"WAAAAAAAH!"
I screamed.
There was a terrible smell of blood everywhere, and my head hurt like hell.
Huh? I thought I got hit by a car, where am I? What the hell is going on?!
"Wow, he's really crying. You have a very healthy baby here."
"WAAAAAAAH!"
"Ah… let me hold him." A woman reached out with trembling hands and picked me up. She looked down at me warmly.
"Hi, little guy." What the hell are these people saying? And put me down! I don't understand anything!
Then I looked at the woman who was apparently my mother and froze. That woman. She was there.
She was crying, her face a complete mess.
Ewwwww. Her snot and saliva are getting all over me.
"WAAAAAAAH!" I started crying again. I was freaking out, I mean, who wouldn't be?
One moment, I was getting hit by a car and dying. The next, I was surrounded by strangers, covered in blood, and apparently a fucking baby. But there was something even more terrifying.
They were all alive. "Hmm? He's not crying anymore? Nurse, is that a bad thing? Shouldn't babies cry? He did cry twice, but…"
The nurse beside her laughed. "No, no. Don't worry. Although it's a little strange that he's stopped crying, it happens sometimes." She smiled before adding, "Would you like to see your husband? He's quite worried about you and the baby. I think if you don't let him in soon, he's going to start crying too." The nurse left soon after, leaving me alone in that woman's arms.
Well…I wasn't really scared anymore. I'd read plenty of webnovels where the main character got reincarnated. I'd even fantasized about being isekai'd into another world. But I never actually thought it would happen to me. Apparently, life had decided to take my wish seriously.
Soon, I heard the door open. Footsteps hurried into the room. Was it the doctor?
"Honey, are you alright?"
Nope.
It was a bastard.
….
"Awww, he's so cute."
"My darling son…"
"Look, he looks just like you."
"I know, right? Although I think he looks more like you."
"Awww, honey…"
It had been a few hours since I was reborn, and it had finally sunk in. I had actually been reborn. It still felt strange, but I figured I could get used to it especially if these two idiots were going to be my parents. They had been going back and forth over how cute I was for the past three hours, I understood that they were happy. I really did. But for the love of God, could they please do this somewhere else?
I'm exhausted.
{Don't worry. I am too.}
And finally, after another hour of torture, my father's employees called him about some work emergency.
I didn't care. He kissed my mother goodbye.
"Goodbye, my darling." She smiled at him.
Then he leaned down toward me.
Wait!
No!
"Goodbye, my baby."
"WAAAAAAAH!"
Ewww!!!!!
Don't kiss me!!,,
"Honey, I think he's hungry. He didn't eat much the last time I tried feeding him."
Of course I didn't eat much. I really didn't understand why all those protagonists in wuxia and isekai novels were always so excited about being fed. That shit was disgusting.
And also…don't touch me. For a moment, I wondered if this was an opportunity to start over completely. Maybe this was a different world. Maybe my mother was actually a kind person this time. Maybe I could forgive her, but every time she touched me, I remembered.
I remembered being beaten until I could barely move.
I remembered being locked in my room and left without food for an entire day.
I remembered her hands around my neck.
I remembered her screaming at me. Just die!"
And despite everything, a small part of me still wanted to forgive her. A small part of me still wondered if everything had somehow been my fault. A small part of me wanted to tell her, I'm sorry, please forgive me. But why? What had I even done? It took me a while to understand it, but eventually I did. My father had hurt her. He had cheated on her. He had broken her.
But none of that gave her the right to take her anger out on me. It was never my fault. I couldn't forgive her. And as for that bastard…I didn't even need to think about forgiving him.
That was a definite no…
At the end of the day, I still had to drink breast milk because apparently that was what newborn babies did. I hated every second of it.
Eventually, my protests became so dramatic that they switched me to a bottle. It wasn't exactly a huge improvement, but at least I didn't have to drink directly from someone's boobs anymore.
Yuck.
And just like that…
Three years passed.
My mother's name was still Catherine River.
My father's name was still Henry River.
And my name was still Ethan River.
As a baby, I couldn't see very well, but I noticed familiar things. The smell of the old apartment, the voices of people around me, little details I couldn't quite explain but somehow remembered.
And as I grew older, I finally confirmed it. I had really gone back in time. These people really were my parents. And this really was my old life.
But I wasn't going to make the same mistakes this time.
I wasn't planning on becoming one of those isekai protagonists who completely changed history the moment they were reborn. I didn't need to.
I wasn't the smartest person in the world, but I had an unusually good memory. If I saw something twice, I could usually remember it.
Last time, I wasted that ability, I thought those scumbags were my friends, so instead of studying, I spent most of my time with them making my grades suffer.
Eventually, I had to dropped out of school. This time, things would be different.
I was going to study, I was going to get good grades, I was going to get scholarships and stay in school.
I wasn't going to depend on anyone and eventually, I would start my own company, make my own money, and become completely financially independent.
Then I could leave these bastards behind for good, of course, I couldn't do that immediately.
I still had to wait for my remaining siblings to be born before I made my escape.
And there was something else I needed to prepare for…
I needed to get stronger because I knew exactly what was coming.
I had seven years.
Seven years before the abuse started again.
And this time…
I would be ready.