The Regretful Housewife: Divorce and Rise Again novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Nina, I Don’t Like You

By evening, school was over. Nina slung her backpack over her shoulder and walked outside.
Katrina waved at her from a distance, surrounded by several girls from their class.
Nina wanted to ignore her, but Katrina ran straight up and asked, “Nina, are you waiting for a ride home too?”
“Nina, don’t you usually walk home?”
“Yeah, Nina, why do you have someone picking you up today? Is it a moped or a scooter?”
The mocking voices cut through the air.
At this school, everyone was ranked by social status.
In her past life, Nina had grown insecure after sudden weight gain. She’d walked to and from school every day, yet never lost weight.
The other students had assumed she came from a poor background. A rumor had spread that she was a distant, poor relative of the Mercers, only attending Linholt High School through their connections.
Because of that, no one at school had known until graduation that she was actually the heiress of Tann Group.
“Don’t be so hard on her. Nina’s family might not be well-off, but that’s no reason to make fun of her,” Katrina said, taking Nina’s hand affectionately.
“Nina, ride home with us later. I’ll have my driver drop you off.”
Nina frowned and pulled her hand away. “No thanks. My family has a car.”
She knew exactly what Katrina was doing—trying to find out where she lived and showing off her family’s fancy car in front of everyone.
“Nina, quit lying. If your family had a car, why would you walk every day?”
“Exactly! Katrina’s family has a Porsche. You could never afford that in your life. Don’t be ungrateful.”
The other girls looked at her with pure contempt.
Just then, a luxury car pulled up to the school gate. The nearby students froze, their jaws dropping.
“That’s a limited-edition Rolls-Royce! You can’t even buy one with money!”
“Who does that belong to? That’s insane—does someone at our school really have that?”
As everyone stared in shock, the driver got out, walked over to Nina, and said respectfully, “Miss Tann, Mr. Tann sent me to pick you up.”
Nina nodded. “Okay.”
When they realized the car was for Nina, the girls were stunned.
“Nina? It’s actually Nina…”
“Who is she? How can her family afford a car like that?”
“Katrina, you’re close to her—do you know about her family?”
Katrina felt her face burn as if she’d been slapped hard.
A limited-edition Rolls-Royce… How much could that possibly cost?
Katrina clenched her fists tightly.
Wasn’t Nina supposed to be Chase’s poor country relative?
By then, Nina had gotten into the car. In the rearview mirror, she saw Katrina’s father pulling up in the Sawyer family’s Porsche.
But compared to her Rolls-Royce, the Porsche looked completely ordinary.
The driver noticed Nina’s change in attitude and asked, “Miss Tann, didn’t you used to hate being this noticeable?”
“I changed my mind. Starting today, I want a car to pick me up and drop me off every day—the more attention, the better. I want a different car each day if possible.”
Hearing Nina’s request, the driver grinned happily, “Miss Tann, you should have done this ages ago!”
Nina was the precious jewel of the Tann family, spoiled endlessly by everyone.
She should have studied abroad, but she’d come to Linholt High School instead to build a relationship with the Mercer heir because of their engagement.
In truth, her parents had never approved of her marrying Chase. The Mercer family was clearly declining—they were far beneath the Tanns.
Nina asked, “Is there a dinner tonight?”
“Yes, about your engagement to Mr. Mercer.”
“Good.”
Nina remembered clearly that at this dinner in her past life, her parents had wanted to break off the engagement. But Chase’s mother had been desperate for her to marry into the Mercer family. Chase had been unwilling, but he couldn’t go against his mother.
After all, the Mercer family was on the verge of collapse. Without the Tanns’ help, they would go bankrupt within six months.
In her past life, she’d been soft-hearted and couldn’t bear to see her childhood crush’s family fall apart, so she’d agreed to marry Chase after graduation.
But this life, she wouldn’t be that stupid.
Soon, the car stopped outside the Four Seasons Hotel. Nina got out and immediately spotted Chase at the entrance.
He was wearing the same school uniform, but they looked nothing alike.
At that moment, she weighed 180 pounds, and the uniform hung awkwardly on her heavy frame. Though her facial features were still nice, no one would connect her to the tall, sharp-looking Chase.
Outside the hotel, Chase deliberately waited for her. When she approached, he said coldly, “Nina, I’m warning you—I don’t like you, and I will never marry you.”
“Same here,” Nina replied.
Chase frowned at her response.
He’d always known about her crush on him. Anyone could see it. She’d never said anything, so he’d never bothered to bring it up.
He had no interest in her whatsoever.
But now Nina was saying she didn’t like him and didn’t want to marry him?
Chase scoffed, assuming she was just hurt and putting on a brave act.
Inside the VIP private room, Nina’s parents, Marvin Tann and Esther Tann, were already seated. Since Chase’s father had passed away years ago, only his mother, Cecilia Mercer, represented the Mercer family.
As soon as Chase and Nina walked in, Cecilia stepped forward and took Nina’s hand warmly. “Nina, look at you—you’ve lost weight since I last saw you! You look more beautiful than ever!”
Cecilia was dressed like a typical wealthy socialite, covered in so many jewels that she looked tacky.
Nina remembered how calculating she was. When she’d married into the Mercer family, Cecilia had schemed for her property and planned to take control of their marital assets even before the wedding.
Later, she’d lived comfortably off the money Nina had brought into the family, and she’d even attended Chase and Katrina’s wedding in all her finery.
Looking at Cecilia’s greedy expression, Nina pulled her hand away. “Mrs. Mercer, I’ve actually gained ten pounds since last time. Let’s just get down to business tonight.”
Cecilia was caught off guard by Nina’s cold attitude.
Chase snapped from the side, “Nina, how dare you speak to my mom like that?”
“I’m only telling the truth, Chase. Why are you getting so defensive?”