Reborn: I Dumped the Ungrateful Brat

The moment I was reborn, I signed the divorce papers my wife threw at me.
The man my wife, Isabella, had been keeping on the side was exposed. To save him from the infamy of being a homewrecker, she came to me, divorce agreement in hand, begging.
Dina died saving my life. Jerry is her only brother. I cant just abandon him. Cant you be the bigger person here?
Years ago, Isabella was targeted by a business rival. Her car was tampered with, and as it spun out of control, her best friend, Dina, lunged for the steering wheel, turning it just enough to save Isabellas life.
Isabella walked away without a scratch. Dina died from her injuries, but not before making Isabella promise to look after her younger brother, Jerry.
In my past life, when I learned she was willing to sacrifice me for Jerry, I broke. I tore the divorce papers to shreds.
But it didn't matter. I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I was ready to let her go, to let myself go. But then Jerry whispered one poisonous sentence in her ear: Do you think Adrian is just doing this to torment you, Isabella?
That was all it took. She became convinced I was faking my illness, that it was all a manipulative ploy to win her back. To escape the media pressure, she framed me for cheating, accused me of sexually assaulting an intern, and sued for divorce.
Hopeless, I ended my own life ahead of schedule.

1
Adrian, well tell the public that we planned to divorce a year ago. It was just postponed for various reasons.
I was staring into a glass of water in a quiet restaurant when Isabellas voice cut through my thoughts.
Just a day earlier, the tabloids had exploded with evidence suggesting Jerry was Isabellas kept man. The word mistressor in his case, the male equivalentunleashed a torrent of public outrage against him. Isabella Thorne, the formidable CEO of Thorne Industries, was branded an adulterer. Her reputation for a chaotic private life sent the companys stock into a nosedive overnight.
In my last life, Id laughed when the news first broke, scoffing at how easily the public could be misled by a few out-of-context photos. That laughter died on my lips the moment Isabella presented me with the divorce papers. The irony was a bitter pill to swallow.
I had screamed at her, demanding to know the truth about her and Jerry. If they were just rumors, there were a million ways to handle it. But she chose the one that threw me to the wolves. She claimed I had cheated first, that my incompetence had driven her to seek comfort elsewhere.
Adrian.
Isabellas voice pulled me back to the present.
Trust me, this is just temporary. Once this all blows over, well get remarried.
I slowly lifted my head, my gaze falling on the document sitting on the table between us.
Adrian, when this is over, Ill make it up to you, I promise. How about that new sports car you wanted? Ill buy it for you. She moved closer, wrapping her arms around me in a practiced, wheedling gesture. Her eyes were wide with supplication, her voice a low, coaxing murmur.
I remained silent. Standing just beside her, Jerrys face was deathly pale.
Adrian, please, will you help me? he pleaded. Im an orphan. My sister is gone. I have no one else. I dont know who else to turn to. Please, Adrian.
With that, he made a show of bending his knees, preparing to kneel.
Isabella moved like lightning, catching him, pulling him into a protective embrace. What are you doing? A man does not kneel so easily! she hissed at him, but her eyes, flashing with impatience, were on me. Ive already made my decision. I expect your full cooperation at the press conference tomorrow. Otherwise
Ill sign.
I cut her off, tired of their disingenuous theatrics.
And of course, I knew what her otherwise entailed. In my last life, not long after I tore up the papers, I was framed for assaulting an intern. Proof of my infidelity was leaked. Overnight, I went from the victim to a reviled pariah.
And they, the ones truly at fault, walked away clean.

2
Isabella froze, clearly not expecting me to agree so quickly.
Ill sign, I repeated. But I need you to promise me one thing.
I looked up at her, my expression as placid as still water. A complex emotion flickered across her face before she gave a curt nod. You can ask for anything else, too. Ill do my best to give you whatever you want.
I didnt say another word. I picked up the pen, flipped to the last page of the agreement, and signed Adrian Vance with a clean, decisive stroke.
Arent you going to read it? Isabellas brow furrowed in confusion, her gaze fixed on me.
I offered a faint smile. No need. Its pointless. I capped the pen and pushed the document across the table to her. Is there anything else? My tone was as casual as if we were discussing the weather.
Ill pick you up tomorrow morning to go to the courthouse.
I gave a slight nod but said nothing.
Isabellas eyes held a storm of emotions I couldnt decipher, but in the end, she just sighed and turned to leave.
Jerry trailed behind her. As he pulled the door open, he paused and glanced back at me over his shoulder. A mocking smirk twisted his lips.
Then, with deliberate slowness, he mouthed three silent words.
I. Won. Again.
Then he was gone.
In my last life, he was right. He won, and I lost everything.
But this time, I had no intention of losing. Not a single thing.
A while later, my phone lit up with a text from our mutual friend, Leo.
Dude, Isabella told me whats happening. I know shes in the wrong here.
But you know how long it took her to get over Dinas death. Shes channeling all her guilt into taking care of Jerry.
She told me that once the dust settles, she wants to throw another huge wedding for you two. Just trust her, okay?
I let out a hollow laugh, a tear stinging the corner of my eye. It was just like last time. Isabella, desperate for me to sign, had roped her friends into her scheme. But shed forgotten one crucial detail: her friends were also my friends.
Leo couldnt stand to see a love like ours crumble. He was stuck in the middle, trying to play peacemaker. Hed plead with Isabella not to throw her marriage away for Jerry, then turn around and tell me what a loyal, caring person she was, begging me to trust her. If Dina hadnt shielded her with her own body, Isabella wouldnt be alive today, hed said.
Back then, I had argued stubbornly. She puts Jerry first in everything, and I get it. I know she feels guilty, so Ive tried to be understanding. But there are a million ways to handle this, and she chose to sacrifice meto sacrifice twelve years of our life together.
Leo had no answer for that. Hed once asked Isabella the same thing. Her reply was devastating.
Someone has to be the one to get hurt. It has to be Adrian. He loves me. Hell understand why I have no other choice.
Because I loved her, I was the one who had to be sacrificed?
What kind of logic was that?
Thank God, this time, I still had a chance to change the outcome.

3
When it came to Jerry, Isabella was ruthlessly efficient.
She got the signed agreement from me one day and scheduled a press conference for the very next morning.
I was sitting in the garden when our housekeeper, Mrs. Gable, led Isabellas assistant to me.
Mr. Vance, she said, her tone professionally crisp, Ms. Thorne sent me to escort you to the press conference for Thorne Industries.
Before I could answer, she must have assumed I was going to refuse, because she recited Isabellas own words verbatim.
Mr. Vance, even if not for Ms. Thornes sake, you should attend for the sake of your own reputation.
I paused, then let out a soft, humorless chuckle.
She was threatening me again. Afraid Id back out at the last minute, resorting to the same tactics she used in my last life. She would ruin my name to protect Jerry, leaving me with no choice but to bend to her will.
I had never been able to figure it out. In Isabellas heart, was I her husband, or her enemy?
Well, she wanted to publicly clarify our relationship.
So did I.
The car moved smoothly toward New York's most luxurious hotel. The entrance was already a chaotic sea of reporters and flashing cameras. The assistant guided me through the throng into the grand lobby.
Excuse me, could you please make way? Isabellas voice rang out from behind us.
She appeared at the entrance, arm-in-arm with Jerry, who was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit. They looked like a storybook couple.
I turned, and my eyes met hers. For a fraction of a second, our gazes locked before she coolly looked away. She held onto Jerry, their demeanor intimate, as if the rest of the worldincluding medidnt exist.
A self-deprecating laugh escaped my lips.
Mr. Vance, are you and Ms. Thorne really divorced?
The question came from a young reporter, likely an intern, her voice trembling slightly.
Yes. I curved my lips into a smile, my voice even, and nodded.
She seemed determined to find a crack in my composure. But you and Ms. Thorne met in college. You dated for five years, married for seven
Last month, she spent a fortune on a luxury yacht for you. The fireworks display for your birthday was the talk of the city
I kept smiling, but my eyes were distant.
She owed me.
She had missed my birthday because Jerry had called her, whining, I miss you, big sis. Can you spend the day with me? The yacht and the fireworks were her apology gifts.
In my last life, I had been so proud of those grand gestures, never once suspecting the real reason behind her compensation. I later learned the whole thing was Leos idea. Isabella hadnt been involved at all. She didnt even know where the fireworks had been set off.
You say she owed you, the intern pressed on, her nervousness palpable as the surrounding chatter died down. But what about your feelings for Ms. Thorne?
Isabellas head snapped toward me, her brow furrowed.
I smiled, but it didnt reach my eyes. My gaze turned to ice.
I dont love her anymore.

4
The intern started to ask another question, but a senior reporter beside her pulled her back.
I didnt stay for the rest of the conference. Once I had clarified my relationship with Isabella, I turned and walked away, ignoring the swarm of reporters still calling my name.
Overnight, the narrative shifted dramatically.
My interview dominated the headlines for days. Isabellas statement was played on a loop: Mr. Jerry Thorne is not the reason for the end of our marriage. His sister was a dear friend who saved my life, and it is my responsibility to care for him as her only living relative. Please, I ask you all to look at this situation rationally. Adrian and I planned for an amicable divorce over a year ago; we were simply waiting for the right time to announce it. We wanted to end our marriage in a way that would cause the least amount of harm to everyone involved. We are making this public now to clear up any misunderstandings about Mr. Thorne.
Instantly, Jerry was absolved. He went from homewrecker to the biggest victim in the entire scandal.
And I became the villain. The heartless man who had initiated the divorce.
Worse, guided by carefully placed leaks, people began to speculate on the real reason for our split. Rumors spread that I was impotent, that I had twisted, depraved tastes in the bedroom. That I had projected my own filthy thoughts onto their pure, sibling-like bond. That I had abandoned Isabella for a bigger piece of her fortune
I was at the center of a storm, battered by accusations from all sides.
Dont take what theyre saying online to heart. In time, everyone will forget, Isabella said as we stepped out of the courthouse, the divorce finalized.
I shot her a look dripping with sarcasm. When Jerry was being attacked online, it was a crisis that required sacrificing our marriage. But when it was me, it was just something time will heal.
Adrian, the holidays are only three months away.
Youve always loved the spring. When spring comes, well have another wedding, a better one. What do you say? Her voice was soft, laced with a cautious tenderness. She reached for my hand, but I shifted away, my eyes fixed on the reporters being held back by bodyguards a short distance away.
Sensing the rejection, Isabella took a step back, creating a space between us.
Isabella, Im moving back to Westchester.
Thats good. You should spend some time with your parents. Ill come get you for the holidays and well come back
I wont be coming back, I cut her off.
She froze, the faint smile on her face stiffening.
Adrian, dont say things you dont mean. Just wait for me in Westchester, and Ill
Isabella, when I signed those papers, you made me a promise. Its time to make good on it.
She stared at me, her expression blank.
When I was first reborn, I wondered if things could be different this time. But the moment she handed me that divorce agreement again, all I felt was a sense of release.
Isabella, I want you to disappear from my life. Forever.

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