Rebirth: I Let Them Be A Family Novel by WriterLola _ Novel



Rebirth: I Let Them Be A Family Novel by WriterLola _ Novel

Rebirth: I Let Them Be A Family Chapter 01

After my rebirth, I took the initiative to hand my husband, Weldon Warren, the divorce papers.
He didn't even glance at them before tossing them onto the floor.
"You're not getting custody of Darry," he said.
"I don't want custody," I replied.
Weldon looked up, his eyes narrowing.
"Finally came to your senses?"
"Yeah."
In my previous life, I couldn't bear to leave my son, Darry Warren, so I clung to Weldon for decades, enduring everything just so I could stay by my child's side until he grew up.
But on his wedding day, Darry said to me in front of every guest, "Mom, I hope you can step aside for Dad and Elle. It's been hard for her, staying by Dad's side all these years without the recognition she deserves."
***
"No matter what you say, I'm not doing my homework!"
Eight-year-old Darry lay sprawled across the floor, glaring at me with open defiance, as though nothing I did could change his mind.
Scenes like this played out every single day.
I made him finish his assignments before he could play.
I limited his screen time to thirty minutes.
I only let him have fried chicken and burgers once a week...
I set rule after rule, hoping he would develop good habits, hoping he would grow up right.
But the day Noelle Perez showed up, all of that became a joke.
"Elle never makes me do homework; she just plays with me," he'd accuse me.
"Elle won't stop me from eating fried chicken; she says boys need to eat more to grow taller. I don't like you at all. I want Elle to be my mom."
Back then, I told myself he was just young and ignorant.
I believed he would understand when he grew older.
He eventually graduated from a top university, started his own company, and married a woman of equal standing.
At his wedding, when the host invited him to thank his parents, he said to me in front of all the guests, "I hope you can step aside for Dad and Elle.
"It's been hard for her, staying by Dad's side all these years without the recognition she deserves."
In the audience, Noelle burst into tears, as though all her years of being the "other woman" had finally meant something.
I stood frozen on stage, feeling like a clown who shouldn't even have been there.
"Mom, you forced me to do things I hated since I was a kid," Darry continued.
"If Elle hadn't secretly encouraged and cared for me, I would've fallen into depression. You and Dad stopped loving each other a long time ago. Why keep clinging to a loveless marriage and make everyone miserable?"
After that, I left the venue in a daze. Heartbroken, I ran a red light and died in a car accident.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back in the past.
Now, standing over eight-year-old Darry, I nodded calmly.
"Fine. No homework."
Darry froze on the floor.
He lifted his head, staring at me in disbelief. "Really?"
"Of course," I replied evenly.
"Can I keep watching TV?"
"Sure. You can play on the iPad too, if you want."
"Can I eat chips while I play?" He pushed his luck.
I shrugged. "Do whatever you like."
"Why are you suddenly being so nice?" he wondered.
I smiled and said nothing.
An ungrateful wretch didn't deserve my love.
"Are you scared that I'll like Elle more than you?" he asked, a smug look on his little face.
"From now on, I'll give you whatever you want," I said, enunciating every word.
Including his favorite Noelle.
After I started granting all his unreasonable demands, Darry quickly spiraled out of control.
Eventually, his teacher called.
She said Darry was openly defying her in class, claiming his parents didn't care what he did, so why should she?
"I'm sorry, but I really can't control him," I told her.
"If there's an issue, please contact my husband."
I gave her Weldon's number, hung up, and went back to my skincare routine.
When I got home, I found Weldon—who rarely came back—sitting in the living room.
His face was dark, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Aubree, your tactics are getting sophisticated. You're actually using Darry to bait me into coming home now?"
Well, I had wanted him to come home.
After all, he never answered my calls.
I opened a drawer, took out the divorce papers, and calmly handed them to him.
He glanced at the cover and scoffed.
"Aubree, I thought you'd come to your senses. What more do you want? Is your monthly allowance not enough?"
"It's not," I answered.
"How much do you want?" he asked, adopting the air of a generous benefactor.
"Half the company's assets," I replied.
"What are you thinking, Aubree? Have you lost your mind?" Weldon exploded.
"We founded the company together. It's marital property, so half of it is rightfully mine."
"So what?" Weldon snapped impatiently. "Unless we divorce, it stays exactly how it is!"
"Isn't that exactly what I'm doing?" I gestured to the papers.
He sneered and tossed them aside dismissively. "I won't give you custody of Darry."
"I don't want it," I said.
He looked up in surprise. "Finally came to your senses?"
"I have."
He dropped the papers back onto the table.
"Aubree, don't regret this. Giving up custody voluntarily means you can't see Darry without my permission. Once we divorce, I won't remarry you, not even for his sake."
I piped up, cutting off his threats, "Just sign it."
I didn't want to waste another word on him.
If I hadn't been unable to reach him, divorcing him would have been the very first thing I did after my rebirth.
Seeing my resolve, Weldon signed his name with a flourish.
"Aubree, you brought this on yourself. If you hadn't pushed me, I would have let you stay a rich housewife for the rest of your life, for the sake of Darry and our history. You never cherished what you had."
"Whoever wants that life can have it," I said indifferently.
"Pack your things and get out of my house!" He flung the signed papers at me.
I had already packed.
Seeing me walking out with my luggage, Darry hurried after me.
"Are you really divorcing Dad?"
"You must be thrilled, right?" I said lightly, keeping my pace.
"No one will control you anymore. You can do whatever you want."
"Aren't you afraid no one will want you after you divorce Dad?"
"Who told you that?" I looked at him, amused.
"Grandma and Dad both said it," Darry said frankly.
"They said you're not good enough for Dad, that you'd be unwanted if you left, and that you'd never dare to divorce him."
I laughed.
"If you promise not to boss me around and leave Dad and Elle alone, I'll ask Dad to take you back," Darry offered, trying to negotiate.
I patted his head and spoke gently. "No need. Take care of yourself."
Because from now on, how he grew up had nothing to do with me.

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