Why Do I Regret Being A Stepmother?

Rhea Ravelle, heiress of a powerful and influential family, goes against her family's wishes and cuts ties with them. She chooses to marry Carter Jamison, a man with a failing career and two children born out of wedlock. For six years, she raises his children as if they were her own and helps Carter rebuild his crumbling business. Under her care, the kids grow into kind, well-mannered little stars, and Carter's company finally makes it big and goes public. But right at the celebration marking his entry into high society, the biological mother of his two children suddenly shows up. And Carter, who is usually so calm, completely loses it. He begs the woman to stay, making Rhea the laughingstock of the entire city. That night, he doesn't come home. Instead, he takes the children and runs straight back to his old flame, playing house as a happy family. Soon after, Carter files for divorce. "Thanks for everything, Rhea. But the kids need their birth mother." The children's mother also says, "Thank you for taking care of them all these years. But a stepmother will never compare to a birth mother." So blood beats love? If that's how it is, then she's done playing stepmother. However, the children reject their birth mother flat-out, and they don't want Carter either. They declare, "Rhea is our only mom! If you're getting divorced, then we're going wherever she goes!"

Over the years, Julia had grown accustomed to being her husband Andrew’s substitute wife. Every time he looked at her face, she knew he was really seeing his late first love. But after so many years, her stepsister Charlotte returned to the country and shamelessly tried to take her place. Charlotte cozied up to her husband and won over her son. When her son said he’d rather live with Auntie Charlotte than with his own mother, Julia felt utterly heartbroken. She resolved to get a divorce and never be a substitute wife.

My sister-in-law sent me a photo of her kissing my husband on the beach. Just a few minutes later, she deleted the photo and sent me a text saying, “Oops, sent to the wrong person. Lol.” I knew it was deliberate. It was never a mistake. She wanted me to see how happy my husband was with her. Clara was never my sister-in-law. Three years ago, my husband had lied about her, claiming she was his younger sister, and I believed him. But after five years of marriage, I discovered—far too late—that Clara was never his sister. She was his mistress, his childhood lover, the woman he had been sleeping with under the same roof as me while making me serve her as if she were truly my sister-in-law. And now what? He had lied again… said he was going on a business trip. Yet Clara had just sent me a picture—a cute, sickening picture—of my husband happily kissing the very woman he had once claimed was his younger sister. The photo carried a timestamp showing the exact time and location. It was real. There was no denying it. They were in Hawaii, on a beach, laughing, kissing, and having the time of their lives… while he had made me believe he was away on business. Without saying a word, I saved the picture and posted it straight to Instagram, captioning it: "Congratulations to my sister-in-law… on finally becoming the official wife.” Then I turned off my phone and went to bed. The next morning, after having breakfast with my cat, Lulu, and taking the warmest bath ever, I turned my phone back on—and froze. Over 200 missed calls were waiting for me. Notifications exploded across my phone. And it didn’t stop there—the number of unattended messages kept climbing past 250.

My husband brought his pregnant ex into our home, claiming the baby isn’t his, that he’s just helping her out. But that woman? She’s running the show, making it clear she wants to tear us apart. My husband always defends her, even though he swears he loves me. She told me I was just her replacement and and my husband’s actions proved it. Everything seemed perfect... until she uncovered my BIG secret. She pushed my husband to find out the truth: that I only came close to him for my first love...

Clara lay on the cold floor bleeding. She stared blankly at the ceiling, and in its reflection, she saw the monster she’d become as her life slipped away. The cruel wife! The “evil stepmother” everyone despised!! She had spent years hurting the people who only wanted her love, her husband, and his children until they stopped looking at her with warmth altogether. And now, in her final moments, the one person she trusted stood above her… holding the knife. Her best friend’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “You should’ve listened, Clara,” she whispered before driving the blade in again. Pain! Regret!! Betrayal!!! Everything Clara had built came crashing down in a pool of her own blood. If only she could turn back time... just once... she would do things differently. She would protect her family. She would stop trusting the wrong people. A lone tear slipped from her eye as her body went still... DEAD! ***** And then... she woke up, gasping for air. Clara’s heart raced as the realization hit her. She had been reborn. Given a second chance. This time, she would not waste it. She would be the mother they needed, the wife he deserved. She will be kind and loving to them. But when the shadows of her past return and the same enemies begin to stir, Clara learns that kindness alone won’t save them. To protect her family, she must become what everyone once feared... An evil stepmother capable of vengeance. Clara died as a villain… and returned to become their savior. Because in her death, she found regret. But in her rebirth, she'd find revenge. They killed her once. They won’t live to do it again. Clara returned from the grave with one goal... to protect her family and vengeance.

The day my son gained the lifetime achievement award in research, I died alone on the street. On stage, he thanked his father, a professor, and his biological mother, who had just returned from abroad. He even thanked the nanny at home. But he left me out, his foster mother who had raised him. My husband, Charles Zimmer, learned about my death. He immediately disassociated himself from me. “We’ve long separated. I’ve got nothing to do with her.” I had worked hard to give them a decent life, but they regarded me as a stain that they could never remove. When I opened my eyes again, I returned to the time of my life when my destiny changed. Holding the college admission letter, Charles smiled at me and said, “Yes, I’m divorced. But we can live in the city together if you marry me. I’ll let you discipline the kid if he makes any mistakes. I won’t complain about you.” During my previous life, he had me fooled by false promises. I naively thought that it would be easy to be a stepmother. I helped him care for his son and worked hard to support the family. In the end, they conspired with each other to drive me out and leave me penniless. It was because Charles’ ex-wife, who had abandoned them when he was poor, wanted to come home and remarry him. Since I had gained a second chance, I planned to dump such an ungrateful husband and son.