Reborn to Revenge: I Stripped My Husband and His Mistress of Every Penny

I lay on the hospital bed, taking my last shallow breaths.

I looked at my daughter, Vivian. She stood by my bed, staring at me with cold, detached eyes. She was wearing a revealing, sparkly outfit from a shady VIP club.

I can make five hundred dollars a night now as a VIP hostess.

Its way better than the measly hundred dollars you threw at me every month.

My chest burned. I coughed up blood, desperately trying to explain, but she reached out and pulled the plug on my oxygen tank herself.

"Melanie was right. You dont deserve to be a mother."

It was only after my death, as a roaming spirit, that I learned the truth. My most trusted best friend, Melanie, had teamed up with my husband.

They had pocketed the $50,000 monthly allowance I sent for Vivian, leaving her with almost nothing.

Their son went to an elite private academy, throwing money around like water.

Meanwhile, my daughter was forced into shady nightclubs just to buy food and survive.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the exact moment I was about to transfer the $50,000. Melanie was sitting right next to me, her voice sweet and gentle:

"Chloe, babe, did you send the money yet? Vivian said she wants a new Chanel bag."

"Honey, just send Vivian the money. A girl needs some luxury items to fit in at school, right?"

Looking at my husband Richards face, I wanted nothing more than to tear him to pieces right then and there.

In my past life, after I died, my soul had lingered.

I saw Melanie, my supposedly loyal best friend, snuggling into the arms of my sophisticated husband, Richard.

She had laughed as she flipped through my will. "Finally, that annoying woman is dead. Now we can send our son, Leo, to boarding school in Switzerland."

"As for Vivian... Mr. Thomass club is always looking for 'fresh girls.' If we run low on cash, well just send her there. Shes a useless brat, just like her mother."

Richard had nodded, his tone as casual as if they were discussing what to have for dinner. "Yes. Let's make sure she's put to good use."

Put to good use!

Those words had shattered my remaining soul into dust.

Rage erupted in my chest like hot lava, making my entire body tremble.

I had actually trusted these two monsters and left my precious daughter in their hands just so I could focus on my career!

I was so blind! So incredibly stupid!

"Chloe? Babe? Did the transfer go through?"

I snapped back to reality. I was staring into Melanies eyeseyes that always looked so innocent and full of concern.

She was practically leaning over my shoulder, trying to peer at my phone screen. She smelled of a sickly-sweet perfume.

I used to think of her as a sister. Now, her scent just made me want to vomit.

It was her. This woman who called me "babe" while sucking me dry and pushing my daughter into a living hell.

I forced down the metallic taste of blood in my throat.

I couldn't panic. I couldn't let them see through me.

God gave me a second chance. I wasn't going to waste it.

Before I could speak, Richard chimed in. His voice was filled with his usual fake tenderness.

"Chloe, you look so pale. Are you too tired? Don't stress over Vivian's allowance. Let Melanie handle it."

"Melanie has plenty of free time and shes very detail-oriented. Shell take great care of Vivian. You just focus on your multi-million-dollar tech projects."

He spoke beautifully, but his eyes kept darting to my phone screen with pure greed.

How had I never noticed this before? His fake, hypocritical face disgusted me.

Melanie immediately played along, playfully swatting Richard's arm.

"Richard, don't say that. Chloe just loves Vivian too much."

She turned back to me, her voice softening even more.

"Chloe, just hit send. Its just a Chanel bag. If the girl wants it, buy it for her. It's not like we're short on cash."

Chanel?

My mind flashed to a memory from my past life.

I remembered seeing Melanies son, Leo, playing with a limited-edition toy car that cost more than ten Chanel bags.

That toy was bought with the money I had sent for Vivian!

My heart turned to ice, but I forced a smile. "You're right. I shouldn't keep her waiting."

My thumb hovered over the screen, pretending to hit confirm.

Melanies breathing hitched. The corners of her mouth twitched upward, unable to hide her excitement.

Richard also let out a quiet sigh of relief, picking up his coffee mug with a smug look of satisfaction.

Just as my fingernail was about to touch the screen

I flipped my wrist and pressed the power button on the side of the phone. The screen went black.

The smile on Melanies face froze. She stared at me in shock.

Richards hand froze mid-air, his coffee mug hovering. His brow furrowed slightly.

I looked up, meeting their searching glares, and slowly slipped the phone back into my purse.

"Actually, I think Ill drop off Vivians tuition and allowance at her campus in person this time."

I found an excuse to leave the house.

As soon as the cold wind hit my face, I realized I was shaking uncontrollably.

Not from fear, but from pure, unadulterated hatred.

The images of Richard and Melanie's hypocritical faces played on a loop in my mind.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.

I got into my car, locked the doors, and immediately dialed Vivian's number.

The phone rang... and rang...

Each ring felt like a hammer striking my chest.

"Hello?"

My daughter's voice was hoarse and quiet. She sounded completely drained, filled with a numb acceptance of her fate.

"Vivian..." My voice trembled. "Its mom."

"Oh," she replied. Her tone was icy and defensive.

"Is something wrong? Melanie said... you didnt even want to give me the hundred dollars this month. She said you wanted me to just figure it out on my own."

One hundred dollars? I had been sending fifty thousand dollars every single month!

"Vivian, listen to me!" I interrupted her, my tone more serious and urgent than ever before.

"The money I send you every month is fifty thousand dollars!"

There was a dead silence on the other end of the line. After what felt like an eternity, Vivians voice came through, shaking.

"Fifty thousand? You... you're lying! Dad and Melanie both said I was just a burden to you. They said the hundred dollars was already charity."

Her words felt like knives slicing through my heart.

"Vivian, stay exactly where you are. Don't go anywhere. Mom is coming to get you."

After soothing Vivian, I immediately started the car and drove toward the bank.

Only one thought consumed my mind: I was going to make them pay in blood!

As my car rounded the corner near the high-end shopping district by the bank, I caught a glimpse of the luxury mall entrance.

What I saw made my heart seize. The blood rushed to my head.

Melanie was practically glued to Richard's side. She was dressed in the latest Chanel outfit, laughing like a schoolgirl.

Richard had one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, while his other hand held their beloved son, Leo.

We had been married for twenty years, and Richard could never find the time to have a simple dinner with Vivian and me.

Yet, he had all the time in the world to go luxury shopping with his secret family.

I suppressed the urge to run them over. With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone, aimed it at them, and zoomed in as far as the camera would go.

"Daddy, I want this!" Leo yelled, throwing a tantrum in front of a toy store window.

Melanie immediately cooed to Richard, "Oh, honey, buy it for him! Its only twenty thousand dollars. We can just take a little bit out of Vivians budget, right?"

Richard smiled dotingly, pulling out his credit card without a second thought.

"Buy it! If my boy wants it, he gets it!"

In my past life, Vivian hadn't ended up as a club hostess, but she had been forced to become the plaything of a wealthy, disgusting older man just to pay for her college tuition. She had been physically abused night after night.

And the perpetrators of her misery were right here, spending my hard-earned cash like water.

I forced down the boiling rage, sent the video and my bank statements directly to my lawyer, and hired a team of private bodyguards to watch over Vivian.

Only then did my heart finally settle.

When I got home, the living room lights were on.

Richard was already back.

He was standing in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips, his back to me.

He was speaking on the phone in a frantic, desperate tone I had never heard before.

"...I know, baby! I know! Getting Leo into that prep school is our top priority. Ill find a way to get the two hundred thousand dollar donation fee!"

"Don't worry, Chloe is an easy target! Ill get it from her tonight! For our son, I can squeeze out half a million if I have to!"

"Yeah, love you too. Bye."

My blood boiled.

Baby? Leo? Two hundred thousand dollars? Squeezing me dry for his bastard son?

The cold rage in my heart quickly took over the disgust. I closed the front door, making a loud noise on purpose.

Richard spun around, a flash of panic crossing his face.

But he quickly adjusted his mask, putting on his usual gentle, charming smile, though his eyes remained anxious.

"Chloe? Youre back. Why didnt you say anything?"

His voice carried a hint of blame, as if he hadn't just been plotting my financial ruin a second ago.

I ignored him, changed my shoes, and set my bag down.

He walked over, his smile widening. "Chloe, perfect timing. I have something to discuss with you. My... my latest investment project ran into some issues. I need about three hundred thousand dollars to cover the gap. Do you think..."

Here it was. Even earlier and greedier than in my past life.

I looked him dead in the eye and said calmly, "No."

Richard froze. He clearly hadn't expected me to reject him so flatly.

The muscles in his face twitched as he struggled to control his anger.

"Chloe, don't joke around. Three hundred thousand is pocket change to you! This project is a guaranteed goldmine!"

"I said, no," I repeated, my voice completely flat.

He snapped.

His mask shattered completely, revealing a twisted, ugly snarl. He pointed a finger in my face and screamed:

"Chloe! You are a cold-hearted, selfish bitch! All you care about is your precious money!"

"If you werent always working and neglecting our family, would Vivian have turned out so messed up? Huh?"

"What's the point of making all that money? Youre a terrible mother! Youre not even half the woman Melanie is! At least she knows how to care for a child!"

Each word was meant to wound me.

Yes, I was a terrible mother in my past life.

That was why my daughter was driven to her death by the two of you!

And my hard-earned money had been funding your lavish lifestyle and your secret child!

The anger burned white-hot inside me, but my face remained perfectly calm.

There was no need to argue with a dead man walking.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a sharp, high-pitched notification.

It was the emergency alertfrom the bodyguard captain I had hired to protect Vivian!

My heart sank. I opened it immediately.

It wasn't a text. It was a live video stream.

The video was dimly lit. The background looked like the VIP restroom of a nightclub.

Vivian was wearing a tiny, sequined dress that barely covered her.

An obese man had her pinned against the wall.

His filthy hands were grabbing at her legs.

Vivian was sobbing, struggling with everything she had.

Off-camera, a sickeningly sweet voice spokea voice I would recognize anywhere. It was Melanie.

"Vivian, darling, don't be ungrateful! Mr. Thomas taking an interest in you is a blessing! What future do you have with your dried-up mother? Just be a good girl."

"If you please Mr. Thomas, youll make way more than the hundred dollars your mother throws at you!"

Then came the crude laughter of several thugs in the room.

My vision went dark. I could barely stand.

Vivian! My Vivian!

Where were the bodyguards?! How did this happen?!

Richard saw my pale face and leaned over to peek at my screen.

Instead of showing any shock or concern for his own daughter, he let out a cruel sneer.

"Well, well. Isn't that your darling daughter? Shes already working? Business looks good! If she had been this smart earlier, we wouldn't have had to worry. What a little drama queen."

My daughter was being assaulted, and her own father was cheering it on?

The final thread of my sanity snapped!

I threw my phone with all my might straight at his smug, hideous face!

"You monster! She is your daughter!!"

The phone struck his cheekbone with a loud crack. He shrieked in pain, stumbling backward.

He touched his face, saw the blood on his fingers, and his eyes filled with pure, murderous rage.

"Daughter? Trash!" He spat out a mouthful of bloody spit.

He lunged forward, grabbing me by my hair and pulling so hard I felt my scalp ripping!

"That useless brat doesn't deserve to be my daughter! I only have one child, and thats my son, Leo!"

My head was screaming in pain as he dragged me toward the basement stairs. I scratched at his arms, leaving deep, bloody gashes.

"Let go of me! You're insane, Richard!"

"Insane? Yes! I am insane! Ive played the perfect, submissive husband for twenty years, and I am fucking done!"

He screamed insults as he violently dragged me down the stairs.

He kicked open the basement door and threw me hard onto the cold concrete floor.

My head spun, and my bones felt like they were shattered.

Richard panted, ripping his collar open like a wild beast that had finally shed its disguise.

"You want to know something, Chloe?" He knelt down, grabbing my jaw in a painful grip.

He forced me to look at his triumphant face. "Right here! On this dirty couch! While you were upstairs pulling all-nighters to make millions, Melanie was down here giving me everything you couldn't!"

My stomach churned. I dry-heaved on the floor.

"You absolute piece of trash!"

"Me? Trash?" He laughed hysterically, his face completely distorted.

"You're the joke here! You thought you were some powerful CEO? You're nothing but a glorified ATM! Every single penny you made went into raising my son with Melanie!"

He got more and more excited, bragging about how they had played me for a fool.

How they had converted Vivians $50,000 allowance into Leos elite tuition, designer clothes, and luxury toys.

How they had slept together right under my nose, laughing at how oblivious I was.

Every word tore my past twenty years into bloody shreds.

Once he was done insulting me, he stood up, straightened his suit, and put his sophisticated mask back on.

"You care so much about your darling daughter?" He sneered.

He threw an old tablet onto the ground in front of me. "Watch! See how shes earning money for her useless mother!"

The tablet screen lit up, showing the live feed.

It was worse than before.

Vivian was forced onto her knees. Several men stood around her.

Someone was forcing a bottle of alcohol down her throat while others pawed at her.

Vivians eyes were completely vacant, like a broken doll. Her face was smeared with tears and cheap alcohol.

Melanies voice echoed from the speaker, dripping with malice.

"Yes, just like that! Let your mother see how 'hardworking' her daughter is!"

My heart stopped. I lunged like a wild animal to grab the tablet, but Richard kicked me squarely in the ribs.

"Watch her! Thats what you get for crossing me!" he laughed.

"Once Mr. Thomas is done with her, youre next! Im going to sell both of you to the dirtiest brothels in the city!"

With that, he slammed the basement door shut and locked it from the outside.

Pitch blackness and absolute despair swallowed me.

On the screen, the obese man was laughing as he unbuckled his belt, moving toward my trembling daughter.