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Home / Rebirth Short Story / After Rebirth, I Chose My Stepmother Over My Don Father / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of After Rebirth, I Chose My Stepmother Over My Don Father: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

11 Chapters

Chapter 1

Leon came straight over and pulled me and Sofia apart.He crouched down, an uneasy look crossing his handsome face for the first time."Sweetheart, she's my wife, she's your stepmother, understand? From now on you call her stepmother."I nodded, then shook my head.I knew what he was worried about.My birth mother Selena was about to come back to Bay City.Leon was afraid that if she heard me call Sofia mommy, she'd be displeased.But he was wrong.Having lived eighteen years in my last life and watched the three of them tangled together for all eighteen, I understood it better than anyone.Selena was cold by nature. She loved no one.Even if I called the woman who owned the corner bar my mommy, she wouldn't have raised an eyebrow.Just then, Sofia gave a soft huff.She bent down, picked up the little backpack I'd dropped, straightened up, and said to Leon,"The child is always innocent. I won't make things hard for her, but the old Moreno house is no place for her to grow up. It's all

Chapter 2

A flash of panic crossed Leon's handsome face.Then he shrank down under the blanket and let no one near him.In thirteen years, Selena never once came back to Bay City.The one who pulled me from dead last in class to first in the whole city, who bought me the first dress of my life, who told me about the things girls need to know, who taught me how to live well, was always Sofia.She loved me like her own daughter.But that marriage wore away all her life, little by little.Because Selena never came back, Leon started taking out his frustration on other women and on alcohol.Every time he drank himself unconscious, it was Sofia who cleaned him up.Once, he nearly ended up in the family hospital.Sofia stayed by him all night, changing his clothes and bringing his fever down, only for him to shove her to the floor."Get out! I know what you're after. Trying to worm your way up while I'm weak? Dream on!"Pain shot through Sofia's ribs.She got up slowly, said nothing, and went back to

Chapter 3

And my rebirth was because of Leon.Seven days after Sofia died, he rushed toward the sea like a madman, screaming himself hoarse,"Wait for me! Let's start over and do it right!"I tried to pull him back.But he was too strong, and in the struggle his hand slipped and he knocked me into the sea.When I opened my eyes again, I was back thirteen years in the past.I was in the body of that five-year-old girl again.In front of me, Sofia was spreading a blanket over my bed.Sunlight fell across the side of her face, so young, so lovely.I jumped up from the bed and, using the most natural-sounding excuse a five-year-old could think of, shouted,"I want to go to the Vane Bookshop!"Sofia's hands went still, and she slowly turned her head to look at me."How do you know about that place?"I slid off the bed, walked up to her, and looked up earnestly into her eyes."Because a nice man told me the fairy-tale books there are the best."Sofia crouched down and held my shoulders."Lola, what do

Chapter 4

Sofia and Simon's relationship didn't suddenly leap forward just because of this one meeting.But in the last life, on her deathbed, she'd told me a secret only I knew.Deep down, she had always liked Simon.It was only for the arranged marriage, so the Belmonte family could survive, that she'd had to cut all ties with him.By the time we got back from the bookstore, night had fallen.The moment we walked in, we saw Leon sprawled drunk on the couch. He raised a foot and kicked his leather shoe right at Sofia."Come here. Pour me a drink."Sofia remembered what I'd said earlier that day, clenched her fists, and said in a low voice,"Leon, let's split up."Leon paused, then burst out laughing and threw his other shoe at her too."What nonsense are you talking? Is it because I brought Lola back that you're upset?"Sofia held on to my hand and wouldn't let go."It has nothing to do with the child. Our marriage was a deal from the start. You want Selena, so go after her."Leon was dumbfound

Chapter 5

My rebirth had set off a butterfly effect.Selena, who should have been living it up abroad, had to fly back to Bay City because of some trouble.The moment Leon saw her, he was both startled and overjoyed."Selena, what are you doing back?"Selena walked straight over, ignoring him completely, her eyes fixed on me."You want Sofia to be your mom?"Everyone thought Selena was angry.Even Sofia thought so.But I just smiled and held up the rag doll in my hands."Yes. I like her, and she likes me."Selena smiled.She glanced up at Sofia and said lightly,"Since Lola likes you, I'll stay out of it. Congratulations on picking up such a cute daughter."Everyone was stunned.Selena was even more outrageous than me.Leon immediately grabbed her hand, utterly confused."That's our daughter. How can you just hand her over to Sofia?"Selena gave a cold snort."You're the one who coaxed me into having Lola. Then once she was born, you treated her like a burden. Now someone's willing to take care

Chapter 6

At these words, a hint of sorrow actually rose in Leon's eyes."It's my fault. I thought it was Selena I loved. It wasn't until you left that I understood I'd fallen for you long ago."He clung to Sofia's hand and kept muttering over and over that they should sign a new marriage contract.Simon had had enough. He landed a punch on Leon's face and hit the building's alarm at the same time."Mr. Moreno, love that comes too late is worthless. Leave now, or we'll treat this as harassment."I could only watch as Leon, stubborn to the end, was hauled up by several security guards.His feet dangling in the air, he thrashed back and forth, struggling and shouting,"Sofia! Are you going to drag the Belmonte family into the fire for him? Without the Moreno family, the Belmonte port won't last long!"At this, Sofia grew even angrier.She stepped forward and slapped Leon hard across the face."I know everything now. You hated me, so you had someone cut off my family's shipping routes, pull our pro

Chapter 7

I refused him.But he didn't give up.He started using his connections to prop up the Belmonte family, bringing Sofia several big projects.Every day he waited downstairs from our place, holding either breakfast or flowers.Sofia finally couldn't stand it.That day, after dropping me at school, she walked straight up to Leon's car."Don't come again. There's nothing possible between us."Somewhere along the way, Leon seemed to have lost all sense of shame.He said,"That's fine. I'll wait ten years, twenty years, however long."Those words made me think of Simon.The Simon of my last life had truly waited a long time for Sofia.But Leon... I didn't believe him.Speak of the devil.Just then Simon came walking up with a suitcase."Leon, if you don't want to get dragged out by security like last time, you'd better leave now."Leon looked at the suitcase and immediately tensed up."It's so early. What are you doing here with a suitcase?"Simon smiled and opened the top pouch of the suitca

Chapter 8

When I saw Leon, I almost didn't recognize him.He was swaddled in bandages from head to toe.A tube ran from his mouth, and his eyes were shut tight.Every patch of skin you could see was covered in wounds.The moment Grandmother saw him, she couldn't hold back her tears.I walked up to him, reached out my little hand, and gently took his big one."Dad, are you okay?"Grandmother patted my back from behind."How could he be okay? Look at the state of him."Just then, Sofia and Simon arrived as well.Seeing this, Sofia's expression turned complicated.I let go of his hand and ran back into Sofia's arms.She lifted me up, walked over to Grandmother, and said,"The doctor says there's still a chance he'll wake up."Grandmother gave a cold snort."He's in this state, and isn't it all because of you?"Then she looked at me and pointed a finger at my nose."And you."I clung tightly to Sofia's collar.Grandmother went on,"It's strange, how attached this child is to you. You may have annull

Chapter 9

To force Sofia into submission, Grandmother began using the Moreno family's connections to crush the Belmontes.She never lifted a finger herself.She merely had the port hold up their shipments, had a bank suddenly pull their loans, and had a few businessmen who owed the Moreno family favors tear up their contracts all at once.In the world of the mob, a knife doesn't always have to draw blood.Sometimes a single phone call is enough to leave a family at the end of rope.Even Simon, low-key as he was, couldn't stand by. He called in every connection he had to help Sofia.I never thought things would come to this.One night, hugging my doll, I walked into her study.When I saw how hard she'd been working lately, the dark circles etched under her eyes, my heart ached so much the tears just kept falling."Mommy, why don't you... send me back to the Moreno family? I'll make Grandmother stop."Sofia smiled faintly, lifted me up, and pressed her cheek tenderly against mine."No. The day I a

Chapter 10

Leon shook his head."I'm doing it for myself. I've done too many wrong things in my life. I have to do one right thing before I die."After he said this, the room was quiet for a long time.In the end, Grandmother slammed the door and left.She didn't spare me another glance.But from then on, she never moved against the Belmonte family again.On the third day, Leon had me push his wheelchair to the Belmonte Group's building.When Sofia came down, Simon was right behind her.When she saw Leon in the wheelchair, her steps faltered, but she came over anyway."You're not well yet. You should be at the hospital."Her voice was cold.Leon wasn't worked up the way he used to be.He just looked up at her, taking her in slowly and carefully, then gave a small smile."Sofia, I came today to apologize to you."Sofia's brow furrowed slightly."Five years of marriage, and I wasn't good to you for a single day.""Leon..."At last there was a flicker of feeling in Sofia's voice."It's all in the pa

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