Rebirth: She Cuts Ties and Takes Revenge (Noelle Kain) novel Chapter 1

"Noelle Kain! We raised you. Without us, you wouldn't even be alive today! And now you won't even take Viola's place to marry Mr. Menzie? You're nothing but a disappointment!"

Inside the Kain estate, Gresham Kain, Noelle's adoptive father, slammed his teacup down on the table. Tea splashed across the surface, his face contorted with unbridled rage.

"Noelle, we raised you for 18 long years. We're only asking one thing of you—and you won't even do it? You've always been sensible. Don't make us turn on you," Jasper Kain, Noelle's adoptive older brother, said, frowning down at her condescendingly.

"Dad, Jasper, why even waste our breath on her? She's ungrateful!" Elmer Kain, Noelle's adoptive younger brother, snapped with a sneer. "If we hadn't taken her in back then, she'd be long dead! And now she won't even marry Mr. Menzie in Viola's place? We should've left her out there to rot!"

Noelle fell silent, her gaze gliding coldly over their hypocritical faces.

It was exactly like her past life.

Back then, the Kains had used the same "we raised you" guilt trip to force her to marry Sebastian in Viola's place.

She was their adopted daughter, taken in by Gresham at the age of five. In her past life, she'd been grateful to them and done everything they asked—even agreeing to marry Sebastian, who was rumored to be violent, ugly, crippled, and on his deathbed.

After she married him, they forced her to steal confidential information from the Menzie family. In the end, it drove the Menzies to bankruptcy—and Sebastian, who'd loved her deeply, died from the stress.

She'd done all their dirty work for them, yet only in her final moments did she learn the truth: the Kains were the ones who'd torn her away from her biological family!

Viola had been frail since birth and carried the rare Rh blood type. When they were five, Viola was gravely injured and nearly died. That same day, Noelle had a high fever and was admitted to the hospital. The moment the Kains discovered Noelle also had Rh-negative blood, they secretly abducted her.

Just thinking about it all made Noelle's blood boil.

The Kains were the ones who'd torn her from her biological parents, yet she'd foolishly felt grateful and obeyed their every word. She didn't see the truth until they held her down and drained her blood to save Viola—until she felt herself slipping away into death.

"Noelle, we've raised you as one of our own for 18 years. Why would we ever hurt you? The Menzies are the wealthiest family in Riverdale. Marrying into their family is a dream most people could never have," Willow Kain, Noelle's adoptive mother, cooed in that fake, motherly tone as she walked down the stairs with Viola.

"A blessing?" Noelle smirked. "If it's such a wonderful match, why don't you let Viola marry him instead?"

"How dare you compare yourself to Viola?" Willow blurted, her face twisting with disgust.

Viola was her biological daughter, the child she'd doted on and shielded since the day she was born. To Willow, Noelle was nothing more than a stray they'd taken in.

Viola excelled at everything: music, art, and academics. She was still in high school, yet her grades were high enough to gain admission to the top university. Even the younger son of the Menzie family had once taken a fancy to her. Viola was meant to marry into a wealthy, respectable family and become a lady of status. Willow would never allow her to marry a cruel, crippled man like Sebastian!

"Noelle, how could you speak to Mother that way?" Viola frowned, her makeup perfect. Her voice dripped with accusation. "If we hadn't taken you in, where would you be now? Haven't we treated you well all these years?"

Good?

Their so-called kindness meant strapping her to hospital beds for years, draining her blood again and again until she nearly went into shock every single time.

Noelle was repulsed by their hypocritical faces.

She was sick of their lies and said icily, "Stop putting on an act. I'll marry Sebastian."

The second they heard her words, Gresham and Willow finally relaxed.

"But I have one condition."

Their expressions fell at once.

They'd raised her for 18 years, and she still had the nerve to make demands of them?

"What condition?" Gresham asked, his anger simmering. He'd expected her to ask for something absurd.

"My condition is simple: I'll marry Sebastian in Viola's place to repay you for raising me. Starting today, I cut all ties with this family. We're done. No more connection of any kind." Noelle's voice was clear and resolute.

"You want to cut ties with us?" Gresham and Willow froze, completely caught off guard by her request.

They exchanged a quick glance.

Noelle was nothing more than an adopted child. They'd only taken her in because Viola had been frail since childhood and needed a steady blood donor. Now that Viola was grown and healthy, Noelle had outlived her usefulness.

She had no biological family. Even if she married into the Menzie family, she could do nothing to benefit the Kains. With Sebastian's infamous violent temper, she would be lucky to survive the first night.

Countless women had been sent to Melrose Manor. How many had ever returned alive?

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