comes with me. And I won't waste money on those useless piano lessons. I'll sell the piano too."
I shook my head. "Don't bother. I already sold it."
Chris froze. "What?"
"And that's not all. I didn't renew her piano lesson fees either. She's all yours now, Chris," I said casually.
Chris' jaw dropped. He was utterly dumbfounded.
He never expected I would so easily give up Yvonne, whom I used to cherish more than anything.
The kicker was he didn't even want to be stuck with Yvonne in the first place!
His expression shifted unpredictably as his mind raced, desperately searching for another angle to leverage against me.
But what he didn't realize was that once I'd let go of my only weakness - Yvonne - I'd become untouchable.
Right then, Yvonne walked over after finishing her meal. "What are you guys talking about?"
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