After Rebirth, I’m No Longer Her
Mother
Chapter 1
A shrill scream sliced through the air of the
hospital room. Tiffany stared, disbelief etched
on her face, at the baby beside her.
“This… this… this baby is so ugly!”
Her eyes were red–rimmed, tears streaming
down her cheeks. She looked at me, pleading.
“Claire, what am I going to do? She’s ugly,
and a girl! What kind of future does she even
have?”
My mind went blank for a second. I looked
around, the realization hitting me like a ton of
bricks: I was reborn.
In my past life, my best friend, Tiffany, had
gotten pregnant out of wedlock. The father
disappeared, leaving her alone. She’d said the
baby was a precious life, deserving a chance
in the world
<
But after the birth, seeing the baby’s less-
than–perfect features and her gender, Tiffany completely changed her tune. She didn’t want
anything to do with her.
I tried to reason with her, telling her not to
judge based on looks, not to be prejudiced against girls. But she wouldn’t listen.
In the end, I took pity on the child and
adopted her.
But she was a handful. She cried constantly,
day and night. She was sickly, falling ill
frequently.
She was sick several times in the first month I
had her.
I poured my heart and soul into raising her,
without complaint or regret.
Yet, when Tiffany ran me over, leaving me
critically injured in the ICU, my adopted
daughter snuck into the room and pulled out
my oxygen tube.
<
She even signed a statement of forgiveness
for Tiffany.
Because the one who hit me was my best
friend.
“Claire, if my parents knew I was pregnant
and had an ugly baby girl, they’d kill me!” “But your parents are gone, and you’re alone.
Why don’t you let me adopt Rory? She can
keep you company, you’ll have each other,
and I’ll feel better.”
Rory. That was the name Tiffany had chosen
for her child. Before the birth, she’d been
convinced she was having a boy, already
picking out a name.
Seeing my silence, she tugged at my sleeve.
I snapped back to reality, a cold laugh
escaping my lips. I yanked my arm away.
“Why would I adopt your ugly spawn?”
Tiffany was stunned. Samantha, another
friend sitting nearby, jumped up, indignant.
く
“Claire, what are you saying? Tiffany is only
trying to help you, and you’re being so cruel!”
Her righteous anger almost made me forget
she was also complicit.
In my past life, I raised Rory to fifteen years
old before I met someone. He was kind and
wonderful, proposing to me.
He didn’t mind that I had an adopted child
and promised to love Rory as his own.
We were planning our wedding.
But when I told Tiffany and Samantha, both of
them vehemently opposed it.
Tiffany accused me of being heartless,
believing a man’s lies, saying that once I had
my own children, I’d neglect Rory..
Samantha, calmly dropped a bomb. “If Claire
gets married, Rory won’t get any of the
inheritance, right?”
I was so naive back then. I focused on
reassuring Tiffany that I’d always love Rory,
<
never noticing Samantha’s words.
That’s how Tiffany, fueled by Samantha’s
words, deliberately ran me over the day
before my wedding.
Samantha continued her tirade: “Claire, how
can you be so heartless? You’re not even
willing to adopt a child, and you’re not short
of money! Besides, you’re alone; you and
Rory could rely on each other! Can’t you be a
little more compassionate?!”
I looked at Samantha coldly. “You’re so
compassionate, then you adopt her! Let her
rely on you. Wouldn’t that be better?”
Samantha instinctively retorted, “What are
you talking about? A little girl… I can rely on
her for…”
She cut herself off, realizing her mistake, her
voice trailing off nervously.
My mockery deepened. Her hypocrisy was
blatant.
<
Tiffany’s eyes reddened. “Claire, if you don’t
want to adopt her, fine. No need to attack
Samantha. I’m not the type to beg.”
I scoffed. “I hope not.”
Tiffany’s parents had died when I was young,
leaving me a substantial inheritance.
In my previous life, Rory’s constant illnesses
drained my time and money. I took her to
countless hospitals, both domestically and
internationally, desperate to heal her.
By the time Tiffany killed me, Rory was
fifteen, old enough to know right from wrong.
Suffice it to say, I raised a viper.
After leaving the hospital, I went home and
slept soundly.
In my past life, Rory cried incessantly from
the moment I adopted her. I was woken up
dozens of times every night, always
comforting and tending to her needs. My
twenties were spent looking like I was forty or
L
fifty.
Thinking back, I was a complete idiot!
But since fate had given me a second chance,
I’d see how Tiffany and Rory would fare
without me.
The irony of the situation, was that only
minutes earlier Tiffany declared she wouldn’t
be clingy; The next morning, she sent me a
message.
“Claire, are you awake? I want chicken soup.
Go buy a chicken and make some for me and
send it to the hospital.”
A sardonic smile curled my lips. I blocked her
number.
She’d gotten used to bossing me around.
In my past life, after Tiffany gave birth, she
didn’t dare tell her parents. I took care of her
postpartum care, making sure she ate well,
staying up late learning how to prepare
nutritious meals.
This time, forget about it!
I turned off my phone and went to work.
Entering my office, I saw Samantha talking to
someone.
Upon seeing me, she spoke in a sarcastic
tone. “Oh, look who it is, our fake do-
gooder!”