Reborn to Ruin My Shameless Ex

Waking up from a four-year coma, I was told by my husband to accept the illegitimate daughter he had with his nurse mistress. In my past life, I begged him with tears to come back to me. In return, my mother died of heartbreak, my best friend was crippled, and I was thrown into a psychiatric ward, dying with deep resentment. Reborn in this life, I was done begging. I smiled and agreed to take the child in. The next second, I made him sign the divorce papers, completely stripping away the Vance family's assets. He thought I was just a helpless invalid who couldn't survive without him. Little did he know, my revenge had only just begun. Everything you owe me, Julian Hayes, I will take back with interest! Clara's POV The moment I opened my eyes after four years in a coma, my husband, Julian Hayes, pushed a two-year-old girl in front of me. The child's biological mother was Chloe Bennett—the very nurse who had supposedly cared for me for four years. Julian's father, Ian, stood by the side, his tone chillingly cold: "Lily is Julian's blood. Now that you're awake, claim her as your own. Tell the public you gave birth to her, and live your lives together as a family." Julian's mother, Maggie, peeled an apple as if everything was completely justified: "You've been rotting in the ICU for four years, costing the Hayes family millions. If Chloe hadn't taken care of Julian day and night, this family would have fallen apart long ago. A woman needs to know her place. Don't wake up just to cause a scene." The hospital room was dead silent. In my previous life, I would have broken down and screamed in agony. But I was reborn. In my past life, my desperate tears and begging only caused my mother to die of rage on her sickbed. My best friend, Wendy, had her leg crushed while trying to uncover the truth for me. And I was locked away in a psychiatric facility, drawing my final breath in total isolation. That bone-deep agony remained carved into my soul. Leaning against the headboard, I didn't cry. Instead, the corners of my lips curved into a faint smile. "Dad, Mom is right." My voice was hoarse, but my tone was eerily polite. "Nurse Bennett has worked hard these past four years. Lily is a beautiful girl." I even reached out my emaciated, trembling hand toward the illegitimate child. Julian and Chloe froze on the spot. They had prepared an entire PR contingency plan for when I went hysterical—they even had sedatives ready. Yet not a single measure was needed. That afternoon was the tenth anniversary gala of the Hayes Healthcare Group. I insisted on attending. On stage, the spotlights were blinding. Julian stood before the microphone, thanking everyone, before turning his gaze toward Chloe. "The person I owe the most over these four years is Chloe. She stood by the Hayes family through thick and thin without a single complaint." Amid the thunderous applause, Julian took Chloe's hand in front of the city's entire high society and held it high. Chloe's eyes reddened. "I never intended to take anyone's place... Now that Clara is awake, I can just leave with the baby. I'd never break up Mr. Hayes's family." Her words sounded selfless, yet her fingers clung tightly to Julian's, showing no intention of letting go. The audience applauded, praising Chloe for her grace and Julian for being a devoted, honorable man. Sitting in a wheelchair tucked away in the darkest corner of the ballroom, I watched their little show with cold detachment. Julian's gaze swept over the crowd and collided with my deadpan eyes. He paused for a second, but his hand resting on Chloe's waist never pulled away. Meeting his eyes, I smiled faintly. No one noticed that my fingers gripping the wheelchair armrests had dug in so hard that my fingernails split, dripping with blood. Late that night, the gala ended. I dismissed the caretaker and sat alone by the hospital bed. Sitting in the wheelchair for so long made my atrophied muscles ache, but my mind was sharper than ever. The memories of my family being destroyed in my past life were etched into my bones. I picked up my phone, scrolled through my contacts, and dialed my trusted lawyer friend, Henry. The call was answered on the first ring. A rushed male voice came through: "Clara? I heard you woke up! How are you feeling? I'm coming over right now." "Henry, don't come yet." Looking out at the pitch-black night, my voice was dry and completely devoid of hesitation: "Draft a divorce agreement for me immediately. Isolate all the Vance family's shares and pre-marital assets from Julian entirely." "As fast as possible. Don't let Julian suspect anything." Henry was silent for a second on the other end, asking no unnecessary questions: "Understood. I'll have everything ready and delivered to you before dawn." "Also," I added in a low voice, "send me Dr. Ethan Cole's contact information." "Got it." After hanging up, silence settled over the room once more. I leaned against the cold headboard, looking at the endless city lights outside. In this life, I would never step into the Hayes family's quagmire again.Clara's POV The next morning, I met Julian in the VIP suite. Without wasting words, I threw my terms right in his face: "If you want me to acknowledge that bastard child, transfer the ownership of Hayes Group's most profitable private hospital to my name." Enraged, Julian slammed his hand on the desk: "Clara Vance, your greed knows no bounds!" "Smack!" I slammed the divorce papers onto the desk in response. "If you think I'm greedy, then let's get divorced." "I won't take a single dime of Hayes money, and you won't keep a single cent belonging to the Vance family. Sign it, and we're clean." Chloe stood beside him, clutching Julian's sleeve, feigning attempts to calm him down. Julian sneered, grabbed a pen, and furiously signed his name, blinded by humiliation. "Clara, without the Hayes family, let's see how many days a paralyzed invalid who's been asleep for four years can survive!" He didn't bother reading the fine print. Tucked behind the agreement were notarized share transfer documents, resignation letters, and joint account closure authorizations. The moment his signature landed, he personally severed all Vance assets from the Hayes Group. Right after the signing, Chloe rushed to Julian with the child in her arms, weeping hysterically. She claimed I had glared murderously at the baby in the courtyard, and even pulled out forged financial statements, insisting I was secretly embezzling assets. Julian kicked my door open. Wendy was sitting by my bed, keeping me company. Julian threw the folder right into my face. The sharp edge of the paper sliced my cheek, instantly drawing a bead of blood. "Clara Vance! The ink is barely dry and you're already targeting a child? You and your greedy family are utterly sickening!" I wiped the blood from my cheek without even blinking. Julian pulled out his phone and made call after call to the hospital departments, barking ruthless orders: "Cut off all of Clara's nutritional IVs." "Cancel her physical therapy and revoke her private nurse." "Block all her VIP privileges across the entire hospital!" Wendy trembled with fury, jumping up to shield my bed. "Julian, are you out of your mind?! Her muscles have atrophied from four years in bed! If you stop her rehab medication, she'll be paralyzed for the rest of her life!" "Shut up. You have no say here." Julian glared coldly at me, issuing his final ultimatum at the doorway: "It's simple if you want your treatment back." "Go apologize to Chloe. Write a formal statement swearing you'll never bother her again, never touch Lily, and never covet a single penny of the Hayes family." "Admit your fault, and your medication will be restored immediately." He was using my life as leverage to make me bow my head. Sitting on the cold bed, I looked at the man I had once loved with all my heart. Years ago, when I fainted from anemia, he walked three miles through a blizzard just to buy my medicine. When I casually mentioned I loved the ocean, he bought an entire private island to propose to me. And now, for another woman, he was cutting off my lifeline with his own hands. I gritted my teeth and looked up at him, without a single tear in my eyes. "Julian Hayes, don't you dare regret this." Julian scoffed and slammed the door behind him. The room fell terrifyingly quiet. Wendy's eyes were red with rage as she held my freezing hands. "Clara, don't listen to that bastard! We can transfer hospitals! We don't have to take this abuse!" I slowly unclenched my fists, my palms marked with bloody nail crescents. I didn't shed a tear. I just reached for my phone on the nightstand and dialed Ethan Cole's number. It rang twice before connecting. A deep, steady voice came through: "Clara?" "Julian signed the divorce papers," I said softly, looking at the empty IV pole. "But he cut off all my rehab and medication to force me to apologize to Chloe Bennett." Silence lingered on the line for half a second. Then came Ethan's crisp, decisive voice: "I'll arrange a transfer bed. Take care of yourself for the next two days, and wait for me." "Okay." Hanging up, I leaned back against the cold headboard and closed my eyes. The draft in the general ward was freezing, and the dull ache in my atrophied muscles surged in waves. Yet my mind was completely clear. I could endure these two days of suffering. Everything Julian and Chloe owed me, I would collect in full.Clara's POV After my treatment was halted, I didn't just sit there waiting to die. The conditions in the general ward were terrible. The elderly patient in the next bed coughed through the night, and my personal nurse had been replaced. I didn't complain once. I simply had Henry bring over every piece of documentation we needed. On the second night in the general ward, I was hooked up to a standard saline drip to maintain basic hydration. Halfway through the bag, violent red hives erupted across my entire body, and my throat tightened until I couldn't breathe. The on-duty emergency team slammed the door open with a crash cart, injecting an epinephrine shot and pumping me with antihistamines. It wasn't until dawn that my breathing leveled out. The doctor reviewed my charts that morning, stating I had no prior allergic history and suggesting I had secretly tampered with the medication. Leaning against the headboard, I stated calmly that I hadn't touched a thing. The doctor scribbled a quick note in the chart and left. I watched the nurse toss the empty IV bag into the biohazard bin without saying a word. However, I burned the serial number printed on the seal into my memory. That afternoon, Julian came back. Right in front of him, I dialed Henry and hit speakerphone. The phone lay flat on the nightstand, Henry's voice echoing clearly through the room. Henry laid out the facts line by line: None of the Vance family assets had been transferred illegally; pulling the notarized equity records was standard legal procedure for divorce asset division; and the hospital's unilateral termination of a patient's life-sustaining therapy was a severe violation of medical protocol. "As for Ms. Bennett's accusation that Clara 'targeted the child'—Mr. Hayes, do you have a single frame of security footage or a single witness testimony to prove it?" Henry asked crisply over the phone. Julian sneered, dismissing it entirely, claiming a paid lawyer would naturally spin lies for his client. He turned his gaze toward Chloe, who was standing by the door. Chloe was holding Lily, her eyes rimmed with red, her pale lips trembling as she leaned against the doorframe, playing the picture of a helpless victim. Julian stepped over, wrapping an arm around Chloe's shoulders. "Chloe has had it hard enough raising a child alone. Why would she frame you? You, on the other hand, rushed to force me to sign the papers the second you woke up. How do you expect me to believe you?" I pulled out the complete file Henry had assembled from under my pillow—bank statements, notarized pre-marital asset agreements, and the caretaker's shift logs from that day—and pushed them neatly in front of Julian. Every transaction matched up, and the caretaker had documented in black and white that I hadn't stepped into the courtyard that day. My voice was calm as I explained every detail. Julian didn't even lift a hand. He shoved the documents away with disgust. "Save it. It's too easy for you to forge these papers." Keeping his arm around Chloe, he turned toward the door. Pausing at the threshold, he cast a cold, mocking look at my hollow cheeks. "When you come to your senses and apologize to Chloe, your treatment will be restored. Until then, you can rot right here." Watching their retreating backs, I whispered softly, "Julian Hayes, you will regret this." My voice was low, instantly swallowed by the noisy corridor outside. I reached out, gathering the scattered documents one by one, and slipped them back into the folder. I knew Julian couldn't digest these facts right now. But a day would come when he would drop to his knees, begging to read every single word on these pages. Later that afternoon, Ethan Cole pushed the door open. He was still in green surgical scrubs with a lab coat slung over his arm, his mask pulled beneath his chin, clearly fresh off the operating table. The moment he walked in, his eyes swept over the empty IV pole beside the bed. "How many days has your treatment been stopped?" Ethan asked directly. Leaning against the headboard, I looked up at him. During my four-year coma, the Hayes Hospital had brought in countless specialists, but Ethan was the only one who visited twice a year without fail. Every visit, he did only three things: review the original charts, test my muscle reflexes, and give detailed instructions to my private nurse. He never exchanged a single wasted word with the Hayes family. "Julian ordered it personally," I said. Ethan gave a low hum of acknowledgment, tucked the medical charts under his arm, walked to the window, and dialed a number. Two minutes later, he hung up, turned around, and laid out three points in rapid succession. First, he had reorganized my physical therapy plan—two sessions a day handled by his personal specialist, bypassing the Hayes Hospital system, billed directly to his personal account. Second, he had already subpoenaed and archived copies of my original medical records, including the exact timestamps of the drug cessation orders, the names of the nurses who executed them, and the attending physician's signature. Third, he was coordinating a bed transfer to move me straight to the Neuro-ICU center at his hospital. When he finished, I looked at him and asked, "Why are you getting involved in this?" Ethan slid his phone into his coat pocket, his tone as matter-of-fact as if he were discussing a routine procedure. "You lay in that bed for four full years. Over those four years, I signed over a dozen consultation forms, and on every single one, I wrote: 'Recommend aggressive ongoing rehabilitation.'" He paused, looking straight into my eyes. "Someone just ripped up my orders and killed my treatment plan. That makes it my business, not just yours." With that, he pulled the door open and left. His footsteps soon faded down the hall. I stared at the stack of medical reports left at the foot of my bed, unable to look away for a long time.Clara's POV As I wheeled myself toward the staff cafeteria entrance, I saw Wendy walking in with a lunch tray. She had been the head of the pharmacy department at Hayes Hospital for ten years, commanding vast respect and connections across the facility. Chloe was sitting at the center table with Lily. The moment Wendy entered, Chloe spotted her and deliberately raised her voice to speak to the nurses at her table. She bragged that Mr. Hayes had promised to plan their formal wedding the moment my paperwork was finalized, and that the entire hospital staff would be invited. As she spoke, she stroked Lily's head, saying her daughter would finally have a legitimate family. Wendy flicked her wrist, slamming her stainless steel tray onto the table. "CLANG!" The deafening crash instantly silenced the entire cafeteria. Wendy towered over Chloe's table, her voice booming so loudly that even the kitchen staff heard every word. "Chloe Bennett, you're a shameless nurse who crawled into another woman's marital bed while she was in a coma! You dare bring up a wedding here?" "Who in this hospital doesn't know your dirty history? You were a private nurse in the coma ward, and you nursed your way right into the director's bed! Where do you get the nerve to strut around here?" Chloe's face drained of color, her hands shaking so violently she almost dropped the child. Doctors and nurses gathered around, whispering furiously. A few murmured in agreement, mentioning how Chloe had ranked dead last in professional performance and only climbed the ladder by playing the victim in front of Mr. Hayes. Others pointed fingers, disgusted that someone had taken over a comatose patient's life and popped out a baby during her four-year slumber. Chloe tried to scoop up the child and flee, but Wendy stepped in, blocking her path. "What? Bold enough to strip down and steal a man, but too cowardly to face the crowd?" Keeping her head down, tears streaming down her face, Chloe clutched her baby and squeezed through the crowd, leaving her lunch tray behind. As Chloe fled, every eye in the room shifted to me. I didn't shrink away. Pushing my wheels forward, I rolled straight into the center of the cafeteria. The night before, after finishing rounds, Ethan had lingered by my doorway and asked: "Once you transfer to my hospital, if you're willing, we can make our relationship official." I had asked him if he realized what he was getting into—I was fresh out of a divorce, my accounts were frozen, and I was drowning in baggage. Ethan had only replied: "I've waited for you for years. Ever since we were in med school." I had accepted. And today, I was here to burn every bridge behind me in broad daylight. I locked my wheelchair brakes, surveyed the room, and spoke in a clear, resonant voice: "Julian Hayes and I have signed the divorce papers. The final legal procedures are underway." "As of today, I have zero affiliation with the Hayes Healthcare Group. Furthermore, I have accepted Dr. Ethan Cole's marriage proposal, and I will be transferring to his hospital." "I hope no one links my name to Mr. Hayes or Ms. Bennett ever again." The cafeteria erupted. No one expected me to move this ruthlessly—not only was I divorced, but I was already engaged to Ethan Cole. Ethan Cole was the nation's premier neurosurgeon, backed by an elite medical dynasty. In terms of both prestige and background, he outclassed Julian Hayes in every conceivable way. Ignoring the chatter, I unlocked my wheels, turned around, and rolled toward the exit, my spine straight as a rod. As I exited the cafeteria, I caught a glimpse of Chloe hiding around the corridor corner. She must have heard every single word. Her face was twisted with raw jealousy and cold malice. I watched her carry Lily toward the stairwell. Before getting into the transport car, I glanced back one last time. A silhouette stood by the window of the nurses' station. I knew it was Chloe. The white glow of her phone screen illuminated her face, devoid of any warmth. I looked away. She wasn't going to let this go.Wendy's POV After the incident in the cafeteria, the fire in my chest didn't die down—it burned even hotter. I knew women like Chloe Bennett too well. If you didn't crush them completely into the dirt, they would cling to you like leeches, sucking you dry. Just after two in the afternoon, I cornered Chloe at the nurses' station. I folded my arms, blocking the middle of the hallway, my voice low and dangerous. "Stay the hell away from Clara. Don't think no one knows about the vile things you did." "During those four years Clara lay comatose, how many times did you intentionally delay turning her over? How many times did you hold back her infection-prevention meds? Do you really think everyone in this hospital is blind?" Chloe kept her head down, her eyes brimming with tears, drawing frequent glances from passing nurses. I scoffed, taking a menacing step forward. "And that girl you popped out—you know better than anyone whose bastard she really is. If Julian wants to play the fool, that's his business. But if you dare use that kid as a weapon against Clara again, I will tear you apart." Chloe snapped her head up, tears spilling over her cheeks. "Ms. Carter, you can insult me however you want, but Lily is innocent! You can't degrade a child like this!" "With a mother like you, she's cursed from birth." I threw those words at her and stormed off. I never imagined that the moment I turned my back, Chloe would seize the opportunity. An hour later, hospital security marched straight into the pharmacy. Julian had signed an administrative decree suspending me immediately. Then, under the pretext of an "investigation into suspected intentional assault," security dragged me to a windowless office in the administration building and locked me inside. They confiscated my phone, bolted the door from the outside, and didn't even offer a cup of water. Sitting in the dark, the truth hit me: I had walked right into Chloe's trap. Julian knew that I was Clara's only vulnerability. By taking me down, he could force Clara to crawl back and submit. Clara's POV When news reached me of Wendy's unlawful detention, panic seized my chest. I called Henry immediately. Henry's voice was frantic: "Julian is claiming this is an internal compliance probe! I've already called the police, but with his deep ties at the facility, even an official intervention will take hours to clear!" Wendy didn't have hours. She suffered from severe hypoglycemia and acute gastric ulcers. Deprived of water and medication, she could slip into shock and face fatal complications within thirty minutes. Henry quickly briefed me on what his preliminary check revealed. Right after Wendy left, while the nurses were busy filing shift reports, Chloe took Lily into the east emergency stairwell—a blind spot without security cameras. She set Lily on a bench at the landing and threw herself down the concrete stairs. Her forehead smashed against the step edges, tearing open deep lacerations across her limbs. The child's screams quickly drew custodians and doctors. Rushing down, they found Chloe drenched in blood, panicked, and called the ER while notifying Julian. When Julian arrived at the trauma bay, Chloe's head was wrapped in thick gauze. She adamantly claimed Wendy had pushed her. Julian didn't bother checking adjacent hallway cameras or examining the impact angles of her wounds. He immediately suspended Wendy and had her locked away. Gritting my teeth, I had a temporary orderly wheel me straight to Chloe's private room. Chloe was propped up in bed sipping hot cocoa. Seeing me enter, a glimmer of smug triumph flashed in her eyes. Yet in an instant, she switched to a fragile, dying facade. "Clara, why did you come? My injuries are nothing, don't worry about it..." Staring at the bandages on her face, I took a deep breath. Then, I did something that shocked every person in that room. Gripping the wheelchair armrests with both hands, I threw my weight forward. My legs, severely atrophied from four years of immobility, buckled instantly. My knees slammed heavily onto the hard tile floor. Blinding pain shot up through my bones, drenching me in cold sweat. Yet I didn't pull back. Bracing myself against the floor, I fell to my knees before Chloe's bed. My body trembled, but my words were razor-sharp. "Wendy can be harsh with her words, but she would never push you down the stairs." "I'm begging you. Tell Julian to let Wendy out." "As long as you let her go, I'll agree to whatever you want." I bowed my head low, pressing my forehead against the freezing tiles. The proud heiress of the Vance family, the former director's wife, was now kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy. Chloe froze in shock. But after that initial surprise passed, sheer, twisted pleasure washed over her face. Chloe leaned leisurely back against her pillows, her voice dripping with mock innocence. "Clara, what are you doing? Please get up." "It's not that I don't want to release Ms. Carter, but Julian is simply furious. You know how protective he is of me." The door suddenly swung open. Julian walked in briskly and instantly froze at the sight of me kneeling on the floor. His steps halted. Hearing the sound, I turned my head. Still on my knees, I looked up at him. "Let Wendy go. She didn't push anyone. If you want to settle a score, settle it with me." Julian looked down at me, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. In all our years together, he had never seen me bow my head to anyone. Yet that flicker lasted only a second before being shattered by Chloe's soft sobs. Chloe tugged at Julian's sleeve, weeping breathlessly. "Julian, Clara is already like this... Maybe just drop it... I can take the pain..." Julian patted Chloe's hand reassuringly, then cast a cold, dominant gaze down at me. He was reveling in my absolute surrender. After a long silence, Julian finally spoke, his voice dripping with authority: "I can let Wendy go." "First, muzzle her. She is never to harass Chloe again. Second, you are never to show your face in front of Chloe for the rest of your life." "Can you do that?" Kneeling on the floor, my nails dug painfully into the grout between the tiles as I spoke each word clearly: "I promise." Only then did Julian pull out his phone, calling security to unlock the administration office. Hanging up, he didn't spare me a single glance. He sat by the bedside, leaning over to gently tuck Chloe under the covers. Using my elbows to brace against the wheelchair frame, my legs shaking violently, I dragged my body back into the seat inch by inch. I whispered to myself: "Clara Vance, remember what it felt like to kneel here today." "This blood debt will be repaid by this wretched pair a thousand times over."