After Reincarnation, I Give Up My
Stepbrother
Chapter 1
Dad was really sick. He knew I’d been
crushing on my stepbrother, Dean, forever,
and asked him if he’d consider marrying me.
Dean, looking at Dad with that pleading look
in his eyes, just flatly said, “Yeah, I will.”
Our wedding night? A total disaster. His ex, Tiffany, showed up, bawling her eyes out. “I’m pregnant, and you just betrayed me!” she
wailed.
Then she just straight–up tried to off herself.
I freaked, but Dean? Ice cold. He handled
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everything, even took the time to calm me
down.
That night, he was rough, and I could barely
walk for two days. But I was stupidly happy. I
actually thought he was falling for me.
Then, a month later, I found out I was
pregnant. He locked me in a room, his eyes
like glaciers. “You think I wanted to marry
you? Your dad guilt–tripped me!”
“I’ve been waiting for this. She suffered, and
now it’s your turn.”
He started stabbing me with a knife, over and
over. Blood everywhere.
Turns out, Dean didn’t love me. He just
wanted revenge.
く
I blinked, and suddenly, I was back. Back in
the hospital room with Dad and Dean.
Dad was just opening his mouth to ask Dean
about marrying me. Before Dean could even
answer, I blurted out, “Dad, I’m already seeing
someone…”
- 1.
I stumbled back, a jolt of pain shooting
through me. Dean grabbed my arm. “Whoa,
you okay? You’re soaked in sweat.”
My vision cleared. I was in the hospital, Dean
standing right beside me, looking concerned.
“Dean, son, I’m getting old. I just wanna make
sure you and Ashley are taken care of. You
wouldn’t…”
<
Dad was looking up at Dean from the hospital
bed, pleading with his eyes. I knew what he
wanted to ask. He wanted to know Dean
would take care of me when he was gone.
If I was still the naive girl from before, I would
have jumped at the chance to marry Dean.
But now, just the thought of him filled me
with dread.
Tiffany, the ex, killing herself on our wedding
night and then blaming me for it, was a
nightmare I didn’t want to live again.
I lurched forward, grabbing Dad’s hand. “Dad!
What are you even talking about? I have a
boyfriend already.
Dad’s face lit up. “Really? When did this
く
happen? Why didn’t you tell your old man?”
“I’ll bring him by tomorrow. You can meet
him.”
I nodded hard. “Dad, you just focus on getting
better. I want you to walk me down the aisle.”
Dean, standing behind me, looked caught off
guard for a second. “Ashley? You’re dating
someone?”
I turned to him, my face blank. “Dean, you’re
not getting any younger either. Why don’t you
just tell Sarah how you feel?”
Dad perked up at that. “Dean’s got a girl,
too? Good! I just want you two to be happy.”
Dean didn’t say anything, but I could feel his
く
eyes on the back of my head.
Leaving the hospital, Dean followed me out,
grabbing my arm. “Ashley, I’ve never heard
you mention a boyfriend.”
He sounded accusatory, his eyes trying to
read my mind.
“Dean, I’m a grown–up. I don’t need to run
everything by you, do I?”
Dean froze. He pulled his hand back, his face
shifting into that familiar cold mask.
I finally breathed when I sat in the car. I pulled
out my phone and texted Sarah, who lived a
few states over.
“Sorah you’ve always been crazy about Dean
and he likes you, too. He’s just too scared to
say it.”
“If you came here, he’d be so happy.
Sarah seemed thrilled, hanging up before I
could say much else.
Leaning back against the steering wheel, I finally felt some relief. Dad had always
wanted me to be with Dean, but I was too
scared to tell him how I felt. That’s why he
tried to play matchmaker.
This time, I wasn’t getting in their way.
Sarah practically hopped off the first flight
she could get. She met me, took off her
sunglasses, and gave me a look. “Ashley, I
don’t know what you’re up to, but I’m not
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letting you steal Dean.”
I smiled sadly. “Sarah, he’s my stepbrother.
Nothing more. Besides, I’m getting married
soon, so you don’t have to worry.”
Everyone knew I had a thing for Dean, so
Sarah didn’t believe me.
I filled her in on where Dean liked to hang out,
and her face got suspicious. “Ashley, why are
you doing this? What’s your angle?”
“Sarah, believe what you want. I’m just telling
you the truth. What you do with it is up to
you.”
I made a quick exit, wanting to cut all ties
with Dean.
“Just stay away from Dean. Everyone knows
how you feel about him!”
